# The Smart Buildings Revolution: A Comprehensive Review of the Smart Readiness Indicator Literature
## 4 Results and Discussion
### Dominant Themes in the Smart Readiness Literature
#### 4.1.1 The Applicability of the SRI to Different Contexts
It enables buildings to minimize energy consumption while optimizing their interactions with the grid, thereby supporting the shift toward a more sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure. Energy flexibility can directly influence the daily lives and economic outcomes of various stakeholders, including users, owners, caretakers, and facility managers, while the successful implementation and effectiveness of energy flexibility strategies largely depend on the acceptance and motivation of these stakeholders [40]. The SRI functions as a metric for the smartness of building systems, and its promotion is expected to significantly enhance energy efficiency within the building sector, leading to substantial energy savings. Achieving a 100% SRI score is difficult, because such buildings would have very sophisticated intelligence systems, which can be expensive and sometimes even be non-user-friendly [41]. [PERSON] et al. [16] evaluated the SRI for educational buildings and found that, despite improvements in controlling the building heating systems and automation, the achieved maximum SRI values exhibited notable differences, indicating differing levels of smart functionality within the systems. The study underscored the importance of integrating assessments of building smartness alongside energy performance evaluations. [PERSON] et al. [42] assessed the energy flexibility of space cooling and heating across various geographical regions in Portugal. Using a genetic algorithm to optimize the thermostat settings, the approach aimed to reduce the operational costs or grid interaction. The results revealed that the energy flexibility indicator effectively measured the potential flexibility influenced by factors such as the thermal inertia of the household, time-of-use electricity tariffs, user comfort boundaries, and geographical location. [PERSON] et al. [43] explored the fundamental concept and definition of resilient cooling for buildings, noting that the SRI could be used to measure the resilience of the cooling of buildings. Furthermore, [PERSON] et al. [38] noted that although the SRI methodology successfully identified the general characteristics of sample buildings, there is still a need for some adjustments to accurately reflect the unique characteristics of non-residential buildings in Mediterranean climates. Also, [PERSON] [44] investigated the utilization of the Internet of Things (IoT) for enhancing energy efficiency in buildings, highlighting that the current SRI is primarily used to raise awareness among building owners and occupants, as well as to evaluate IoT services and functionalities. The SRI plays a role in economic assessments by evaluating the financial viability of smart building technologies. Although the initial investment can be substantial, the SRI helps demonstrate long-term savings and returns, making it a valuable tool for decision-makers looking to balance environmental and economic goals. Investing in a progressive smart building system has proved to be economically viable, yielding a return-on-investment of over 10% and increasing property value by over EUR 10 million [45]. Despite the initially high investment required for smart technologies, their costs could potentially be recouped within approximately three years of operation [46]. [PERSON] et al. [45] evaluated the SRI metrics to assess the economic viability of implementing a feasible smart energy system in a building. The researchers did not explicitly establish a direct link between SRI performance and building performance, as smartness reflected operational savings in their analysis, not only energy performance. The SRI can be applied to measure social impacts, promoting user engagement with energy-saving initiatives and enhancing the overall quality of life in smart buildings. From an economic efficiency standpoint, the substantial investment costs associated with energy efficiency programs aimed at enhancing the energy index in smart residential buildings pose a significant challenge [4].