As from Annex V of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, NRVUs (non-residential ventilation units) manufacturers shall present the values/descriptions of the information requirements on free access websites. In the case of models, of which less than 5 units per year are produced, manufacturers are exempted to make available the disassembly instructions.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The information to be provided for NRVUs (non-residential ventilation units) according to Annex V of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 should be based on the "reference configuration" of the product as indicated in Annex IX concerning measurements and calculations for NRVUs. Definitions for "reference configuration" are provided in Annex I, part 2, definition 3 and 4.
Nevertheless, manufacturers are under a legal obligation to ensure that any ventilation unit (i.e., deriving from any possible product combination) within the scope of the Ecodesign Regulation, shall meet the requirements within that regulation.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The distinction between residential or non-residential ventilation units is based on the maximum flow rate and, for certain flow rates on the declaration by the manufacturer, as indicated in Article 2 of the regulation.
The expression "control system" could refer to the "indoor climate control system" or the "motor control system". The first one is e.g. related, for RVUs, to the choice of the control factor, (Annex IV-1-n of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014), whereas the second one is related to the declared type of drive (Annex IV-1-e (for RVUs) or Annex V-1-d (for NRVUs) ).
Specific categories of drive are explicitly addressed by the Ecodesign Regulation 1253/2014: as an effect of the provisions laid down in annex II for RVUs and Annex III for NRVUs, ventilation units have to be equipped with a multi-speed drive or variable speed drive. In case it is opted for the variable speed drive (VSD), as from definition 4 of Annex I (of Regulation (EU) 2531/2014), the VSD can be a separate delivery.
Concerning the "indoor climate control systems", specifically for RVUs, several options are possible (e.g. "manual control", "demand control"). The "indoor climate control system" is not subject to (generic) ecodesign requirements, but it affects the results of the SEC (Specific Energy Consumption) calculation, via the CTRL factor. Therefore, if a ventilation unit is placed on the market without the "indoor climate control system" or the "motor control system", the manufacturer has to provide the information on which system has to be installed on the ventilation units (cf. Annex IV-1-n), so that it complies with the requirements when putting it into service. The manufacturer has to CE-mark the product showing he has complied with all his obligations. The installer is responsible for ensuring that the product is put into service in accordance with the information provided by the manufacturer pursuant to Annex IV or V.
Suppliers also need to supply an energy label when the placing the ventilation unit on the market, even if without indoor climate control system(s), in which case the calculation of the label class needs to take into account the information provided by the manufacturer pursuant to Annex IV-1-n of the Ecodesign regulation.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The criterion hereby presented ("For buildings with excess heat, a heat recovery system will only generate a pressure drop) cannot be taken as such into consideration for assessing whether a product is in the scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014, or which Ecodesign requirements apply (e.g. the obligation to install a heat recovery system, in this specific case).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
As a general guidance principle, in order to decide whether a ventilation unit is – or not – in the scope of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 one should check the two following main aspects:
• product functionality (i.e. if the ventilation units is intended replace utilised air by outdoor air);
• if the building (or its part) where the ventilation units will be installed, is designed for/foresees human occupancy.
Swimming pools
Whether or not ventilation units to be used in swimming pools are to be considered in the scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014, is basically related to what is the functionality of the product (on a case by case analysis).
As an example, ventilation units designed to ensure dehumidification and the replacement of indoor air by outdoor air, are to be considered in the scope of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, as the product functionality is, as from the ventilation unit definition (Article 2.1 of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014): " ‘ventilation unit (VU)’ means an electricity driven appliance…. intended to replace utilised air by outdoor air".
However, should the product be only for dehumidification/de -chlorination (e.g. in the case of a ventilation unit in a swimming pool environment used to remove the build-up of chlorine), this would mean that the product functionality would be, specifically, dehumidification/de-chlorination, and not the replacing of utilised air; in this specific case, the product should be considered to be out of the scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014.
Bus garage
As a general principle, and in the absence of a specific description (which could lead to make a more informed choice, on the basis of the abovementioned principles), ventilation units for these applications would tend to be in the scope of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014.
