The EN standards and the expectations of AHUs
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- System personalisation
- Reading time
- 6:00
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- Tom Findley
There are multiple key standards for Air Handling Units (AHUs) and in this article we’ll explore some of them to see just what they mean and why it matters.
EN Standards for AHUs: What's it all about?
Our Air Handling Units (AHUs) require constant care and attention in order for them to operate at peak performance and these EN Standards are important to know to help you maintain your unit. We at FläktGroup are here to help give you all the necessary information you need to know and we can provide you with the best solution as well with our fantastic range of units.
EN Standards, it sounds daunting, but it can be broken down into categories. The first is EN 1886, the second EN 13053 and third EN 16798. What these standards contain is important to know when maintaining your AHUs, as they provide valuable insights as to the ideals set for these units. It also highlights the importance of sustainability in not only the business environment but globally too. By understanding this information you’ll be able to make relevant changes and make a difference to our environment’s health.
Eurovent uses these standards to verify the quality of suppliers. Any Eurovent certified supplier has tested their units in accordance with these standards. The performance data has been tested and verified by Eurovent. A guarantee of quality.
To really understand these standards, one must first get to grips with what exactly an AHU does and it’s not all that complex to understand. They essentially condition and distribute air within a building by taking the fresh air from outside and clean it, heat it or cool it, potentially humidify it and then it travels through the ductwork around to the designated areas within a building. It’s within the way this system operates that the EN standards are to be met.
This standard defines the performance of the Air Handling Unit casing and mechanical safety. It is about the physical mechanical performance of AHUs regarding fire protection, mechanical strength of casing and casing air leakage. Air leakage is an important one to note as there are three levels of classification for air handling unit casings: L1, L2 and L 3. AHUs are tested for air leakage and should not exceed specific values at different test pressures. For L1, which is the lowest leakage, the maximum air leak rate at +700 Pa test pressure is 0.22 I/sqm. These tests help ensure that the casing maintains a tight seal to minimize unwanted air leakage. It is important to avoid air leakage as this not only affects the temperature of your building but also your energy usage.
This standard defines the performance of the components within an air handling unit. It specifies requirements and testing for the rating of Non-Residential Ventilation Units (NRVUs), with the notable focus on AHUs. A NRVU unit is a ventilation unit where maximum flow rate exceeds 250 m3/hr, this is how it is defined under EU regulations. This part of the EN standards has a particular focus on units’ thermal efficiency, air leakage and filtration efficiency. All EN 13053 is doing is ensuring that these AHUs are designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly, something that we at FläktGroup always strive to deliver. After all, with sustainable building practices you reduce your energy consumption and that ultimately leads to a significant reduction in your energy bill, which means money saved.
This standard defines the system the air handling unit is connected to and helps in optimising the overall energy performance delivered. That includes indoor air quality, acoustics, and lighting. It describes methods to calculate ventilation air flow rates for energy calculations, evaluation, heating, and cooling loads. Such methods involve control systems such as our own system the ISYteq Touch 7.0, which gives you a full overview of the system to facilitate better use of your AHUs. It is essential for optimising energy performance of AHUs.
The EN standards define various levels of quality. This enables customers to evaluate the optimised solution for their application and Eurovent certification provides independent verification of any claimed performance.
What should you do next?
The standards relevant to air handling units are long and detailed documents. All FläktGroup air handling units meet the requirements laid down in the standards and our performance is verified by Eurovent. Contact us for a detailed explanation of the impact of these standards on the choices to be made by designers, installers, and end users.
And here is a link to our certification page where we have all our Eurovent certificates for you to see.
https://www.flaktgroup.com/en/support/certification/