THE EU ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS DIRECTIVE: A CONTRIBUTION FROM BULGARIA

This isn't surprising because the technologies that are now available to the general public such as smart home systems, solar panels, batteries and EV charging stations are fully capable of delivering the promise of a green and sustainable future. However, the mere promise isn't enough anymore. Not for the EU.

What is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive?

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is a cornerstone of the European Union's efforts to achieve its energy and climate goals. Buildings are the single largest energy consumer in Europe, accounting for around 40% of the Union's total energy consumption and 36% of its greenhouse gas emissions from energy. With 85% of EU buildings built before 2000, and many having poor energy performance, improving their efficiency is crucial.

The EPBD promotes the improvement of energy performance in buildings and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, aiming for a zero-emission building stock by 2050. It plays a vital role in delivering energy savings and contributes to the Union's security of energy supply by reducing dependence on energy imports.

The recently revised Directive (EU) 2024/1275 entered into force on May 28, 2024. It helps to increase the rate of renovation, particularly for the worst-performing buildings, and addresses issues like energy poverty. It also supports better indoor air quality, promotes sustainable mobility infrastructure (like charging points), and advances the digitalisation of energy systems in buildings.

Key aspects include setting minimum energy performance requirements, introducing minimum energy performance standards, requiring national building renovation plans, and establishing a framework for calculating buildings' energy performance. The directive also emphasizes the role of smart technologies, such as Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS), which are important tools for improving and maintaining energy performance and can enhance user comfort and well-being. The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), introduced in the 2018 revision, is part of this focus on smartness.

By driving energy efficiency and promoting renovation and modernization, the EPBD is essential for reducing energy bills, improving quality of life, and moving towards a decarbonised future.

Introducing the Smart Readiness Indicator

The European Union's Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is an innovative tool introduced under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). It's designed to measure how capable a building is of using digital technologies to adapt its operation and improve performance.

At its core, the SRI assesses a building's readiness to respond to occupant needs, optimize its energy use, and interact with the electrical grid. This directly relates to smart home and building automation systems. The indicator evaluates capabilities such as automated controls, connectivity, and data management.

A key element is the role of Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS), which are essential for managing technical building systems efficiently. The SRI methodology looks at various features within domains like heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, and electric vehicle charging, assessing their functionality level.

By providing a clear rating of how much a building utilizes digital technologies, the SRI aims to increase awareness among owners and occupants about the benefits of automation and data monitoring. It highlights how smart features can enhance energy efficiency, improve comfort and convenience, and even contribute to energy flexibility. Ultimately, the SRI helps unlock the potential of smart technologies to create more efficient, comfortable, and grid-integrated buildings.

Contribution from Bulgaria to the SRI

Since its conception in 2018, the SRI has passed through various stages of development. At first it had to be clearly defined – the criteria and the methodologies of evaluation had to be established on a scientific basis. Later they had to be tested and in 2022 an experimentation phase was carried out by European companies and SME's under the guidance of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP).

We are now in 2025 and this concept is mature enough to be tested in real environments and implement market-ready solutions. This is done in the frame of the second open call issued by the SUSTAIN Eurocluster – a consortium of five members from Spain, Greece and Latvia including clusters dedicated to intelligent solutions for Zero- and Positive-Energy buildings.

The Bulgarian company Valkrea.House is one of the actors contributing to the market adoption of the SRI by creating a solution for mass configuration installed in homes that will result in very high SRI scores. Valkrea provides solutions for smart home systems which are usually individually designed for specific residential, commercial or office buildings. In this case however, the company has taken on the challenge of creating a library of configuration templates that can be reused as a standard solution for new and existing residential buildings. This will result in an affordable, modular and market-ready installation of smart home systems that cover every SRI requirement for comfort, energy efficiency, and grid-adaptability.

The solution is based on three major technologies that are already used in thousands of homes in Europe – KNX, Loxone, and ABB free@home. They are all distinguished as reliable and functional systems corresponding to the international standards EN 50090 and ISO/IEC 14543 for control of residential and commercial buildings. The outcome, according to Valkrea, is that every home can be fitted with smart control of the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, shading, EV charging, and energy management systems.

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