What the recast EPBD changes
Directive (EU) 2024/1275, the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), was published in the Official Journal on 24 April 2024. Member States had until 29 May 2026 to transpose it into national law. That date has passed, so the practical question for a design team is what your country has adopted and what your project must meet.
The recast gives building automation, controls and monitoring a much larger role than earlier versions did. For ELV and BMS designers, control systems move from a supporting role to a requirement that shapes a building's energy performance.
Building automation requirements
The recast introduces building automation and control systems (BACS) requirements for larger non-residential buildings. The threshold depends on the rated output of heating, cooling, ventilation or domestic hot water systems. The recast text uses 290 kW as that threshold. Check Article 14 and your national transposition for the exact requirement and dates.
Where BACS apply, the system should automate and monitor energy-related building services, record data, and support the building's energy performance. EN ISO 52120-1 is the standard referenced for calculating the energy impact of building automation and controls.
What the ELV design team must plan for
Building automation runs on the same networks, containment and power that ELV systems use. Plan these early:
- Controller and sensor points. Schedule the field devices, metering points and actuators the BACS needs, not only the plant controllers.
- Network architecture. Define BMS network zones, switching, redundancy and the route to the building management platform. Keep BMS traffic separate from guest or tenant networks.
- Data exchange. Agree protocols and data points with the BMS integrator, and how data is made available to energy monitoring.
- Containment and cabling. Route control cabling separately from power where the standards and project specification require it, and provide spare capacity in risers.
- Interfaces. Confirm which systems are integrated: lighting, HVAC, access control, fire alarm interface points and metering.
Smart readiness indicator
The recast confirms the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) as the common EU scheme for rating how well a building can adapt its operation to user needs and to the grid. The detailed implementation is still being developed, so check the current implementing measures before promising an SRI outcome to a client. The design choices that score well, such as connected controls, accessible data and interoperability, are the ones good ELV design already aims for.
Checklist for design teams
- Confirm whether the building is in scope for BACS, based on your country's transposition and the rated output of its heating, cooling, ventilation and hot-water systems.
- Agree the BACS functions and data points with the MEP and energy consultant before design freeze.
- Specify open, documented protocols and data access, so the system can be integrated and monitored over its life.
- Plan BMS network security from the start, in line with NIS2 duties where they apply.
- Record the design basis, including the standards and national requirements applied.
Our design support covers the ELV and BMS layers of these projects. For the energy calculation and regulatory compliance, the appointed energy consultant and the authority having jurisdiction remain responsible.