Energy Efficiency of Buildings Directive - Tackling the Challenge

The EU member states have signed up to the Kyoto Protocol to cut emissions of the greenhouse gases contributing to global climate change. As part of its commitment to this agreement the European Commission has introduced energy efficiency legislation that is designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels across the community and therefore cut the harmful waste emissions that this produces.

The Energy Efficiency of Buildings Directive 2002/91/EC aims to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by improving the energy efficiency of residential and non-residential buildings. The Directive applies to homes, businesses and public buildings and requires new buildings, those being significantly renovated and those being rented or sold to have a certificate (no more than 10 years old) detailing the energy performance of the property against local targets. The Directive also requires some regular assessment of boilers, heating systems and air-conditioning by qualified and accredited experts to assess ongoing building efficiency.

While surveyors work on developing a system of accreditation for those certifying buildings with their regional and local governments and architects try to refine energy efficient building design, manufacturers of heating and ventilation controls increasingly recognise that Building Automated Controls have a major influence on building energy efficiency.

It is no surprise then that 15 of Europe's leading manufacturers of zone temperature controllers (representing 95% of manufacturers in this area) have come together to tackle this challenge and lay the fundamental groundwork required for the effective assessment and certification of building automated controls. This work underpins the Directive through the development of calculation methods to assess energy performance, standards for establishing product performance and the creation of a certification scheme that enables users and specifiers to easily select compliant products.

These manufacturers have joined forces to form eu.bac - the European Building Automation Controls association. eu.bac has appointed specialist certification bodies and testing laboratories such as ASTA BEAB and BSRIA to formulate a certification scheme for building control products. The aim being that architects, designers and electrical contractors will then be able to choose controls that have been independently tested and certified as meeting strict performance criteria, that will ultimately help those certifying buildings calculate their energy performance.
The eu.bac certification scheme is based on compliance with the provisional EN 15500 standard for Electronic & Individual Zone Control Equipment. It also requires a company to have a recognised quality management system and a regular inspection of their production facilities to ensure items are manufactured in a consistent way, with the same materials each time. Once all these requirements have been satisfied, a eu.bac licence and mark can then be issued.

The affiliation of test laboratories and certification bodies that actually test and assess the controllers (known as the COBAC - the Certification of Building Automation Controls group) aim to extend the scheme over time to include everything from actuators to complete intelligent building management systems. more By ensuring that the characteristics of components within the control system are well defined and repeatable, the easier it will be to calculate energy efficiency.

By adopting EN 15500 for the eu.bac scheme, the manufacturers have set tough performance criteria to meet. By willingly putting themselves through this non-mandatory process it demonstrates their collective, ongoing commitment to sustainable and efficient energy use in line with the legislation and eu.bac Marking provides products with a visible shorthand showing certified performance that can genuinely contribute to vital assessment of energy efficiency in a building.

This approach to tackling the requirements of Directive 2002/91/EC also shows a recognition of the responsibility that manufacturers face in 'leading the way' in energy efficiency best practice. Everything else is based on the foundations they lay. By voluntarily going to the extra length of providing certified products - they deliver a choice to the architects, specifiers and contractors who install building management systems. Either pick a control unit that has been independently proven to give you reliable performance within defined parameters or take a risk and use a control that is unproven and that may reduce the overall efficiency of the building.

How eu.bac certification meets the challenge
. Supports compliance with Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
. Guaranteed Performance ensures Energy Efficiency
. Visible Certification Mark - helps manufacturers differentiate products
. Assures the End User - conformance with European Performance Standards
. Quality Assured - Ongoing Product Type Testing and Factory Inspection from experienced certification and testing bodies such as ASTA BEAB & BSRIA