Waste water treatment plants, for ventilation of basin halls
Ventilation units for these kind of applications are in the scope of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 if the building (or its part) where the ventilation units will be in stalled, is designed for/foresees human occupancy.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
To assess if a ventilation unit to be installed in industrial painting boxes is in the scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014, first of all the general guidance principle laid down in the above question and answer should be considered (product functionality and presence of human beings). Moreover, concerning the specific questions:
if a ventilation unit is to be installed in an industrial painting box that operates with both a potentially explosive atmosphere (under the sense of the ATEX Directive), as it is normally the case of solvent-based paintings, and a non-explosive atmosphere, as it is normally the case of water-based paintings, such ventilation unit is in scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014 (as the scope exclusion under its article 1.2.d is about ventilation units which are exclusively specified as operating in a potentially explosive atmosphere);
a painting box with water-based paint cannot be interpreted as an abrasive environment unless clear evidence is provided that this environment causes accelerated wear on the fan / impeller blades of the ventilation unit.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Based on the given information, this bidirectional ventilation unit is considered out of scope of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, provided that it is exclusively specified as operating in a potentially explosive atmosphere.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
[..] the manufacturer has to provide the information on which system has to be installed on the ventilation units [..] so that it complies with requirements when it is put into service. The installer is responsible for ensuring that the product is put into service in accordance with the information provided by the manufacturer[..].
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
If a whole ventilation unit is designed, manufactured and delivered under the approach that it is a bidirectional ventilation unit (in line with the relevant definitions given in Regulations (EU)1253/2014 and 1254/2014), it derives that is should be considered as a bidirectional ventilation unit. Therefore, the energy label and the compliance with the Ecodesign requirement should be evaluated accordingly.
If several different components, among which various UVUs, are assembled on site (into a ventilation system, parts of which might have already been installed; this could be e.g. the case of an already existing ventilation system, where it is needed to only replace the supply – or exhaust – unit), and each UVU is delivered separately and capable to work independently from the others, in this case each UVU should be assessed separately.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
To assess if a ventilation unit to be installed in/in connection with a professional kitchen is in the scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014, the general guidance principle laid down in the reply to the question 5 should be considered on a case by case analysis:
one should check the two following main aspects:
• product functionality (i.e. if the ventilation units is intended replace utilised air by outdoor air);
• if the building (or its part) where the ventilation units will be installed, is designed for/foresees human occupancy.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Yes, in general terms they do have to comply with Regulation (EU)1253/2014 (with the caveats/clarifications given in the Guidelines on Regulation (EU)1253/2014 and 1254/201413), except in the case of ATEX ventilation units, i.e. ventilation units "exclusively specified as operating in a potentially explosive atmosphere as defined in Directive 94/9/EC", which are out of scope of the Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, as specified in its Article 1.2.d.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The question can be considered as follows: is the non-residential BVU (described in the question) equipped with a device which can be considered a heat recovery system, as from the definitions laid down in Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 (see in particular Annex I.1.5)?
From the description it is not fully possible to grasp the specific features/characteristics of a mixing box utilising re-circulated air for heating and outside air for free cooling (air side economiser), but it would not seem to be a heat recovery system, because:
A mixing box (if it means a section of an air handling unit used to mix the return air flow with the outside air flow) is not, per se, a heat recovery system. The air side economiser installed on the outside air flow for free cooling (if it means a "duct-and-damper arrangement and automatic control system that together allow a cooling system to supply outdoor air to reduce or eliminate the need for mechanical cooling during mild or cold weather") seems not to be a heat exchanger designed to transfer the heat contained in the (contaminated) exhaust air to the (fresh) supply air, as from the definition laid down in Annex I.1.5 to Regulation (EU) 1253/2014.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The electric power input is measured at the declared maximum flowrate, and at the pressure difference related to the maximum flowrate. For BVUs, the total electric power input is the sum of the electric power input measured per individual fan, including controllers (but without frost protection). Accordingly, the ‘30W per air stream’, cf. Article 1 (b), means that Regulation (EU)1253/2014 shall not apply to BVUs with a total electric power input of less than 60 W, except for information requirements. The limit of ‘30W per air stream’ also applies to alternating BVUs. For maximum flowrate, see the question: ‘What is the flowrate (maximum, reference or nominal) for an alternating BVU?’
Electric power input is:
- Not power in the Best Efficiency Point (BEP) according EU 327/2011 (Fan Regulation);
- Not maximum power written on the name plate of the fan within the unit; and
- Not always the same as the power on the name plate of the entire unit, as this may also include the power of additional components like pre- and after-heater, etc.
Please note that the scope of the Energy Labelling Regulation (EU) 1254/2014 does not exclude BVUs with electric power input less than 30 W per air stream.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
If the product is not designed for replacing utilised air with outdoor air, it is not a ventilation unit, unless the same product is also designed to replace only utilised air. In this case, it must comply with all relevant requirements of the Ecodesign measure (bearing in mind any exclusion from the scope of the Regulation itself).
