New local energy efficiency instrument receives international certification
Thématique :
sud afrique
South Africa’s first rotatable guarded hot box (RGHB), an instrument that determines the energy efficiency of a building envelope, has received certification from a US independent rating and labelling system for energy performance, the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).
A building envelope is a term used to describe the roof, walls, windows, and floors of a building.
The RGHB, which was launched on Wednesday, is being housed at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Council’s Thermal Testing Laboratory (TTL), which is a research facility that aims to develop technologies that improve the energy efficiency and environmental compatibility of residential and commercial buildings. The product is a testing equipment, which determines heat transmission values of virtually any building envelope system.
NFRC international programme coordinator Bipin Shah referred to the accuracy of the putting together the South African RGHB as “mind boggling” given the challenges and deadlines presented to the team responsible for engineering the product.
Shah added that while the US was the first to implement the hot box, the South African version was “in fact better that the ones available in the US today”, in light of the dedication from the relevant South Africa team.
He said that this product was necessary as rating systems enable one’s product to stand out in the market, and that without performance information, like that provided by a hot box, it was impossible to determine if a building is “green”.
This initiative and investment in the RGHB is spearheaded by the Association of Architectural Aluminium Manufacturers of South Africa (AAAMSA), which also led to the formation of the South African Fenestration and Insulation Energy Rating Association (SAFIERA). The NFRC has appointed SAFIERA as its country representative in South Africa.
SAFIERA’s key function is to determine and register, among other things, the heat transmissions values of fenestration (u-factors) in particular, and other envelopes of the building envelope in general.
The RGHB will benefit professionals in the building and construction industry and manufacturers whose components are used in the test equipment.
AAAMSA executive director Hans Schefferlie said, “We support government’s energy efficiency initiative and worked closely with relevant government and South African National Standard departments to ensure that the RGHB satisfied the requirements of the then being drafted standard [now published] SANS 204 for energy efficiency in buildings.”
Physical testing of fenestrations and insulation systems is one way to determine thermal performance. The testing of fenestrations systems will be conducted in accordance with the protocols of the NFRC, which is recognised internationally.
The RGHB testing programme is divided into two parts, which is building envelope research, which focuses on the structural elements that enclose building, such as walls and roofs, and materials research, which concentrates on the materials within the envelope systems, such as glass and insulation.
A building envelope is a term used to describe the roof, walls, windows, and floors of a building.
The RGHB, which was launched on Wednesday, is being housed at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Council’s Thermal Testing Laboratory (TTL), which is a research facility that aims to develop technologies that improve the energy efficiency and environmental compatibility of residential and commercial buildings. The product is a testing equipment, which determines heat transmission values of virtually any building envelope system.
NFRC international programme coordinator Bipin Shah referred to the accuracy of the putting together the South African RGHB as “mind boggling” given the challenges and deadlines presented to the team responsible for engineering the product.
Shah added that while the US was the first to implement the hot box, the South African version was “in fact better that the ones available in the US today”, in light of the dedication from the relevant South Africa team.
He said that this product was necessary as rating systems enable one’s product to stand out in the market, and that without performance information, like that provided by a hot box, it was impossible to determine if a building is “green”.
This initiative and investment in the RGHB is spearheaded by the Association of Architectural Aluminium Manufacturers of South Africa (AAAMSA), which also led to the formation of the South African Fenestration and Insulation Energy Rating Association (SAFIERA). The NFRC has appointed SAFIERA as its country representative in South Africa.
SAFIERA’s key function is to determine and register, among other things, the heat transmissions values of fenestration (u-factors) in particular, and other envelopes of the building envelope in general.
The RGHB will benefit professionals in the building and construction industry and manufacturers whose components are used in the test equipment.
AAAMSA executive director Hans Schefferlie said, “We support government’s energy efficiency initiative and worked closely with relevant government and South African National Standard departments to ensure that the RGHB satisfied the requirements of the then being drafted standard [now published] SANS 204 for energy efficiency in buildings.”
Physical testing of fenestrations and insulation systems is one way to determine thermal performance. The testing of fenestrations systems will be conducted in accordance with the protocols of the NFRC, which is recognised internationally.
The RGHB testing programme is divided into two parts, which is building envelope research, which focuses on the structural elements that enclose building, such as walls and roofs, and materials research, which concentrates on the materials within the envelope systems, such as glass and insulation.
