In January 2013 as part of the European Union’s Energy-related Products (ErP) directive, the first phase of new energy efficiency standards for fans has been implemented. The new requirements for efficiency levels for fans have become mandatory and the implication is that a number of fans on the market are no longer compliant.
Directive 2009/125/EC defines how this regulation is to be applied to fans with power inputs between 125W and 500kW, including axials, centrifugal (forward and backward curved), cross-flow and diagonal fans which fall within the stated power range. Efficiency guidelines have been set for the separate categories and fans which do not comply with the efficiency guidelines have not been allowed to be placed in the market in Europe since January 2013, as they do not meet CE guidelines. The regulation will be further tightened in January 2015, when efficiency levels are increased again.
VES, manufacturer of air handling units has been continually strengthening their research and development programmes to ensure their customers can still purchase the right products for their application. A common misconception is that EC fans are the only answer to ErP compliance but this is not the case.
Combining EC technology with advance energy saving control strategies in their core products like Ecovent and Max have been in huge demand for the heat recovery market; where emphasis has not only been placed upon energy efficiency but also on building integration and total system performance. However the biggest impact on ErP compliant products has been for applications where heat recovery is not required or demanded. The progressive reduction in specific fan power, coupled with ErP compliance has made the more price sensitive sectors of the HVAC industry harder to satisfy. The conflicting interests of space, price, advance technology, noise and simple physics have made the challenge of meeting customer expectations very difficult.
In response to this demand VES has developed a number of products to ensure ErP compliance, including:
• Colourfan and Colourfan Acoustic air handling units
• Dome High Efficiency Roof Extract Fans
• Plastic and Steel Cased Round Fans
• T-Line 120 – High Temperature Extract Unit
• Axials
• Hushvent – Warm Air Reclaim Units
• Airbeam Transfan – Air transfer Axial Plate Fan
VES has a wide range of market leading products to meet any customer requirement. For further information on our products or the ErP Directive please visit www.ves.co.uk, email info@ves.co.uk or call our sales engineers on 08448 15 60 60.