SRI Demo - demonstration of intelligent technologies in buildings and Support of the SRI test phase in Austria

Based on the "Clean Energy for All Europeans" package of measures from 2016 and the "European Green Deal" in the building sector, the European Commission (EC) is pushing for the integration of smart technologies with a high proportion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The assessment of a building's "smart readiness" using an indicator should also contribute to this in order to make it fit for the future requirements of renewable energy networks and the needs of users. With the latest adaptation of the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive), the European Commission introduced a "Smart Readiness Indicator" (SRI) as an optional assessment of buildings in June 2018. A consortium led by the Flemish Institute for Technological Research NV (VITO) has presented a proposal for the calculation methodology for the EC/DG Energy in two studies. At EU level, a decision on the methodology of an SRI based on these studies was adopted at the end of December 2020 and put into force by regulation from January 1, 2021. This also marked the start of a 5-year test phase, in which member states can optionally participate. Since fall 2021, there has been an 'SRI platform' for interested stakeholders, which another consortium around VITO is supervising as part of a 3rd study on SRI for the EU. In this project, measures that contribute to an optimized SRI will be demonstrated and tested in 8 demonstration buildings. The methodology currently proposed by the EC, as well as other possible indicators for assessing the "smart readiness" of buildings, will be evaluated in the Austrian context and under the Austrian regulatory framework in this context. Based on Based on the findings, an online platform for self-testing of buildings by stakeholders will be developed, a practicable methodology for Austria will be found, and the SRI platform at EU level and its structure and activities will be co-designed. "Smart" measures will be implemented on the basis of 8 demonstration buildings from at least four different building typologies; on the one hand, calculation results for variants will be collected, and on the other, practical findings on the measures. Both the national and the EU-SRI methodology will be further developed, advantages and disadvantages listed and tested in a specially developed online platform. The results will be used to derive usable contributions for the EU SRI platform and to gain insights for the implementation of an SRI in the federal states. They will serve as a basis for decisions on the definition of an SRI in Austria and will be used in national dissemination activities for market preparation.