In the case that the product has an outdoor connection with a supply/exhaust air flowrate in regular operation of a minimum of 10% of the total declared recirculated air flowrate, the unit is considered a ventilation unit and falls under Regulation (EU)1253/2014.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
In 13141-5:2004, a cowl is defined as an ‘air terminal device with or without moving component, intended to be fitted on top of an exhaust duct, with aim, by creating negative pressure depending on the wind speed, to avoid reverse flow and to increase the extracted flow’. 13141-5:2004 also states that an assisted cowl is a ‘cowl fitted with an auxiliary device using other energy sources than wind to compensate for lack of suction effect’. The auxiliary equipment can be a fan.
A cowl fulfilling the above definitions (assisted or otherwise) is not considered a ventilation unit under Regulation (EU)1253/2014. However, the auxiliary device may be subject to Ecodesign regulations. Depending on the specific auxiliary device:
- The auxiliary device may be considered a ventilation unit itself, under Regulation (EU) 1253/2014.
- The auxiliary device may fall under the fan Regulation (EU) 327/2011.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
In Annex X, the information requirements for NRVUs require:
(p) energy performance, preferably energy classification, of the filters (declared information about the calculated annual energy consumption);
The suggested method to provide this information requirement is the declaration of the filter classification (efficiency) determined according to Annex IX.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The emitted casing-radiated noise for ventilation units without duct connections can be measured using the sound intensity method as described in ISO 13347-4. This makes it possible to differentiate the emission of sound from different (partial) surfaces of the casing. Thus, a surface with openings (inlet or outlet) can be subtracted. With high air velocities, some caution must be observed; this can be achieved by using windscreens, observing larger measurement distances, etc.
Please note that the total noise from a non-ducted unit should include the noise emitted from the openings in order to be a usable measure of the sound in a room with the unit installed.
If measurements are taken using only sound pressure methods, testing ducts with efficient silencers may be a remedy for reducing duct noise. However, these may influence the pressure loss /air velocity, and thus the sound made by the fan, etc. This is not a problem when using the sound intensity method. (See also ISO 9614-2).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The electric power input is measured at the declared maximum flowrate, and at the pressure difference related to the maximum flowrate. For BVUs, the total electric power input is the sum of the electric power input measured per individual fan, including controllers (but without frost protection). Accordingly, the ‘30W per air stream’, cf. Article 1 (b), means that Regulation (EU)1253/2014 shall not apply to BVUs with a total electric power input of less than 60 W, except for information requirements. The limit of ‘30W per air stream’ also applies to alternating BVUs.
Electric power input is:
- Not power in the Best Efficiency Point (BEP) according to Regulation (EU) 327/2011 (Fan Regulation);
- Not maximum power written on the name plate of the fan within the unit; and
- Not always the same as the power on the name plate of the entire unit, as this may also include the power of additional components like pre- and after-heater, etc.
Please note that the scope of the Energy Labelling Regulation (EU)1254/2014 does not exclude BVUs with electric power input less than 30 W per air stream.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
For a non-ducted RVU, the reference flowrate can be understood as 70% of the maximum flow or the next highest volume flow.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Article 2, Definition (4) states that the maximum flowrate is related to the airflow at the lowest achievable total pressure difference, to be chosen from the following set of values: 10 (minimum), 20, 50, 100, 150, 200 or 250 Pa, whichever is equal to or just below the measured pressure difference value.
In the case that a non-ducted RVU cannot deliver 10 Pa, the maximum flowrate is determined at the actual pressure and, according to the Regulation, the minimum pressure is declared to be ‘10 Pa’ instead of the actual pressure (as in EN 13141-4 Section 3.5).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Definition 4 of Annex I, part 2 of Regulation (EU)1253/2014 does not explicitly provide specific indications on the reference configuration for an exhaust UVU. Therefore, the reference configuration of such products shall be in line with the general case ("‘reference configuration of an UVU’ means a product configured with a casing and at least one fan with variable speed or multi-speed drive"). The presence (or lack of) and typology of the filter are left to the manufacturer to determine (and consequently declare).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
According to the specific Ecodesign requirements of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, Annexes II and II, ventilation units must be equipped with a multi-speed drive or a variable speed-drive (VSD).
