EVIA membership update

The European Ventilation Industry Association (EVIA) is the European association for the ventilation industry. It is located in Brussels, so is well placed to communicate with the European Commission. FETA became members in early 2016, and since then have been very active.  It is believed that membership will be even more important post Brexit, as this will be a way for UK industry to influence the way that Brussels impacts the regulations that businesses trading with Europe will need to follow.

EVIAs goal during 2017 is to establish itself as THE European voice of the industry, and the first point of contact for the commission and others attempting to regulate us.

A number of product sector groups meet regularly and determine what the industry view is on certain topics; a number of current topics of discussion include:

EcoDesign and Energy Labelling

This has been top of EVIA's agenda as it impacts nearly all manufacturers.

EVIA has been instrumental in developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document which looks at and gives interpretations to the many “grey areas” within the regulations. This is an evolving document, currently at issue 3, and is widely used by the industry and those interpreting the regulations.

The EVIA secretariat regularly communicates with those within the commission who have the responsibility for making the decisions that impact us all.

Lots 6, 10, 11 & 12 are the main areas that impact our industry and all activities in these areas is actively monitored. There are areas where there has been delay within the commission and much of this is blamed on Brexit.  Whether this is true or not is open to debate, however what can not be contested is that there are certain staffing problems.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

This was raised at the AGM as a topic of concern to our industry.

Poor indoor air can have detrimental effects to the occupants of buildings; be they residential or non-residential. It can also impact the productivity of building occupants. Our industry can contribute greatly to improving the quality of the indoor environment.

EVIA has formed specialist groups looking at what the industry can contribute. One of these groups is developing a certification scheme which is designed to promote a ventilation “system” to designers and installers as a suitable technology that will contribute to better air and a healthy indoor environment. This scheme is currently at a verification stage and it is hoped to launch it during 2017.

Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

This directive is undergoing revision and the various groups within EVIA are closely monitoring the progress. There are a large number of standards that are under revision to ensure that the standards fully support the modified directive.

Material Efficiency Mandate (MEM)

This is a new area of work and EVIA will be monitoring this closely. The mandate applies to all EcoDesigned products. A joint working group within CEN/CENELEC/ETSI is chaired by a delegate from the UK This working group is divided into seven sub-groups and they are charged with producing 21 new standards within two years

FETA's role

FETA's role within EVIA is to represent its members and to this end it has involvement in all areas. FETA receives many communications from EVIA and, in order to stem the flow of paper, we filter the information and attempt to give at least a rough guide as to its importance. Members are then better able to discuss the issues within their own groups and as a result a UK industry view can be put forward.

15-12-2016

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