Knowledge
Glossary
Smart buildings and sustainability are full of abbreviations. Here are the key terms, in plain language.
B
- BACS
- BACS stands for Building Automation and Control System: the European term for a building automation system that controls and monitors installations.
- BREEAM-NL
- BREEAM-NL is a certification for sustainable buildings, covering energy, health, materials, water and ecology.
- Building automation system (BACS)
- A building automation system automatically controls heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting, and monitors energy use.
- Building management system
- A building management system (BMS) is the central system for viewing, operating and monitoring the installations in a building.
C
- CO2 sensor
- A CO2 sensor measures the amount of CO2 in the air of a room, as a measure of how fresh the air is.
- CSRD
- The CSRD is a European directive under which large companies report on sustainability, including the energy use of their buildings.
E
- Energy label
- The energy label rates how energy efficient a building is, from A++++ to G, based on a fixed calculation method.
- Energy saving obligation
- The Dutch energy saving obligation requires organisations with high energy use to take measures that pay for themselves within five years.
- EPBD
- The EPBD is the European directive on the energy performance of buildings, which sets increasingly strict requirements.
- EU Taxonomy
- The EU Taxonomy is a European classification that defines when an investment counts as sustainable. For buildings, the energy label matters most.
F
- Fibre
- Fibre is an internet connection over glass fibres, with high speed and little interference. The foundation of a digital building.
G
- GPR Gebouw
- GPR Gebouw is a Dutch method that scores a building from 1 to 10 on energy, environment, health, quality of use and future value.
I
L
- Label C requirement
- The Dutch label C requirement means office buildings in the Netherlands must have at least energy label C.
N
- Network segmentation
- Network segmentation divides a network into separate parts, so building systems are kept apart from tenants' computers.
- NTA 8800
- NTA 8800 is the Dutch calculation method used to determine the energy label of a building.
O
- Occupancy sensor
- An occupancy sensor detects whether someone is in a room or at a desk, so heating, cooling and lighting can adapt.
S
- Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI)
- The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is a European score for how smart a building is and how well it adapts to users and the grid.
- Submetering
- Submetering means extra meters behind the main meter that show energy use per floor, per tenant or per installation.
W
- WELL
- WELL is a certification that looks at the health and wellbeing of the people in a building, such as air quality, light and comfort.
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