The European Ventilation Industry Association (EVIA) strongly supports these objectives. However, experience with the interim SRI framework shows that, in its current form, the indicator risks falling short of its ambition. Targeted improvements are needed to ensure the SRI remains relevant, credible, and effective.

EVIA is currently finalising a comprehensive position paper setting out concrete proposals to revitalise the SRI, to be published in the coming months. This article provides an initial overview of its key messages and recommendations.

A new policy context: the EPBD recast

Since the SRI was first developed, the EU buildings policy has evolved significantly. The recast EPBD explicitly elevates Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), including Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), to a core objective in Article 1, signalling a clear shift towards occupant health and wellbeing as central elements of building performance.

In addition, Article 13 introduces mandatory monitoring and control of IAQ in new non‑residential buildings and those undergoing major renovations, while also leaving it to Member States to require the application of this measure to residential buildings.

Moreover, Article 13 on the Smart Readiness Indicator states that the rating shall be based on an assessment of a building's or building unit's capability to adapt its operation to the needs of the occupant, particularly with respect to indoor environmental quality.

These developments underline the need for the SRI to evolve in line with the EPBD’s new policy priorities.

The missing piece: health and wellbeing

While the SRI has effectively highlighted energy‑related smart functionalities following the previous EPBD text, its current scope remains too narrow when considering the new text of the directive. The methodology places strong emphasis on energy efficiency and generic 'smartness', while giving insufficient attention to health‑related aspects such as IAQ monitoring, and to how these factors shape the experience of building occupants.

As buildings become more airtight and energy efficient, indoor environmental conditions increasingly determine health, productivity, and comfort. The SRI should reflect this reality more clearly.

Rebalancing the weighting of impact criteria

A key weakness lies in the actual weighting of impact criteria. At present, health and well-being account for less than 10% of the total SRI score, despite their growing importance in EU legislation. This weighting fails to send the right signals to the market, especially building owners and operators, and does not sufficiently incentivise advanced solutions such as continuous IAQ monitoring or adaptive control strategies.

Without a meaningful rebalancing, the SRI risks remaining misaligned with the EPBD’s objectives and losing relevance as a policy instrument.

Ensuring cross-country comparability

Another major challenge is the lack of cross‑country comparability. Differences in national interpretation, assessment practices, and scoring approaches mean that an SRI score achieved in one Member State is not necessarily equivalent to the same score elsewhere.

This undermines confidence among policymakers, investors, and building owners, and weakens the SRI’s value as a benchmarking and decision‑making tool at the EU level. Greater harmonisation is essential to ensure fairness and transparency.

A targeted reform agenda

To address these shortcomings, EVIA calls for:

• A significant increase in the weighting of health and wellbeing, towards 25-30% of the total SRI score, to reflect the EPBD’s priorities and the needs of building occupants.
• The integration of dynamic, real‑time IAQ monitoring and regulation into the SRI scoring, moving beyond static equipment and ensuring that smart features deliver measurable benefits in daily operation.
• A clear governance framework enabling periodic updates of the SRI methodology, with structured stakeholder involvement, so that the indicator can keep pace with technological progress and evolving policy goals.

Making the SRI fit for purpose

The Smart Readiness Indicator can play a crucial role in Europe’s transition towards sustainable, healthy, and energy-efficient buildings. To fulfil this role, the SRI must be re‑anchored in the EPBD recast, place IAQ at the centre of its scoring logic, and deliver comparable, trustworthy results across the EU.

With these targeted improvements, the SRI can become a robust and credible instrument that supports climate objectives while delivering tangible benefits for building occupants and society at large.