School · Lighting
Lighting in school: what the SRI measures
For lighting, the SRI does not measure the lamp but the control: does the light switch off when nobody is there, and does it dim with daylight. This is often the cheapest domain to score points in.
In short
- 1This page shows how the Smart Readiness Indicator assesses schools on smart lighting.
- 2For schools, the Lighting domain carries the maximum weighting factor of 3 out of 3.
- 3Two services are central: occupancy control and daylight control, both relatively affordable to improve.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupancy control for indoor lighting L-1a · A · 4 levels | Manual on/off switch | Automatic detection (manual on / dimmed or auto off) | highest level |
| Control artificial lighting power based on daylight levels L-2 · 5 levels | Manual (central) | Automatic dimming including scene-based light control (during time intervals, dynamic and adapted lighting scenes are set, for example, in terms of illuminance level, different correlated colour temperature (CCT) and the possibility to change the light distribution within the space according to e.g. design, human needs, visual tasks) | – |
Worked example
If everything in this domain is at level 0, the domain contributes nothing. At the highest level for all services, the indicative total score for this building type rises by about 4 percentage points (from 33 to 37 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does lighting count so heavily for schools?
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) assesses buildings across nine domains. For schools, the Lighting domain receives the highest weighting factor: 3 out of 3. This reflects the usage pattern of schools.
Classrooms are occupied during the day, but empty in the evenings and during holidays. Without controls, lighting often continues to burn unnecessarily. The SRI does not measure the lamp itself, but whether the system responds to these conditions.
Which services are measured?
Two smart-ready services determine the score for schools within this domain.
The first is occupancy control for indoor lighting (L-1a). This service has four functionality levels, ranging from 0 to 3.
- Level 0: a manual on/off switch, with no further control.
- Level 1: a manual switch with an additional general shutdown signal.
- Level 2: automatic detection, where the light switches on or off automatically.
- Level 3: automatic detection with manual switch-on and automatic switch-off.
The second service is control of artificial lighting power based on daylight level (L-2). This service has five levels, ranging from 0 to 4, from fully manual operation to automatic dimming with scene-based light control.
What does this mean in practice for a school building?
Many school buildings have older installations with time clocks. A time clock switches at a fixed time, regardless of whether a room is occupied.
A shift to automatic occupancy detection often produces a jump in functionality level. This domain therefore often ranks as one of the most cost-effective ways to improve the overall SRI score.
Because schools typically have limited budgets, prioritisation is important. Lighting is a logical starting point here, before investing in more expensive domains such as heating or ventilation.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As owner of a school building, it is advisable to have the existing lighting control assessed for functionality level first, especially in rooms with time clocks. Because lighting carries the highest weighting factor within the SRI methodology for schools, a relatively small investment here often yields the greatest effect on the overall score.
- Tenant
- As a user of a school building, you will notice improved lighting control mainly during unoccupied periods: the light switches off automatically in an empty room and dims with daylight at the windows. This prevents unnecessarily bright or too dim lighting during lessons.
- Advisor
- When assessing a school building, pay close attention to the difference between L-1a and L-2, as schools often have automatic switching but lack daylight control. Check the actual functionality level per zone, as a mixed system with partly manual operation limits the score of the entire domain.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?