Why do designers and installers need certified data?
When designers and installers are interested in the costs of the life of the building, respectively of the equipment that supports the building, they will choose products with more reliable performance. Choosing a certified product is the first step.
What is the impact of certification in practice?
Product certification is essential to ensure the overall performance and energy performance of buildings. The designer and consultant pay close attention to the selection, design and installation of HVAC & R products as part of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling systems in buildings. They must base their selection on the data submitted by the manufacturer or supplier of these products. The system designer or installer must be sure that this data is reliable and applicable. The building system or subsystem will perform according to contractual expectations and obligations only if the product data is correct and complete.
If at the end of the building or the building system, the system does not work according to the agreed specifications, who is to blame?
The designer due to poor design?
Installer due to faulty installation?
The supplier due to poor product performance?
Given that the installer is, in many cases, the contracting party, the installer is to blame. For the client, this is simple, the installer installs and should work. As professionals in our field, we know that this can be the logic of customers, but it is often not correct. The contracted installer may not be responsible for the design. Should I have checked the correct design or performance of the products? Is he to blame if he trusted inaccurate or unreliable product data? How could a plumber ever win a dispute over this issue when he opposes a specialist manufacturer?
Given these questions it is logical that many trusted manufacturers have chosen to certify their products. With certified products they want to convince their customers that the performance data of their products is reliable. This certification is a substantial step in the right direction.
Product certification should focus more on the requirement of the system designer / installer, to report all data necessary for a good design and installation work. The ECO Design Directive requires more data on these products in the near future. This could be an opportunity for further development of certification systems.
The next step for the HVAC sector could be the certification of the designer and installer according to a certification scheme based on EN ISO / IEC 17065. This means that a contractor or customer can choose a certified installation company where quality assurance is guaranteed by the certification system. which requires, inter alia, a regular inspection of projects carried out by a third party. These schemes will generally be developed for specific areas of application. They will also include the use of certified products.
Conclusion
The certification of both the products, as well as of the designers and installers, represents the client's guarantee for carrying out the works according to his requirements. Moreover, it is a guarantee of the quality of the system with all the advantages of costs and lifespan over time.
