Standards and Standardization

What is a standard?

What is CEN, what is ISO?

Who can participate in standardization?

What is a "harmonized European standard?"

How a European standard is prepared?

How an ISO standard is prepared?

What is "EN ISO" Standards?

EPBD standards

Most relevant CEN Technical Committees to HVAC

Other committees relevant to EPBD

What is a standard?

A standard is a technical document designed to be used as a rule, guideline or definition. It is a consensus-built, repeatable way of doing something.

An unofficial characterization of a standard is:
"documentation of good existing practice"

A European Standard (EN) is a document that has been adopted by one of the three recognized European Standardization Organizations: CEN, CENELEC or ETSI. An EN is available, in principle, in the three official languages of CEN (English, French and German).

What is CEN, what is ISO?

Both CEN and ISO are standardization organizations, members of which are national standardization bodies

CEN – The European Committee for Standardization
European – 31 members – established 1972

CEN's National Members are the National Standards Organizations (NSOs) of the 27 European Union countries and Croatia plus three countries of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland). There is one member per country. More in CEN COMPASS Leaflet. National standardisation organisations list available here.

ISO Global - 159 members – established 1946

Who can participate in standardization?

The National Members:

  • make up the delegations to the technical committees by finding expertise in each country;
  • vote for, and implement, European Standards as national standards;

European and international organizations, like REHVA, can send participants to specific CEN Technical Committees (CEN/TCs) of interest to them. These participants can participate fully, including through technical contributions, but without the voting rights given to national delegations.

What is a "harmonized European standard?"

The European Commission refers to European Standards that are produced by CEN, CENELEC, or ETSI under a mandate given by the European Commission as 'harmonized standards' (hEN). In general, these standards support the essential requirements of a New Approach Directive.

Harmonized standards are prepared to verify the compliance of a product with relevant European legislation (Directive, Regulation). EU Commission issues Mandates to CEN for preparation of harmonized product standards.

A harmonized standard may be based on already existing "non-harmonized" European Standard, an ISO standard (existing or under preparation), a suitable national standard or other document.

For more about Harmonized standards and New Approach Directives

How a European standard is prepared?

  • TCs =Technical Committees
  • WGs = Working Groups

…make the core of the preparatory process – many other contributors are involved – see the organization chart

Currently there are some 300 active Technical Committees in CEN, about 30 deal with or have at least some relevance to HVAC.

More at ”BOSS” pages on CEN website

Briefly about the process – for more, see  http://www.cen.eu/cen/Products/EN/Pages/default.aspx

Once the text of an intended standard has been drawn up by the relevant Working Group (WG), under a Technical Committee (TC), and accepted by that particular TC for approval, it will be sent by CEN to all National Standardization Bodies (NSB) for Public Enquiry. At this stage the document receives its number and the designation "prEN" (Draft European Standard). Each NSB is obliged to cast its vote and may give general, technical and editorial comments. All comments will be then examined under the responsibility of the relevant TC – in practice by the WG who had prepared the draft, and this WG also prepares the modifications taking into account the comments. Then the TC approves the text for further processing to CEN, who finally will send the final draft (now called "Final Draft European Standard" or FprEN) for Formal Vote among the NSB's. Again, each NSB is obliged to vote, but at this final stage it is no more possible to change the technical contents of the draft, only minor editorial changes can be made. The vote is weighted (e.g.Germany has 29 votes, Finland 7 votes) – and at least 71% of the votes must be positive to have the standard approved.

Soon after approval the document will be published as European Standard (EN) by CEN, and within 6 months each CEN member has to adopt it as a national standard (this explains why all members are obliged to vote) and withdraw possible conflicting national standards.

How an ISO standard is prepared?

In ISO, the process is somewhat different:

  • three-phase voting, first Committee Draft (ISO/CD), then Draft International Standard (ISO/DIS) and finally Final Draft International Standard (ISO/FDIS)
  • only those countries who have registered as active members ("P-members") for the relevant TC are allowed to vote
  • each P-member has one vote. At the final voting, at least 75% of the votes must be positive
  • adoption of ISO standards as national standards is completely voluntary

What is "EN ISO" Standards?

A standard originally prepared by an ISO TC can be adopted, without changing of its contents, as European Standard – or ISO can adopt a European Standard as an International Standard as well. In both cases the standard becomes and EN ISO standard, as well as in those cases in which a completely new standard is prepared under the Vienna Agreement

EPBD standards

EN Standards  support also the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). CEN/TC 371 Project Committee on Energy Performance of Buildings (formerly known under the name CEN/BT/TF 173), was established in 2004 in order to the horizontal harmonization of the various EPBD related standards under the European Commission mandate M 343 with respect to Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings.

