Camfil – using an independent testing laboratory vindicates our new generation of energy-efficient air filters
The more forcefully air needs to be pushed through an air filter for it to work effectively, the more energy will be spent on ventilation. "Finding the right balance between energy efficiency and filtering capacity is a precise job and requires us to do a lot of testing in our own laboratory", explains Camfil's product manager Paula Nowojska – responsible for the new Hi-Flo air filter series. Since energy efficiency is more important than ever in today’s market, buyers need to be reliably assured of the precise specifications of the product; so on top of doing their own testing, it’s essential that Camfil also get the products tested externally by an independent lab.
Eurovent certification is the key to launching a new product series
Camfil is a family-owned company from Sweden who first made a name for themselves with ecologically sustainable bag filters back in 1969 – the first in their successful series of advanced Hi-Flo air filters – and for the last 50 years the Hi-Flo air filter family maintained its leading position. But the Swedish company has not been resting on its laurels; continuing innovative product development meant that in 2022, Camfil launched a new generation of Hi-Flo filters in filtration classes ePM1 60% and ePM10 60% that set the bar for energy efficiency even higher.
“Market demands are tough, and the energy efficiency of these filters is one of the main factors when selling them”, Nowojska clarifies. “To be competitive in the air filter market, you need to get the lowest energy classification for the product.”
Because energy efficiency is so important, Camfil wanted Eurovent certification to make these precise properties transparent to all. Certification ensures reliable classification and makes it easier for the customer to compare products.
“ISO testing is the only way to verify both the filtration efficiency and energy efficiency, and that's why we needed a testing laboratory approved by Eurovent Certita Certification to test the products independently for this project”, Nowojska states.
Camfil needs a third-party testing lab to reliably vindicate product specifications
Camfil has used several independent testing laboratories over the years, including Eurofins Expert Services. Several were also approached when looking for a suitable lab to test the new generation of Hi-Flo products. Not only was the laboratory’s independence an important factor, but also the turnaround time for testing.
“Our project team got in touch with all the testing laboratories we usually use, and Eurofins' turnaround time was the fastest”, Nowojska points out. “And because turnaround was so important for the launch, we selected Eurofins”.
But another important reason cited by Nowojska is that certification from an independent and Eurovent-approved testing laboratory such as Eurofins reliably vindicates the product’s specifications.
“This way we can reliably show our customers that we have not only tested the product ourselves to determine its properties, but also that these properties have been externally verified by an independent testing laboratory”, Nowojska clarifies. “Eurofins has a good professional reputation and we can be sure that their research is impartial”.
A smooth testing project for everyone involved
Since the pressure loss caused by filters can ratchet up costs for ventilation machines, Camfil wanted an A+ energy class for its filters. Air filters are classified between A+ and E, with A+ representing the lowest energy consumption and E the highest. Once the desired energy class is achieved in primary tests, the samples are then sent to Eurofins Expert Services so they can test the various properties as an independent expert.
“In this project, we were classifying air filters in accordance with the EN ISO 16890:2016 standard and energy calculations were made in accordance with the Eurovent 4/21-2019 recommendations. Thanks to these independent results, end users can then reliably compare the performance of these filters with others on the market and choose the most suitable one for the desired purpose”, says our general ventilation filter testing expert Antti Korhonen.
Both Korhonen and Nowojska thought everything went very smoothly, and considering the project lasted about half a year, so there was a lot of work. Booking the tests well in advance certainly helped, and there were no criticisms from either side.
“I am very impressed with how smoothly the project went and how the Eurofins experts helped us. Eurofins was always very helpful and answered our questions in detail. All in all, this was a very good project” Nowojska adds gratefully.
“Even though we are an independent laboratory, it is important for us to also be customer oriented”, Korhonen notes in conclusion. “Camfil's determination and fast response times made it nice to work with them”.
Project testing needs
- Eurovent 4/21-2019 Energy Efficiency evaluation
Eurovent's document 4/21-2019 provides recommendations for determining energy efficiency in terms of the average pressure drop caused by an air filter in a standard airflow when it is uniformly loaded with a certain test dust amount, depending on the filter class. The resulting annual energy consumption estimates (kWh/year) are the figures which are used in the Eurovent energy classification and in comparisons between filters.
- EN ISO 16890:2016
The EN ISO 16890:2016 testing standard defines the testing methods for general ventilation filters as well as their classification instructions for the degree of separation of particulate matter (ePM) for standardized urban and rural environments. The standard classifies air filters into groups ISO ePM1, ISO ePM2.5, ISO ePM10 and ISO Coarse.
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