Smart Buildings: Moving Beyond Advanced Home Automation

Legislative Decree 48/2020 in practice introduces the requirement to install automation and control systems (BACS) in all non-residential buildings with heating systems with a nominal power of more than 290 kW; this in fact implements what the Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings has been stating for some time, namely that this requirement must be applied to all buildings and not only to new ones or those subject to major first-level renovations. All this also through the introduction and future requirement of the calculation of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), starting from the second half of 2027, for non-residential buildings with heating systems with a power of more than 290 kW, effectively favoring a systematic process of continuous improvement with the advantage of simplicity of installation and a rapid return on investment. BACS – Building Automation and Control Systems are building automation and control systems that allow the integrated and automated management of technical systems (heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, DHW and solar shading). Their classification is defined by the UNI EN ISO 52120-1 standard, which identifies four energy efficiency classes (D, C, B, A). The new Minimum Requirements Decree 2025 imposes, for certain non-residential buildings, the adoption of BACS systems of at least class B, capable of guaranteeing coordinated and centralized control of the systems. Shall we get to know them?