Smart buildings are energy efficient. They intelligently control HVAC and lighting systems to improve occupant comfort and worker productivity. Smart buildings can lead cars to empty parking spaces and people to empty meeting rooms. They use data analytics, real-time sensing, and artificial intelligence to enable smart systems… but how many of these functions must be in place for a building to be called smart? This is one of the key questions being addressed by the European Union (EU) in its Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) program, which has started its preliminary phases this year. The hope is that an SRI will raise awareness amongst building owners and occupants about the value behind building automation and electronic monitoring of technical building systems and also give confidence to occupants about the actual savings of those new enhanced functionalities. While still in the early stages of development, the SRI commission has outlied three critical goals a building should strive […]