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The Eurovent Certified Performance (ECP) certification
is a voluntary, third party certification managed and accredited according to
the ISO 17065 requirements (COFRAC accreditation n°5-0517, international
recognition EA/IAF). Accreditation is a proof for independence and competence. It
also ensures that all manufacturers are allowed to have their products
certified without any restriction providing that the products fulfil the
requirements given in the certification reference documents which are freely
and publicly available.
The certification process is based on continuous (yearly) verifications
based on tests by independent accredited laboratories, factory audits and check
of selection software.
As of today the ECP mark covers 19 certification programmes in all fields
of HVAC&R. It covers residential, tertiary and industrial products from the
residential air conditioners to the industrial chillers. More than 1,300 tests,
160 factory audits and 100 checks of selection software are carried out every
year.
All certified references and performances are listed in an online directory
freely available (www.eurovent-certification.com). This directory gathers more
than 300 certified trademarks and more than 50,000 references.
For each product category characteristics and certified performances are
listed according to the same data structure and the latest European and
international standards. This allows finding and comparing the certified data
easily and with the assurance that the data have been checked.
The availability of such database allow to get reliable and exhaustive set
of performances which can be used to assess some trends of the market over
time.
As an example the evolution of the energy efficiency of Fan Coil units can
be seen in the Figure 1 below. A Eurovent energy efficiency classification was created in
2011 for these products based on their average energy consumption at three different
speeds[1]. It can be
seen that there is a clear trend towards better energy efficiency as the energy
classes are moving from classes E and D to C, B and A.
Figure 1. Evolution of the distribution of the energy efficiency class for
Fan Coil units between 2011 and 2015.
Another example can be found regarding the energy efficiency of air
filters. For these products a Eurovent energy
classification has been put in place since 2012. This classification is based
on the estimated annual energy consumption derived from the average pressure
drop of the filter[2]. A more
classical way to assess the energy consumption of an air filter is to look at
its initial pressure drop. The Figure 2 below shows the
evolution of both the mean initial pressure drop and the mean annual energy
consumption for the certified F7 bag filters of a constant panel of
manufacturers between 2011 and 2015.
[kWh/a] EN
779:2002 EN 779:2012
Figure 2. Evolution of the energy efficiency for F7 bag filters between
2011 and 2015.
Unlike what has been seen for Fan Coil Units the evolution of the mean
energy efficiency is not linear during this period: the energy consumption and
the initial pressure drop increases to reach a maximum in 2013 and then it
decreases until 2015. This behaviour can be explained knowing the
standardization context behind. A revised version of the European testing
standard was introduced in 2012 and applied in the Eurovent
certification programme first in 2013. This revised version introduced stricter
requirements for F7 filters related to the discharge efficiency (see
EN 779:2012). In order to fulfil this new requirement European
manufacturers had to improve the filter media in order to increase the
filtration efficiency. As a consequence the mean
pressure drop of the filters increased. After the introduction of the new
standard the pressure drop started to decrease as manufacturers are seeking to
propose to their customers more energy efficient products.
Database of certified data can be used in many instances: tax incentives,
national implementation of EPBD, building energy labels, green public
procurements, white certificates. As certified performances provide confidence
in the quality and the compliance of the products they can be required in
voluntary schemes (e. g. building energy labels, green public procurements,
white certificates) or being considered with an advantage over non certified
products in regulatory schemes (e.g. national implementation of EPBD).
Example of such use can be found in the French Building energy efficiency
calculation method which applies a penalty for non-certified heat-pumps and air
to air heat exchangers. Consultancies use approved software in order to assess
the compliance of a building with the French EPB regulation (RT 2012). This software
is linked to database of products which are fed directly with Eurovent certified performance data.
The challenging normative and regulatory background in the fields of
HVAC&R induces a complex environment. Assessing the quality and compliance
of products is therefore more and more difficult for end-users. In this context
the Eurovent Certified Performance online directory
provides an easy and straightforward way to get up to date, trustful and
exhaustive data. Such information can be (and are already) used in various
voluntary and regulatory compliance schemes.
[1] For a detailed description of the Eurovent energy efficiency classification for Fan Coils
units see RS 6/C/002-2015 and RS 6/C/002A-2015 available at www.eurovent-certification.com
[2]For a detailed description of the Eurovent
energy efficiency classification for Air Filters see RS 4/C/001-2015 available
at www.eurovent-certification.com
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