School · Monitoring and control
Monitoring and control in school: what the SRI measures
Monitoring and control is the building's nervous system: the building management system that coordinates installations, detects faults, reports energy use and can respond to occupancy and to grid signals.
In short
- 1This page shows how monitoring and control affect the Smart Readiness Indicator of a school building.
- 2For schools, this domain carries significant weight: 2 of the 3 weighting points, mainly because of fixed timetables and long holiday periods.
- 3The table presents eight smart-ready services, from operating hours management to grid integration, each with its own functionality levels.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run time management of HVAC systems MC-3 · 4 levels | Manual setting | Heating and cooling plant on/off control based on predictive control or grid signals | – |
| Detecting faults of technical building systems and providing support to the diagnosis of these faults MC-4 · 4 levels | No central indication of detected faults and alarms | With central indication of detected faults and alarms for all relevant TBS, including diagnosing functions | – |
| Occupancy detection: connected services MC-9 · 3 levels | None | Centralised occupant detection which feeds in to several TBS such as lighting and heating | – |
| Central reporting of TBS performance and energy use MC-13 · A · 4 levels | None | Central or remote reporting of realtime energy use per energy carrier, combining TBS of all main domains in one interface | level 2 or higher |
| Smart Grid Integration MC-25 · A · 3 levels | None - No harmonization between grid and TBS; building is operated independently from the grid load | Coordinated demand side management of multiple TBS | level 2 or higher |
| Reporting information regarding demand side management performance and operation MC-28 · 3 levels | None | Reporting information on current, historical and predicted DSM status, including managed energy flows | – |
| Override of DSM control MC-29 · 5 levels | No DSM control | Scheduled override of DSM control and reactivation with optimised control | – |
| Single platform that allows automated control & coordination between TBS + optimization of energy flow based on occupancy, weather and grid signals MC-30 · A · 4 levels | None | Single platform that allows automated control & coordination between TBS + optimization of energy flow based on occupancy, weather and grid signals | level 2 or higher |
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 20 percentage points (from 26 to 46 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does monitoring and control count so heavily for schools?
Schools follow a predictable usage pattern: fixed lesson times, full classrooms during the day, and long periods of vacancy during holidays. A building management system that can adapt to this pattern saves energy directly without compromising comfort.
This is why the monitoring and control domain accounts for 2 of the 3 points in the Smart Readiness Indicator, or SRI. This is higher than for many other building types, because the potential savings here are greatest.
Which services make the difference?
Operating hours management of HVAC systems, the installations for heating, ventilation and cooling, determines whether a school still works with fixed time clocks or already responds to actual building load. Many schools have older installations that still operate at level 1: a preset schedule, independent of what happens in the building.
Occupancy detection is particularly relevant for schools. A classroom that is empty between lessons does not need to be heated or ventilated at the same level as an occupied one. Centralized occupancy detection that controls both lighting and heating scores higher than separate sensors per function.
Fault detection and centralised energy consumption reporting give facility managers visibility. In a building with a limited budget, this is often the first step: understanding where consumption occurs, before investing in more expensive control technology.
What does smart grid integration mean for a school?
Integration with the smart grid and associated demand response are less often a priority for schools than indoor air quality. Yet they count towards the score, particularly if a school wants to contribute to grid balance outside school hours.
The ability for building users to override demand response, for example during an evening event at the school, is a functionality that supports practical building use.
What does a higher level deliver?
A school that combines operating hours management, fault detection and occupancy detection on a central platform achieves a higher functionality level in this domain. This raises the overall SRI score, especially because this domain weighs so heavily for schools.
What this means for you
- Owner
- First map which level your existing installations currently achieve, particularly for operating hours management and fault detection, as older school buildings often lag here. Targeted investment in per-classroom occupancy detection delivers energy savings during lessons and holidays alike, without requiring replacement of the entire building management system.
- Tenant
- As a student or teacher, you will mainly notice the effect on indoor air quality: a classroom that ventilates automatically based on occupancy feels fresher than one with a fixed ventilation schedule. When faults occur, such as heating failure, problems are detected and resolved faster if the building management system provides central alerts.
- Advisor
- When assessing, pay attention to the difference between a fixed time schedule and control that responds to actual occupancy. This often makes the difference between level 1 and level 2 for operating hours management. For schools with installed capacity above 290 kW, account for the building automation requirement under Article 13 of the EPBD, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and the expected mandatory adoption of the SRI for such buildings by 30 June 2027.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?