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A Smart Building Rating to Drive the Uptake of Flexibility

Policy Papers

The Smart Building Rating: A digital tool to scale demand flexibility

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Centralised energy systems built around fossil fuels are making way for decentralised grids of the future, powered by renewables, low-carbon technologies and people. We need to match more variable supply from renewables so we use clean energy when the wind’s blowing and the sun’s shining.

Households can play a big part by shifting energy use to when it’s clean and cheap - cutting their bills in the process. Their capacity for flexible demand is heavily dependent on the low carbon tech installed in the home, such as smart meters, heat pumps, or EV chargers.

The Smart Building Rating (SBR) measures a home’s capacity for flexible energy demand based on its technology, addressing a gap in how we measure building performance so that we’re ready for net zero.

For households, the SBR gives advice on how they can upgrade their home to cut energy costs in the long run and add value to their property. Improving a home’s SBR also provides a clear outcome for public and private financing

For the Government and energy industry, the SBR allows them to target low-carbon tech or new smart products for those who can most benefit from them, or at risk of missing out. It also gives network operators a better idea of how much flexibility different areas can provide to help balance the grid.

This is a simple proof-of-concept to demonstrate the potential value of the Smart Building Rating, a building performance measure of capacity to use energy when it’s clean and cheap. It’s designed as a starting point to give people an idea of how their homes could benefit from smart low carbon technologies. Ultimately, we envisage this to be overseen by a public or professional body alongside other building performance metrics.