Domain C
Cooling
Cooling mirrors heating: control per room, prevent heating and cooling from fighting each other, store cold when electricity is cheap, and let the chiller follow actual demand.
In short
- 1The Cooling domain measures how intelligently a building controls its cooling system and coordinates it with heating and the electricity grid.
- 2The Smart Readiness Indicator assesses ten services here, ranging from space control to thermal storage and grid interaction.
- 3Each service receives a functionality level, which combined with other domains leads to a score and class for the entire building.
Services in this domain
- Cooling emission controlC-1a · 5 levels · A
- Emission control for TABS (cooling mode)C-1b · 4 levels
- Control of distribution network chilled water temperature (supply or return)C-1c · 3 levels
- Control of distribution pumps in networksC-1d · 5 levels
- Interlock: avoiding simultaneous heating and cooling in the same roomC-1f · 3 levels
- Control of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) operationC-1g · 4 levels
- Generator control for coolingC-2a · 4 levels · A
- Sequencing of different cooling generatorsC-2b · 5 levels
- Report information regarding cooling system performanceC-3 · 5 levels · A
- Flexibility and grid interactionC-4 · 5 levels · A
What does the Cooling domain measure?
The Cooling domain assesses how automated and coordinated a cooling system operates. It concerns the delivery of cooling to spaces, its generation, and how the system responds to demand and supply.
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) uses ten smart-ready services for this purpose, ranging from C-1a to C-4. Each service has functionality levels from 0 to 4, where a higher level means more automation and coordination.
Which services belong to this domain?
Some services focus on space-level control, such as C-1a for cooling delivery and C-1f for preventing heating and cooling from running simultaneously. Other services address the distribution network, such as chilled water temperature (C-1c) and pump control (C-1d).
Services such as C-1b and C-1g focus on thermally active building surfaces (TABS) and thermal energy storage (TES). These make it possible to store cooling when electricity is cheap and use it later.
Finally, C-2a and C-2b determine how the chiller itself operates and whether multiple chillers are used intelligently based on efficiency or load forecasting. Service C-3 addresses performance reporting, while C-4 measures flexibility towards the electricity grid.
Why does grid interaction count?
A cooling system that responds to the electricity grid can contribute to a more stable energy system. This occurs for example by storing cooling when power is cheap, or by applying demand control based on external grid signals.
Services such as C-1g, C-2a and C-4 reward this flexibility with higher functionality levels. A building prepared for this therefore scores higher within the Cooling domain.
How does this domain contribute to the overall score?
Each domain receives a weighting factor within the SRI methodology that counts towards the building's total score. This score, expressed as a percentage, determines which of the seven classes the building falls into.
The classes range from 90 to 100 percent down to below 20 percent. The Cooling domain contributes to this alongside the other eight SRI domains.
Weight per building type
- Officeheavy
- Schoollight
- Care buildingmedium
- Hospitalheavy
- Hotelheavy
- Retail and supermarketheavy
- Logistics and distribution centrelight
- Industry and manufacturingmedium
- Apartment buildinglight
- Municipal and public buildingsmedium
- Sports facilitylight
- Data centreheavy
Next step
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