Occupancy detection: connected services

What is occupancy detection in the SRI?

MC-9 describes the extent to which a building can detect whether people are present. This information can be used to adjust systems such as lighting and heating to the actual use of a space.

The service is part of the monitoring and control domain within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI). That domain contains services concerned with measuring and controlling building functions on the basis of current data.

What levels exist?

The SRI methodology has three functionality levels for MC-9, numbered from 0 to 2. Each level describes a step in the degree of automated detection.

• Level 0: no occupancy detection present in the building.
• Level 1: occupancy detection for individual functions, for example lighting only.
• Level 2: centralised occupancy detection that controls multiple building technical systems, such as lighting and heating at the same time.

A higher level means that one detection system can control multiple installations at once, rather than separate sensors per system.

Does this service count in every calculation?

MC-9 is not included in method A of the SRI, the simplified calculation with 27 smart-ready services. The service only counts in method B, which includes all 54 services in the assessment.

This means that a building assessed using method A only receives no score for occupancy detection. In a full method B assessment, this service is weighted according to the standard impact criteria of the SRI.

Why is this relevant for building management?

Occupancy detection is one of the simpler ways to link energy consumption to actual use of spaces. A centralised system, as described in level 2, can control different building systems from a single detection source.

For buildings working towards a higher class in the Smart Readiness Indicator, combining occupancy detection with other services in the monitoring and control domain can contribute to a better score.