Sports facility · Electricity
Electricity in sports facility: what the SRI measures
This domain covers the building's electricity management: batteries, solar panels, shifting consumption to cheap hours, reporting to users and responding to grid signals. It is the core of energy flexibility.
In short
- 1This page shows how the Electricity domain counts in the Smart Readiness Indicator for sports facilities.
- 2Sports halls and swimming pools have large installations for lighting, ventilation and hot water, making smart control of electricity highly valuable.
- 3The Electricity domain weighs 2 of 3 possible points for this building type, indicating above-average importance.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting information regarding local electricity generation E-2 · A · 5 levels | None | Performance evaluation including forecasting and/or benchmarking; also including predictive management and fault detection | level 2 or higher |
| Storage of (locally generated) electricity E-3 · A · 5 levels | None | On site storage of energy (e.g. electric battery or thermal storage) with controller optimising the use of locally generated electricity and possibility to feed back into the grid | level 2 or higher |
| Optimizing self-consumption of locally generated electricity E-4 · 4 levels | None | Automated management of local electricity consumption based on current and predicted energy needs and renewable energy availability | – |
| Control of combined heat and power plant (CHP) E-5 · 3 levels | CHP control based on scheduled runtime management and/or current heat energy demand | CHP runtime control influenced by the fluctuating availability of RES and grid signals; dynamic charging and runtime control to optimise self-consumption of renewables | – |
| Support of (micro)grid operation modes E-8 · 4 levels | None | Automated management of (building-level) electricity consumption and supply, with potential to continue limited off-grid operation (island mode) | – |
| Reporting information regarding energy storage E-11 · A · 5 levels | None | Performance evaluation including forecasting and/or benchmarking; also including predictive management and fault detection | level 2 or higher |
| Reporting information regarding electricity consumption E-12 · A · 5 levels | None | Real-time feedback or benchmarking on appliance level with automated personalized recommendations | 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 4 percentage points (from 33 to 37 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does electricity count heavily for sports facilities?
Sports halls and swimming pools consume substantial electricity for lighting, pumps, air handling and, in swimming pools, dehumidification. Usage typically peaks in the evening and at weekends, when teams train or competitions take place.
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is a European method that measures how well a building is prepared for smart technology. For this domain, electricity weighs 2 of 3 possible points, meaning it counts relatively heavily in the final outcome.
Which smart-ready services belong to this domain?
The Electricity domain (E) comprises seven smart-ready services related to generation, storage, consumption and grid interaction. Each service has functionality levels from 0 to 4, where a higher level means more automation and control.
- E-2 Electricity generation reporting: from no data to predictive management with fault detection.
- E-3 Electricity storage: from simple battery storage to storage with feed-back capability.
- E-4 Own consumption optimisation: from time-based scheduling to predictive, automated management.
- E-5 Heat and power co-generation control: aligning operating hours with demand and renewable generation.
- E-8 Microgrid operation mode support: from grid control to island operation without grid connection.
- E-11 Energy storage reporting: from current charge status to predictive maintenance.
- E-12 Electricity consumption reporting: from building level to appliance level with recommendations.
For sports facilities, services around consumption reporting and storage are particularly relevant, as peak loads and variable usage play a major role.
What does this mean for the building automation obligation?
Large sports complexes with a heating or cooling installation above 290 kW may already fall under the building automation requirement from the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive). The SRI itself is voluntary, but is expected to become mandatory by 2027 for utility buildings above that power threshold.
For smaller sports halls, the SRI remains a voluntary tool to gain insight into the building's digital readiness.
What this means for you
- Owner
- A municipality or sports company that owns a facility should have the electricity supply assessed against the seven smart-ready services within this domain, as this domain counts heavily in the score. Understanding consumption and storage also helps manage energy costs during peaks in evening and weekend usage.
- Tenant
- A sports club or user notices this domain mainly indirectly, for example through lighting that automatically switches on and off when someone is present in a hall or on a field. At a higher functionality level, the user can also gain insight into their own energy consumption through reports.
- Advisor
- When assessing, pay attention to the presence of local generation and storage, as these services in sports facilities often still operate at a low functionality level. Also check whether the building already falls under the building automation requirement, as this affects the baseline for the SRI score.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?