Central reporting of TBS performance and energy use

What does MC-13 involve?

MC-13 describes how a building reports energy consumption and the performance of its technical systems. Think of heating, cooling and ventilation. A building management system (BMS) collects this data and displays it in one place.

This service falls under the Monitoring and control domain, one of nine domains within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI). MC-13 is used in both method A and method B of the assessment.

What levels exist?

MC-13 has four functionality levels, from 0 to 3. At level 0 there is no centralised reporting.

At level 1 the building reports real-time energy consumption per energy carrier, either centrally or via a third party. Level 2 adds that systems from at least two domains come together in one interface.

Level 3 is the highest level. Here building technical systems from all main domains are brought together in one interface, creating a comprehensive overview.

Why does this service count towards the SRI?

The SRI assesses buildings against seven impact criteria, including energy performance and ease of maintenance. Centralised reporting such as MC-13 directly affects both criteria.

Without an overview of energy consumption per system, it is difficult to detect faults or optimise consumption. A higher level of MC-13 therefore contributes to a higher score in the Monitoring and control domain.

How does MC-13 relate to building automation?

The EPBD, the Directive on the energy performance of buildings, requires building automation for utility buildings with heating and cooling capacity above 290 kilowatts since the end of 2024. From the end of 2029 this requirement applies above 70 kilowatts.

A building automation and control system (BACS) makes centralised reporting as described in MC-13 technically possible. The SRI itself remains voluntary, although the European Commission is working on a delegated act that is expected to make the indicator mandatory for larger utility buildings.