By ensuring that refrigeration systems all meet established certification standards, Eurovent Certification can help retailers improve cost efficiency and sustainability in their operations.
For retailers, maximising the efficiency of your refrigeration systems – whether in terms of cost effectiveness, sustainability or performance – is only achievable if you can be sure that your business is using certified equipment.
Established in 1993, the Eurovent Certified Performance mark has played a vital role in standardising the HVAC&R (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration) industry in Europe. Developed by Paris-based Eurovent Certita Certification, and with customers across Europe and globally, its mission is to ensure that manufacturers and end-users can rely on certified HVAC&R solutions in their operations.
Eurovent Certita Certification’s team of 75 specialists hold advanced degrees in HVAC-R related disciplines, such as thermodynamics or industrial plant engineering, and all are dedicated to ensuring the certification standards it applies are watertight.
Market Benefits
For retailers, the Eurovent Certified Performance mark can bring several advantages. Firstly, its meticulous certification process ensures that performance claims and declarations are factually accurate and aligned with industry standards. This means that systems will perform as expected, and to the required energy efficiencies.
Secondly, certification serves as a powerful differentiator in markets rife with new competitors – many of which are offering sub-optimal equipment. Proven performance bolsters the reputation of manufacturers and instils trust among customers. Proven performance can also open up access to grants and financial incentives.
Thirdly, certification fosters fair competition by creating a level playing field among competitors both large and small. This ensures that certified manufacturers adhere to the same high standards, reducing risk for retailers when choosing certified products.
Lastly, certified data helps make informed product choices. Retailers have free access to Eurovent's Certified Product Directory. With performance programmes for refrigerated display cabinets, heat exchangers, air handling units, chillers and heat pumps and rooftop units, to name but a few, supermarket operators can simply and easily choose the perfect product for their project.
Why Is Certification Important?
Sadly, many non-certified products often fall short of their performance claims, leading to suboptimal operating conditions, increased operating costs, and higher carbon footprints.
“Take an average size supermarket in Germany,” says Tim Kroeger, sales manager, Eurovent Certita Certification. “If we only consider the condensers or CO2 gas coolers – the large fan driven units that you see on a supermarket rooftop – non-certified products can lead to several thousand euro in additional electricity bills and five to seven tonnes of additional CO2 footprint.”
Multiply that by several hundred, or even thousand stores in some cases, and the disadvantages of using non-certified equipment are laid bare.
Integrity, Independence And Impartiality
The Eurovent Certified Performance certification process is rooted in principles of integrity, independence, and impartiality. Eurovent Certita Certification is ISO/IEC 17065 accredited, and accredited by COFRAC, a leading accreditation body recognised throughout Europe by the the European co-operation for Accreditation and internationally by the signatories of the International Accreditation Forum. From a transparency point of view, it adheres to strict Technical Certification Rules (TCRs) that govern its certification programmes and respective processes.
These TCRs are in turn approved by Programme Committees, which comprise Eurovent’s own experts as well as industry experts hailing from the manufacturing industry, ensuring independence in decision making.
All manufacturer representatives are given equal weight in this process, ensuring no bias towards private interests, while the final certification decision – whether positive or negative – is undertaken by Eurovent Certita Certification, and cannot be influenced by a particular manufacturer or interest group.
“In other words, certification cannot be bought, it has to be earned by going through a rigorous certification process,” says Kroeger.
Advanced Testing
Eurovent Certita Certification maintains an evolutionary approach to its certification process, regularly updating its TCRs to adapt to changing industry dynamics. An example of this is in the case of heat exchangers – with the resurgence of CO2, it had to adapt its TCRs to include CO2 gas coolers, which have specific thermodynamic behaviours.
Physical testing is carried out by third-party laboratories – such as TÜV Süd in Germany – which are themselves accredited and audited.
“Before the testing of a particular production unit commences, we carry out so-called ‘desk studies’, where we analyse the submitted data for technical credibility and continuity,” says Kroeger. “In addition, the selection software from each specific manufacturer is analysed – for instance in regards to correction factors for different refrigerants.”
Products that pass the certification process are awarded an efficiency label, which manufacturers can display to indicate that both they and their products are certified, and retailers can use as a trusted indicator when investing in HVAC&R solutions.
Decision Making
While the efficiency labels provide retail businesses with a straightforward method to verify the certification status of products they are considering, “making an informed decision starts much earlier,” says Kroeger. “Retail businesses can access Eurovent’s online Certified Product Directory to check whether products are certified (www.eurovent-certification.com). All certified products are listed there, which in turn means that if a product is not listed, it is not certified.”
With cost efficiency and sustainability increasingly a key decision factor for businesses, Eurovent Certified Performance is an important tool to ensure that manufacturers and end-users alike can trust the performance and quality of certified products.
For more information, visit www.eurovent-certification.com.
