You see
advertisements all over that make claims about everything from removing stains
with one stroke to cars that get 10 times more miles per gallon of gas. Some of
them are just downright funny and others leave you scratching your head about
the validity of the claim. The ventilation industry is no different.
Manufactures are constantly making claims regarding the performance of their
products. The two main claims are for air movement – known as cubit feet per
minute or CFM and sound levels known as Sones. The question is, how do you know
you are getting what you are paying for? Is this just another one of those
things where manufacturers make up numbers so they look good? There is hope and
it is known as the Home Ventilating Institute or HVI.
HVI is an
independent third party testing and certification lab that ensures advertised
performance numbers are being delivered. HVI maintains a database of models
that have been tested and certified in their facility and publishes this list
each month on their website (you can view the list here). Products go through
stringent testing for airflow, sound, and energy usage. Once a product is certified,
it will display the HVI Certified logo on it. It is very simple from there – no
logo or not on the list - not certified.
You might
still have some doubts and a common question that arises is, once tested what
is to prevent a manufacturer from changing the product? HVI has that covered. Products
can be pulled at anytime and a verification test completed to make sure nothing
has changed with the product. If the product fails, it will be removed from the
directory until a suitable action plan can be put into place and the product
delivers the advertised performance.
The next
argument that comes up is, who is HVI, I have never heard of them, is this one
of those pay-to-play organizations? The short answer is NO. HVI is the leader
in ventilation certification and is recognized as the preferred method of
performance assurance by the country’s top organizations including; ENERGY
STAR®, ASHRAE Standard 62.2, California Title 24, National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB), RESNET, US Green Building Council LEED and many more. These
organizations depend on HVI to certify and verify that the products meet the
performance numbers they have set.
Unfortunately
there are many manufacturers out there that do not have their products tested
and certified. These product usually fall into the “Too
Good to be True” category. While we cannot definitively say they are or
are not living up to their advertised performance numbers we can say
organizations such as ENERGY STAR will not recognize them. The best way to make
sure your ventilation products will deliver as advertised is to look for the
HVI logo.
