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Your questions about the SRI

Questions and answers about the SRI in general, its implementation and methodology.

Should you have questions related to the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) which are not yet covered and explained on this page, please contact support@smartreadinessindicator.eu

General questions

Where does the SRI concept come from?

The SRI was introduced in the European policy landscape through the Directive amending the Energy Performance of Buildings (2018/844/EU). The directive sent a strong political message about the EU’s commitment to modernise its building sector in the light of realised technological improvements and the urgent requirement to increase the current rate of building renovations.

The SRI concept was further developed through technical studies, carried out on behalf of the European Commission, involving a broad range of stakeholders from the building sector. The final report on the technical support to the development of a smart readiness indicator for buildings (September 2020) provides additional context on the SRI concept.

How to receive SRI updates and news?

Interested stakeholders are invited to subscribe to the SRI newsletter. To know what it looks like, you are welcome to consult the previous issues here.

How to contact the support team?

The SRI support team can be contacted by mail: support@smartreadinessindicator.eu

SRI implementation and testing

Is the SRI implementation mandatory?

According to the Directive amending the Energy Performance of Buildings (2018/844/EU), it is an optional scheme: EU countries can freely decide whether or not they want to test and/or implement the SRI scheme.

How will the Commission support the SRI implementation?

The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2155 established the definition of the SRI and a common methodology, by which it should be calculated. The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2156 detailed the technical modalities for effective implementation of the SRI.

To support the implementation of the SRI across Europe, the Commission has contracted for a duration of 2 years (mid-2021 to mid-2023) a support team to

  • provide technical assistance to the Commission services and to EU countries in testing and implementing the SRI
  • provide technical assistance to the Commission services in establishing and operating a permanent setup to effectively support the broad roll-out of the SRI in the EU, in cooperation with both EU countries and relevant stakeholders
  • provide technical assistance to the Commission services in the preparation of guidance for the implementation of the SRI, including aspects related to the design of the SRI, and to investigate any additional technical support at EU level that could effectively support the implementation of the SRI
  • assist the Commission services in the promotion of the SRI

How to define the testing phase?

According to the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2156, all arrangements of the SRI national test phases must be defined by EU countries, including the duration, phasing, types of building and geographical zones targeted, aspects of the SRI framework that are tested, arrangements for collecting feedback, criteria for the choice of experts carrying out the SRI assessments, the decision on whether an independent control system should be established as part of the test phase, the decision on whether certificates should be issued and made available to economic operators during the test phase, and designation of a third party to manage the test phase, where relevant.

EU countries that plan to undertake a national test phase must notify the Commission ahead of launching the test phase, also indicating applicable arrangements.

At the end of the national test phases, countries shall assess the outcomes and decide whether they will implement the SRI. They must submit a report on the related feedback to the Commission, at the latest 6 months after the conclusion of the test phase.

What support is available to EU countries?

EU countries can receive specific support as part of, or prior to, undertaking their SRI test phase or implementation phase.

Calls for expressions of interest were organised in 2021 and 2022 by the SRI support team in order to understand EU countries’ needs and define related support actions. Six countries have decided to launch a test phase of the SRI and have requested such support: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, and France.

How can stakeholders be involved in test phases?

According to the Commission Delegated Regulation and the Commission Implementing Regulation, the national governments are the ones who make the decision to implement and/or test the SRI on their territories. Research, business and industry stakeholders interested in the SRI may contact their national authority in order to express their interest in taking part in implementation and/or test phases of the SRI. They may also participate in the SRI platform.

SRI methodology

Where to find the detailed SRI methodology?

The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2155 established the definition of the SRI and a common methodology by which it is to be calculated. Its annexes provide information about (among other things): the calculation of smart readiness scores, the weighting of impact criteria in key functionalities, the weighting of technical domains and the smart readiness rating.

The calculation method is based on the outcomes of a technical study on the SRI carried out in 2019-2020, see chapter 1 of the Final report on the technical support to the development of a smart readiness indicator for buildings.

In addition, an updated SRI assessment package comprising a calculation sheet and a practical guide can be provided upon request by filling this form.

The SRI support team also makes publicly available a training package explaining how to conduct an SRI assessment and organises training webinars to facilitate the understanding of the SRI methodology.

Where to find the catalogue of smart-ready services?

As indicated in Annex VI of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2155, EU countries shall make available at least one smart ready catalogue to be used by experts, as the basis for identifying and assessing smart-ready services.

Two consolidated service catalogues were presented in the Final report on the technical support to the development of a smart readiness indicator for buildings (September 2020): a detailed catalogue and a more simplified version.

In the SRI assessment package, that can be provided upon request by filling this form, the smart-ready service catalogues are included, with the option to test alternative configurations. EU countries and stakeholders are invited to discuss potential modifications to the service catalogue through the SRI platform (launched in December 2021).

How to calculate the SRI score of a building?

For the moment, the calculation sheet for calculating the SRI score is only available as an offline spreadsheet. The SRI assessment package (comprising the calculation sheet and a practical guide) can be provided upon request by filling this form.

In 2022, the SRI support team and the Commission will assess the relevance and feasibility of developing an online SRI calculation tool.

Can the SRI methodology still evolve?

The use of the common SRI methodology developed at EU level is strongly encouraged, as it already considers local specificities (for instance, different climate zones are embedded), and it has been designed after extensive Europe-wide stakeholder consultations. However, as the smart building sector is evolving at a fast pace, elements of the common SRI methodology can be adapted to local contexts and/or technological evolutions.

The SRI platform was set up in December 2021 to facilitate exchanges between EU countries and stakeholders on various aspects of the SRI, including potential fine-tuning of the methodology.

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