News
Programme focus: Residential Air Handling Units
The Eurovent Certified Performance programme for Residential Air Handling Units (RAHU) attests the conformity of air handling units to EN13141-7: 2021 and provides independently verified product performance data via an impartial and vigorous certification process.
Why is residential ventilation certification important?
We spend around 90% of our time indoors. Our homes should be safe, comfortable spaces. However, for those with poor ventilation, homes can trap in nasty indoor air pollutants or become a breeding ground for mould and mildew. This can lead to health issues and building damage, making good ventilation a key concern.
While there are a number of options available to deliver ventilation in domestic properties, not every system is ideal for every project. Various factors will affect product decision making including:
- Building type and design (new-build or retrofit)
- Building size and layout (how may bathrooms etc.)
- Airtightness and insulation
- Occupancy and indoor air quality (IAQ) requirements
- Climate and outdoor air pollution levels
- Energy efficiency and sustainability goals
- Installation cost and ongoing running costs
- Maintenance requirements
- Regulatory compliance.
This is why it is essential that manufacturer data is correct, so that products can be accurately compared and selected. If manufacturer data is inaccurate, resulting in a poor choice of equipment, IAQ can be severely compromised and buildings non-compliant with regulations such as the EU's Energy-related Products (ErP) Directive. Third-party evaluation via Eurovent Certification removes the risk of incorrect product data, ensuring products perform as advertised.
What products are included?
This certification programme applies to balanced residential Ait handing Units (AHUs) (supply and exhaust) with heat recovery systems.
The following heat recovery types are considered:
- Category HRC1: Recuperative heat exchangers (e.g. air-to-air plate or tube heat exchanger)
- Category HRC1a: Recuperative heat exchangers of the category HRC1a are designed to transfer sensible thermal energy from one air stream to another without moving parts. Heat transfer surfaces are in form of plates or tubes. This heat exchanger can have parallel flow, cross flow or counter flow construction or a combination of these.
- Category HRC1x: Recuperative heat exchangers of the category HRC1x are designed to transfer total thermal energy including vapour diffusion from one air stream to another without moving parts. Heat transfer surfaces are in form of plates or tubes. This heat exchanger can have parallel flow, cross flow or counter flow construction or a combination of these.
- Category HRC3: Regenerative heat exchangers (e.g. rotary or reciprocating heat exchanger)
- Extract Air-to-Outdoor Air heat pump for extract air heat recovery.
Depending on the system and application, the recovered energy can also be used to heat hot water systems too.
Join our LinkedIn community!
What is certified?
Admission test campaign: 1 test per heat recovery type.
Surveillance test campaign: 1 test every 2 years for each heat recovery type. Units are sampled directly from selling points.
Main certified characteristics:
- Leakage class
- Aeraulic performances:
- Airflow/pressure curves
- Maximum airflow [m³/h]
- Electrical consumption [W]
- Specific Power Input SPI [W/(m³/h)]
- Temperature efficiency / COP
- Performances at cold climate conditions
- SEC (Specific Energy Consumption) in [kWh/(m².an)]
- A-weighted global sound power levels [dB(A)].
Acceptance criteria:
- Leakage class 0
- Airflow −10%
- Temperature efficiency −3%-point
- Temperature efficiency at cold climate −6%-point
- COP / EER −8%
- A-weighted global sound power levels +2dB(A)
- Electrical consumption +7%
- Specific Power Input SPI +7%
- Disbalance ratio 0.
What are the testing standards?
The residential AHUs certified under this Eurovent Certified Performance programme are tested to EN 13141-7:2021.
You can find out more about the certification rules and requirements in the Technical Certification Rules and Certification Manual on our Eurovent Certified Performance programme for Residential Air Handling Units page.
Two of the most well know residential ventilation certifications are Passivhaus and Eurovent Certified Performance. Both play important and distinct roles in verifying the performance of systems, aiding decision makers in product selection. However, they differ in focus, performance criteria, and application. It is therefore important that those making product decisions know the difference in scope between the certifications.
Passivhaus product certification:
- Is essential for Passivhaus projects.
- Ensures that ventilation systems meet the high energy efficiency and airtightness standards of Passivhaus buildings.
- It is aimed at ultra-low energy buildings that require minimal heating and cooling.
Eurovent Certified Performance:
- Is a broader certification suitable for all residential projects.
- Focuses on energy efficiency, performance consistency, and compliance with European standards.
- Guarantees that products will perform as advertised.
Why choose Eurovent Certified Performance?
Eurovent Certified Performance for residential AHUs offers a comprehensive, independent and impartial certification programme, which goes far beyond laboratory testing alone.
This programme includes:
- Laboratory tests to evaluate product performance
- Factory audits to ensure production line quality (NEW for 2026)
- Selection software checks to ensure software uses accurate and reliable data
- Evaluation of all submitted documents (including marketing materials) for technical credibility and continuity
- And crucially, products are put under a surveillance process to ensure they continue to comply with declared data.
Plus, when a company joins the programme, the manufacturer has three years to ensure all relevant units presented on the European market are certified. This means they cannot pick and choose flagship models – all products in the range have to pass certification criteria.
Evaluation protocols are uniform to ensure the certification process is fair and equal for all manufacturers. Eurovent Certification:
- Evaluates all residential AHUs according to the same criteria
- Expresses results in the same unit of measurement, regardless of the country where the products are manufactured or marketed
- Ensures all products within the programme go through exactly the same certification and surveillance process
- Ensures products with components manufactured across multiple sites (sometimes in different countries), all reach Eurovent certification standards
- Impartiality standards are kept high as manufacturers and laboratories have no direct contact, keeping the process clear of any bias
- Additionally, products to be tested can be taken from the production line, factory stock or point of sale, ensuring the product tested is exactly the same as those leaving the production line.
As all residential AHUs go through the same process, decision makers can directly compare this data when making product decisions, via the free to access certified product directory.
Search for certified Residential AHUs
Discover more about the Residential Air Handling Unit programme