Authors
Paris Fokaides, Chairperson of the CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 18193:2025, Euphyia Tech Ltd | LinkedIn
Pablo Carnero Melero, Vice Chairperson of the CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 18193:2025, Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA) | LinkedIn
Introduction
Europe’s buildings are becoming smarter, not just in design but also in how they operate. As digitalisation becomes increasingly central to energy and climate policy, the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) has emerged as a promising tool for assessing how well buildings are equipped to deploy intelligent technologies. First introduced through the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the SRI serves as a metric to evaluate how capable a building is in optimising energy efficiency, responding to occupant needs, and interacting with the energy grid.
Although the conceptual framework for the SRI has been developed at the EU level, the absence of a harmonised, on-site methodology remained a barrier to practical deployment. This challenge has now been addressed with the publication of CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 18193:2025, a voluntary standard defining how on-site SRI audits should be performed in a structured and repeatable manner. The agreement results from collaborative work under the LIFE-funded Smart Square project, which aimed to align the SRI with existing energy audit practices while bringing it closer to market reality.
Building on familiar ground: The EN 16247 audit structure
Rather than create an entirely new system for smart readiness assessments, the workshop behind the CWA chose to base its methodology on the well-established energy audit standard EN 16247. This strategic decision ensures that energy auditors and building professionals who are already familiar with traditional auditing practices can easily transition into conducting SRI audits.
While EN 16247-2 focuses on identifying inefficiencies in energy consumption and proposing concrete improvements, the SRI audit is less about measuring current energy use and more about evaluating a building’s capacity to host and coordinate smart-ready services. These include, for example, automated heating control, predictive ventilation, dynamic lighting systems, or integration with local renewable energy and grid signals.
The two audit types have overlapping steps, such as initial contact with the client, data gathering, site visits, analysis, and final reporting. However, the SRI audit excludes detailed energy measurements or sampling methods and instead centres on examining automation, user control, interoperability, and technological responsiveness of systems.
A step-by-step framework for on-site SRI audits
The CWA outlines a clear and logical sequence of actions for auditors to follow. The process begins with preliminary contact, where the objectives and scope of the SRI assessment are defined. At this stage, the auditor and building stakeholders agree on the level of detail required and the timeframe for implementation.
The second step involves a start-up meeting, which provides an opportunity to designate responsibilities, agree on on-site access arrangements, and ensure that all necessary technical documentation is available. These preparatory stages are essential to establish a common understanding between all involved parties.
Following this, the auditor moves into the data collection phase. Here, the emphasis is placed on acquiring operational and technical information related to the building’s automation and control systems. Sources include system drawings, maintenance records, building management system (BMS) outputs, and any existing energy performance certificates. This documentation is crucial to form an accurate picture of the building’s readiness to integrate smart services.
Once the data is reviewed, the audit progresses to the fieldwork stage. The auditor performs on-site inspections of the building’s technical domains. The CWA identifies nine such domains, including heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, dynamic building envelope, electricity, EV charging infrastructure, domestic hot water systems, and central monitoring and control. For each domain, the auditor determines whether systems are equipped with basic manual control, advanced automation, or predictive and self-optimising features.
Figure: The SRI on site audit process according to CWA 18193:2025: building upon EN 16247
Functionality levels and impact criteria
At the core of the SRI audit methodology is the assessment of functionality levels. These levels reflect how advanced the technical services within each domain are in terms of automation, user interaction, and grid responsiveness. For example, a ventilation system with a simple on/off schedule would be considered less 'smart' than one that adjusts airflow based on real-time occupancy and indoor air quality.
The functionality levels are translated into a smart readiness score using predefined impact criteria and weighting factors. These parameters evaluate the extent to which systems improve energy efficiency, enhance comfort, and contribute to demand-side flexibility. This approach allows auditors to identify not just the current status of smartness but also the potential for improvement.
The CWA also introduces the concept of proportionality. Rather than evaluating the entire building uniformly, the auditor records the proportion of the building where certain smart features are present. This ensures a nuanced, realistic representation of building systems that may vary by zone or use.
Reporting and follow-up
After completing the fieldwork and data analysis, the auditor prepares a final report. This report presents a structured summary of the building’s smart readiness level, with scores presented across each technical domain and impact category. It also provides suggestions for targeted upgrades that could enhance the smartness of individual systems or the building as a whole.
The reporting format is designed to be comprehensible to a broad audience, including technical staff, building owners, and policymakers. A final meeting is held with the building stakeholders to present the findings, clarify any uncertainties, and discuss the next steps. This dialogue is vital for ensuring that the audit leads to actionable outcomes, whether through system upgrades, behavioural changes, or participation in incentive schemes.
Figure: The 7 stepper SRI on site audit process according to CWA 18193:2025
Auditor competence and quality assurance
A fundamental aspect of the CWA is its focus on the qualifications and ethical standards of SRI auditors. The complexity of evaluating smart readiness requires more than technical know-how; it demands a deep understanding of integrated building systems, user-centric design, and regulatory frameworks.
The agreement outlines a comprehensive profile for SRI auditors, including expected knowledge areas, professional experience, and continuous training. It also recommends the development of accreditation pathways to ensure consistent quality across the EU. The integrity, objectivity, and transparency of the audit process depend heavily on the competence of the professionals conducting it.
Practical tools and implementation support
To make the CWA methodology easier to apply, the document includes annexes with practical examples, templates, and guidance on using digital tools. Notably, the Smart Ready Go! Platform —developed within the Smart Square project—allows auditors to input building data, assess functionality levels, and automatically generate SRI scores and reports. The user interface is designed to align directly with the CWA methodology, ensuring consistency and traceability.
These implementation tools are particularly useful for capacity building and training. They allow new auditors to practice the methodology in a controlled environment and ensure that early adopters in different Member States follow a shared protocol.
A foundation for policy and market uptake
The CWA comes at a time of heightened urgency for building decarbonisation. As the revised EPBD encourages Member States to adopt the SRI framework, having a harmonised and technically sound procedure for on-site assessment becomes essential. CWA 18193:2025 fills that gap by offering a structured yet adaptable approach that respects national contexts while promoting EU-wide comparability.
In addition to regulatory applications, the standardised SRI audit process supports market mechanisms. Building owners can use audit results to benchmark their properties, identify investment opportunities, and showcase digital capabilities. Technology providers and energy service companies can align their offerings with a recognised framework, building trust and opening new business channels.
Looking ahead
CWA 18193:2025 represents an important step in translating smart building concepts into operational reality. It bridges the gap between policy objectives and everyday practice, providing a foundation for reliable, transparent, and scalable smart readiness assessments across Europe. By combining technical robustness with practical usability, it positions itself as a key reference for all actors involved in the digital transformation of the built environment.
As Member States and industry stakeholders begin to adopt and apply this methodology, it is expected that the CWA will evolve. Feedback from practitioners, combined with technological innovation and policy developments, will shape future iterations. Whether through voluntary schemes or national mandates, this agreement enables Europe’s buildings to become not just energy-efficient, but truly intelligent.
This study is part of the dissemination activities of the research project ‘Smart Tools for Smart Buildings: Enhancing the intelligence of buildings in Europe (Smart Square)’ (Grant ID Number 101077241), funded under the Horizon Europe call LIFE-2021-CET-SMARTREADY.
