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Residential air filters
Certification manual
Certification Manual
Documents
OM (Operational Manual)
RS (Rating Standard)

SCOPE OF THE PROGRAMME

The Eurovent Certified Performance (ECP) programme scope for Residential Air Filters (RFIL) covers the particulate and combination (particulate and gas) filters used in a residential ventilation unit and for which the following applies:

  • the rated maximum air flow rate is comprised between 70 and 1000 m³/h included 
  • the initial efficiency ePM10 is higher than or equal to 50% 
  • the initial efficiency ePM1 is strictly lower than 99%   
  • the ratio between effluent and influent concentrations measured at time zero is strictly lower than 20% (for combination filters only, see Rating Standard RS/4/C/003 for further details).

The programme scope covers filters for which the face area is lower than or equal to 300 mm x 600 mm.

For the full programme scope and exclusions please view the Technical Certification Rules.

CERTIFY-ALL PRINCIPLE

For the RFIL programme, the certify-all requirement as defined in the Certification Manual is applicable from January 1st 2020 (see Operational Manual OM-21 for further details).

PRODUCT TYPE

Residential Air Filters are a HVAC system component, designed to remove harmful particles from the air within homes. Air filters are available in a number of designs and classes, using different filter media.

Typically, an air filter will include a filter material and supporting parts and gaskets, that are inserted into a filter housing device. Residential air filters come in a range of designs including:

  • Bag: Media arranged in several bags
  • Panel: Media pleat which depth is < 150 mm
  • V-type: Media pleats arranged in several V-shaped rigid sections
  • Pleated: Deep media pleat (depth ≥ 150 mm).

Classes range from the three fine particle filter groups included in the RFIL programme - particulate matter efficiency (ePMx) - and one course particle group called ISO Coarse, for particles 10 micron or larger (not included in the programme). 

Then ePMx is the efficiency of an air cleaning device to reduce the mass concentration of particles, with an optical diameter between 0,3 μm and x μm. ePMx is grouped into three groups, according to particle size filtered:

  • ISO ePM1 – for particles 0.3 micron to 1 micron in size
  • ISO ePM2.5 – for particles 0.3 micron to 2.5 micron in size
  • ISO ePM10 – for particles 0.3 micron to 10 micron in size.

Air filters can also use a range of filter media including:

  • Glass
  • Glass / Synthetic
  • Synthetic.

Manufacturers may produce a large number of filters with different length/depth, which belong to the same filter family. A filter family is characterised by units with:

  • The same filter material
  • The same basic design
  • The same face velocity (rated airflow / minimum net filter face area)
  • The same
    • depth of the overall filter element, with a tolerance of +/-10% but not lower than 5 mm, for panel filters and pleated filters
    • ratio of filter medium area to front face area, with a tolerance of +/- 10%, for bag filters, V-type filters, pleated filters and panel filters
  • The same initial pressure drop, with a tolerance of +/- 10% but not lower than 5 Pa
  • The same ISO ePM class reporting value.

DEFINITIONS

The following definitions apply to the programme:
 

Brand
Brand name of the manufacturer.

Range 
Listing of models with some common features.

Model
Model name.

Adsorption capacity
Mass of contaminant mc [mg] removed from the gas stream by adsorbion on the filter.

Basic design
The basic design of a filter designates the arrangement of the filtering area which can be the following:

  • Bag : Media arranged in several bags
  • Panel : Media pleat which depth is < 150 mm
  • V-type : Media pleats arranged in several V-shaped rigid sections
  • Pleated : Deep media pleat (depth ≥ 150 mm)

Clean Air efficiency
The Clean Air Efficiency for Residential Air Filters (CAERFIL) can be defined as the amount of clean air delivered by the filter per unit of consumed energy [m3/h/kWh/a].
The Clean Air Efficiency is calculated from certified performance items:

  • initial efficiency ePM1 [-]
  • initial pressure drop Δp100% [Pa]

The Clean Air Efficiency is calculated as follows (see Rating Standard RS/4/C/003 for further details):
Clean Air Efficiency calcul

Combination filter
A combination filter designates a particulate filter which material or extra layer(s) present(s) additional filtration properties, intrinsically or after being treated or coated, such as gaseous filtration.

Filter family
A filter family is characterised by the following:

  • the same filter material
  • the same basic design
  • the same face velocity (rated airflow / minimum net filter face area)
  • the same
    • depth of the overall filter element, with a tolerance of +/-10% but not lower than 5 mm, for panel filters and pleated filters
    • ratio of filter medium area to front face area, with a tolerance of +/- 10%, for bag filters, V-type filters, pleated filters and panel filters
  • the same initial pressure drop, with a tolerance of +/- 10% but not lower than 5 Pa
  • the same ISO ePM class reporting value

Among these data, the following must be available via internet or published sales brochures: basic construction, filter media, ISO group for filter classification.

Initial efficiency
Efficiency of the clean filter operating at a given flow rate.
The symbol ePMx describes the initial efficiency of a filter element to reduce the mass concentration of particles with an optical diameter between 0,3 μm and x μm.

Initial pressure drop
Pressure drop of the clean filter operating at a given flow rate.

ISO ePMx class reporting value
Class reporting value, corresponding to the initial efficiency ePMx value rounded downwards to the nearest multiple of 5 percentage points, in conjunction with the group name.
Example: ISO ePM1 85%.

ISO groups for filters classification
The ISO groups for filters classification are defined as per document Eurovent 4/22:2015, excluding ISO Coarse which is not part of the RFIL certification programme scope.

Minimum efficiency
The symbol ePMx,min describes the minimum efficiency value of the conditioned (discharged) filter element, operating at a given air flow rate, to reduce the mass concentration of particles with an optical diameter between 0,3 μm and x μm.

Rated maximum airflow
Maximum operational air flow for the filter as recommended by the manufacturer. It is expressed in [m3/h].

Specific Energy Consumption of a residential air filter
The Specific Energy Consumption of a residential air filter (SECRFIL) is the expression of the energy consumed by the fan to overcome the pressure drop caused by the filter in a given Residential Ventilation Unit.
This value, expressed in [kWh/m2/a], is calculated from the initial pressure drop as follows (see Rating Standard RS/4/C/003 for further details):
Specific Energy Consumption calcul

 

CERTIFIED CHARACTERISTICS

When tested in the laboratory the obtained performance data shall not differ from the declared values by more than the following tolerance values:

  Initial pressure drop values    +10%+Mt or +10 Pa +Mt
  Initial efficiency values    -5 percentage points (absolute deviation)
  Minimum efficiency values   -5 percentage points (absolute deviation)
  Filter ISO ePMx class reporting value    -5 percentage points (absolute deviation)
  Adsorption capacity    -10%
 

Find out how to apply for the Residential Air Filters programme.

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