EC (electronically commutated) motors are not mentioned specifically as VSDs, but they are drives consisting of a motor and an integrated motor control that are able to vary speed over a wide range, typically by means of an external control signal (0-10 V). The Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 does not specify requirements for external control signals or sensors for VSDs. In this respect, EC motors (including integrated motor control) can be considered VSDs. Please note that for RVUs, demand control requires a device (or devices) that measures a control parameter and uses the result to automatically regulate the flow rate(s).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The percentage of ethylene glycol to be used in an RAC system is the mixture related to the design condition given by the manufacturer.
If nothing is specified it is considered that the brine in the RAC system is a mixture with 25 % ethylene glycol and 75% water. A brine with 25% glycol has a freezing point at around –14 °C.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The emitted casing-radiated noise for ventilation units without duct connections can be measured using the sound intensity method as described in ISO 13347-4. This makes it possible to differentiate the emission of sound from different (partial) surfaces of the casing. Thus, a surface with openings (inlet or outlet) can be subtracted. With high air velocities, some caution must be observed; this can be achieved by using windscreens, observing larger measurement distances, etc.
Please note that the total noise from a non-ducted unit should include the noise emitted from the openings in order to be a usable measure of the sound in a room with the unit installed.
If measurements are taken using only sound pressure methods, testing ducts with efficient silencers may be a remedy for reducing duct noise. However, these may influence the pressure loss /air velocity, and thus the sound made by the fan, etc. This is not a problem when using the sound intensity method. (See also ISO 9614-2).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
For the measurement of the airflow sensitivity to pressure variations at + 20 Pa and – 20 Pa in small unidirectional (exhaust or supply) RVUs with an electric power input of less than 30 W (outside the scope of Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 except for information requirements), pressure variations will influence the airflow rate to a large degree, as the test pressure often exceeds the unit’s maximum provided pressure.
Therefore, in this specific case, the declared value for airflow sensitivity to pressure variations will be “not applicable.”
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
For a non-ducted RVU, the reference flowrate can be understood as 70% of the maximum flow or the next highest volume flow.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Definition 4 of Annex I, part 2 of Regulation (EU)1253/2014 does not explicitly provide specific indications on the reference configuration for an exhaust UVU. Therefore, the reference configuration of such products shall be in line with the general case ("‘reference configuration of an UVU’ means a product configured with a casing and at least one fan with variable speed or multi-speed drive"). The presence (or lack of) and typology of the filter are left to the manufacturer to determine (and consequently declare).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The word ‘continuously’ refers to the continuous measurement of the control parameter. The control should regulate continuously; therefore, the motor drive must also be able to continuously adapt the electrical power.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
If the product is not designed for replacing utilised air with outdoor air, it is not a ventilation unit, unless the same product is also designed to replace only utilised air. In this case, it must comply with all relevant requirements of the Ecodesign measure (bearing in mind any exclusion from the scope of the Regulation itself).
In the case that the product has an outdoor connection with a supply/exhaust air flowrate in regular operation of a minimum of 10% of the total declared recirculated air flowrate, the unit is considered a ventilation unit and falls under Regulation (EU)1253/2014.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
As long as:
1. These products can be defined as ventilation units in line with definition 1 of article 2 of the Regulation (EU)1253/2014, i.e. "an electricity driven appliance……intended to replace air by outdoor air in a building")
and
2. These products are not listed in the scope exclusions,
the products fall within the scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014 and, if the products are RVUs, to Regulation (EU)1254/2014.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
‘Regulation (EU)1253/2014 shall not apply to ventilation units which are axial or centrifugal fans only equipped with a housing in terms of Regulation (EU) 327/2011’, Article 1 (c). This implies that such products are considered ‘fans’ and shall be treated according to Regulation (EU)327/2011.
A working draft from CEN TC 156 WG 17 ‘Fans – Procedures and methods to determine the energy efficiency for the electrical input power range of 125 W up to 500 kW – Complementary element’ describes the term “housing” in detail as a casing around the impeller that guides the gas stream toward, through and from the impeller. The housing may include an inlet bell, an inlet guide vane, an outlet guide vane or an outlet diffuser. For examples of boundaries for different fan types (in line with the working draft). A fan can be with or without housing. Protective guards are not included in the measurements of fans (guards are removed for testing).