This (first) mandate to CEN resulted in the successful publication of a series of CEN EPBD standards published between 2007 and 2008 and prepared by CEN/TC´s 89, 156, 169, 228 and 247. (more below and a list of all EPBD CEN standards pdf)

In order to specify a general framework for the assessment of overall energy use of a building, and the calculation of energy ratings in terms of primary energy, CO2-emissions or parameters defined by national energy policy, CEN/TC 371 (i.e. CEN/BT/TF 173) developed the so-called overarching standard EN 15603 Energy performance of buildings – Overall energy use and definition of energy ratings. CEN/TC 371 also released CEN/TR 15615 Explanation of the general relationship between various European standards and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) - Umbrella Document. This umbrella document CEN/TC 371 gives an overview of all relevant EPBD standards

Some of the EPBD standards where developed under the Vienna Agreement with ISO lead either under ISO/TC 163 Thermal performance and energy use in the built environment, or ISO/TC 205 Building environment design.

The second European Commission Mandate (M 480) was issued in April 2011, for CEN standards to support the recast EPBD. The mandated work is estimated to result in the second generation of CEN EPBD standards (revision of the first set of standards, possibly merging or split up of some of the existing standards) by year 2015. The background and objectives of the work are mainly based on the findings of the CENSE action, and can be found from http://www.iee-cense.eu/

Most relevant CEN Technical Committees to HVAC

CEN/TC 156 Ventilation for buildings, established 1989 to prepare standards for products and systems for ventilation and air conditioning of buildings subject to human occupancy. Currently 10 active Working Groups with various topics including terminology, residential ventilation, air handling units, ductwork, air terminals, fire precaution, ventilation for hospitals etc. Certain products are dealt with in other Committees, like CEN/TC 195 for air filtration. Standards for fans are prepared under ISO/TC 117, but adopted as European Standards (EN ISO) by CEN/TC 156.

CEN/TC 156 has prepared some 50 standards. Seven of these have been prepared under the first Mandate for EPBD, including..

  • EN 15251 Indoor Environmental input parameters for design and assessment of energy performance of buildings
  • EN 13779 Performance requirements for ventilation and room conditioning systems

See a complete list  of Ventilation standars.

CEN/TC 228 Heating systems for buildings, established  1992, has prepared about 25 European Standards, of which 19 under the first Mandate for EPBD, including:

  • EN 15459 Economic evaluation procedures for energy systems in buildings (This standard can be used to support the methodology for cost optimal minimum energy performance requirements, to be developed to support the recast EPBD)
  • EN 15316 Heating systems in buildings – Method for calculation of system energy requirements and system efficiencies (consists of  13 different parts)

CEN/TC 228 deals with heating systems only – standards for products are prepared in other committees, for example CEN/TC 57 (boilers) and CEN/TC 130 (radiators)

CEN/TC 371 Project committee on Energy performance of buildings

  • CEN/TR 15615 ”Umbrella document”
  • EN 15603 Overall energy use and definition of energy ratings

Other committees relevant to EPBD

  • CEN/TC 247 Building automation, control and building management. This Committee has prepared one standard for the EPBD – EN 15232 Impact of building automation, controls and building management
  • CEN/TC 89 Thermal performance of buildings and building components – has prepared 14 standards under the first Mandate for EPBD. Some of these are prepared jointly with ISO/TC 163, including
  • EN ISO13790  Calculation of energy use for space heating and cooling
  • CEN/TC 169 Light and lighting. This Committee has prepared one standard for the EPBD  – EN 15193 Energy requirements for lighting
  • ISO/TC 163 Thermal performance and energy use in the built environment
  • ISO/TC 205 Building environment design.

Other important committees (product level) – list not exhaustive

  • CEN/TC 92 Water meters
  • CEN/TC 110 Heat exchangers
  • CEN/TC 113 Heat pumps and air conditioning units
  • ISO/TC 117 Fans

Other important committees (related issues) – list not exhaustive

  • CEN/TC 127 Fire safety in buildings
  • CEN/TC 164 Water supply
  • CEN/TC 165 Waste water engineering
  • CEN/TC 350 Sustainability
  • CEN/TC 351 Regulated substances