Ventilation units are by definition equipped with a casing (Article 2 (1)), which, according to the above, is additional to the housing in terms of Regulation (EU) 327/2011. This implies that the casing is defined as all parts of the ventilation unit that interfere with the airflow, in addition to the housing. For a ventilation unit including a fan without a housing, there will only be the casing interfering with the airflow. Products that would normally be called ‘box-fans’ or ‘roof-fans’ are considered ventilation units.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
For the calculation of internal specific fan power, SFPint,:
- In cases where internal pressure measurements can be performed, the internal fan efficiency is to be used as defined and described in draft Commission communication VERSION OF 21/12/2015 Section 5.2.
- Alternatively, in cases where internal pressure measurements cannot be performed, the external fan efficiency is to be used for SFPint determination for NRVU, as defined and described under Section 5.2 in draft Commission communication VERSION OF 21/12/2015.
In the case of UVUs, the Regulation distinguishes between general and UVUs intended to be used with a filter. UVUs intended to be used with a filter must fulfil requirements concerning maximum internal specific fan power SFPint_limit.
All UVUs (intended to be used with or without a filter) must fulfil the minimum fan efficiency of ventilation units, ηvu. The fan efficiency of a UVU is determined as described in draft Commission communication VERSION OF 21/12/2015, at the declared (nominal) flow and pressure of the reference configuration. This way, pressure loss attributed to the casing is taken into account. Please note that the operational point is not by definition the best efficiency point of the fan, but the nominal conditions of the ventilation unit as stated in Annex 1, 2 (2).
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Having one fan switched off during the summer (non-heating) cannot generally be considered a thermal bypass facility. It is only accepted as a bypass facility if the air volume flow in bypass mode is supported by supply/exhaust grills (openings) in the façade. Additionally, the same information requirements for installation instructions of unidirectional ventilation systems must be followed as described in Annex IV.
For bi-directional RVUs with one fan switched off as a bypass facility, it is deemed necessary that:
- The CTRL factor for central demand control (for the calculation of SEC) can only be used if these openings are also regulated by the control system of the units. The performance of the main fan(s) and the opening(s) are to be controlled according to the central demands.
- The CTRL factor for local demand control (for the calculation of SEC) can only be used if these openings are also regulated by local demands by the control system of the unit. The performance of the main fan(s) and the openings are to be controlled according to local demands.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
NRVUs must be tested and calculated in accordance with Annex IX of Regulation (EU)1253/2014. In the case of BVUs, filter correction factors are given for cases in which either the filter on the inlet side or the one on the exhaust side (or both) are missing.
In the case of UVUs intended to be used with a filter, such correction factors are not given; therefore, compliance with the SFPint requirement shall only be assessed in the reference configuration.
In principle, the tests could be performed with a filter different from the ones foreseen in the reference configurations (see definitions 3 and 4 in Annex I, Part 2), e.g. using an F9 filter instead of an F7 filter. In this case, an appropriate (calculation) method must be used to infer (and declare) performance using the filter foreseen in the reference configurations.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The ‘nominal flow rate’ for NRVUs is the ‘declared design flow rate’ under the conditions described in definition 6 of Annex I, Part 2. Therefore, the manufacturer has the freedom to determine such conditions in more detail, depending on specific design choices (e.g. including or excluding a pressure reserve for clogging).
As an indirect conclusion from definition 8 of Annex I, Part 2, it is deemed necessary that the ‘nominal flow rate’ is the one at which the maximum rated fan speed occurs.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The word ‘continuously’ refers to the continuous measurement of the control parameter. The control should regulate continuously; therefore, the motor drive must also be able to continuously adapt the electrical power.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The definition in the regulation states that (3) “‘multi-speed drive’ means a fan motor that can be operated at three or more fixed speeds plus zero (‘off’).”
Turning the maintenance switch ‘off’ or equivalent is adequate for the ‘off’-mode. Turning off a door switch or a circuit breaker is also adequate.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
The regulation does not take the latent energy/efficiency into consideration. According to definition 6 of Annex I, Part 1 and definition 11 of Annex I, Part 2, the thermal efficiency shall always be measured under dry conditions, i.e. no condensation in the HRS, in accordance with EN308/ EN13141-7.
If a manufacturer has a product which exploits the latent energy when operating, the manufacturer is free to include technical specifications regarding latent energy in their own information documents.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
According to Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, the definitions for local and central demand control are as follows (Annex I, part 1):
(24) ‘central demand control’ means a demand control of a ducted ventilation unit that continuously regulates the fan speed(s) and flow rate based on one sensor for the whole ventilated building or part of the building at central level
(25) ‘local demand control’ means a demand control for a ventilation unit that continuously regulates the fan speed(s) and flow rates based on more than one sensor for a ducted ventilation unit or one sensor for a non-ducted unit
In other words, Regulation (EU)1253/2014 states that the difference between local demand and central demand is determined by both the number of sensors and the difference in the flow rate (or rates) being controlled.
Therefore, local demand control for ducted BVUs refers to at least two sensors placed locally in zones/rooms, or in the airstream to/from the rooms/zones where the airflow to the individual rooms/zones is regulated according to the local demands measured by the sensors in/to/from the room/zone. The local flow to/from the rooms/zones is usually regulated by dampers if it is ducted centralised ventilation, and if it is local ventilation by a device that is part of the total unit. The total flow provided by the fans in the unit is operated according to the sum of the individual local demands, usually determined by pressure sensor(s).
For single locally-placed non-ducted units, Regulation (EU)1253/2014 only requires, for the local demand control, one sensor and the regulation of the entire flow of the unit as it is placed locally in the room/ zone.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
In Annex X, the information requirements for NRVUs require:
(p) energy performance, preferably energy classification, of the filters (declared information about the calculated annual energy consumption);
The suggested method to provide this information requirement is the declaration of the filter classification (efficiency) determined according to Annex IX.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
For NRVUs, a distinction is made between ventilation components and additional non-ventilation components. Additional non-ventilation components can include heating or cooling coils that are not part of the reference configuration, and are therefore corrected for in the calculation of SFPint. Ventilation components for a BVU include an HRS, among others. If this is combined with a heat pump for heat recovery, the BVU does not fall under Regulation (EU)1253/2014.
However, if an air-to-water heat pump uses exhaust air from the ventilation unit by using a coil (which can be considered an additional non-ventilation component not affecting heat recovery), the ventilation unit falls under Regulation (EU)1253/2014. The air-to-water heat pump must comply with the relevant Ecodesign Regulation.
With regard to RVUs, BVUs equipped with a heat pump for heat recovery only (the same as 'heat transfer being additional to heat recovery') do not fall under Regulation (EU)1253/2014.
RVU multifunctional products/systems, such as UVUs including exhaust air-to-water heat pumps, do not fall under Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 as long as the component(s) that constitute a ventilation unit are integrated into the rest of the system and are not commercialised/delivered separately. For example, if the ventilation unit is delivered separately (able to operate) and it is the responsibility of the end user to (potentially) integrate it with the heat pump, this ventilation unit will be compliant with Regulation (EU) 1253/2014. 17 The unit’s main function may be heating or cooling (or water heater function). If this is the case, the product must fulfil other relevant Ecodesign Regulations.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
‘Regulation (EU)1253/2014 shall not apply to ventilation units which are axial or centrifugal fans only equipped with a housing in terms of Regulation (EU) 327/2011’, Article 1 (c). This implies that such products are considered ‘fans’ and shall be treated according to Regulation (EU)327/2011.
A working draft from CEN TC 156 WG 17 ‘Fans – Procedures and methods to determine the energy efficiency for the electrical input power range of 125 W up to 500 kW – Complementary element’ describes the term “housing” in detail as a casing around the impeller that guides the gas stream toward, through and from the impeller. The housing may include an inlet bell, an inlet guide vane, an outlet guide vane or an outlet diffuser. For examples of boundaries for different fan types (in line with the working draft), see sketches (a) to (f) in Figure 9. A fan can be with or without housing. Protective guards are not included in the measurements of fans (guards are removed for testing).
Ventilation units are by definition equipped with a casing (Article 2 (1)), which, according to the above, is additional to the housing in terms of Regulation (EU)327/2011. This implies that the casing is defined as all parts of the ventilation unit that interfere with the airflow, in addition to the housing. For a ventilation unit including a fan without a housing, there will only be the casing interfering with the airflow. Products that would normally be called ‘box-fans’ or ‘roof-fans’ are considered ventilation units.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Yes, in general terms they do have to comply with Regulation (EU) 1253/2014 (with the caveats/clarifications given in the Guidelines on Regulation (EU)1253/2014 and 1254/201413), except in the case of ATEX ventilation units, i.e. ventilation units "exclusively specified as operating in a potentially explosive atmosphere as defined in Directive 94/9/EC", which are out of scope of the Regulation (EU) 1253/2014, as specified in its Article 1.2.d.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.
Based on the given information, this bidirectional ventilation unit is considered out of scope of Regulation (EU)1253/2014, provided that it is exclusively specified as operating in a potentially explosive atmosphere.
Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.