Purpose
In response to its industry participants, SRCC developed a solar water heating system rating and certification program, short-titled OG-300.
The purpose of this solar water heating system certification and rating program is to improve performance and reliability of solar products.
It integrates results of collector tests and system tests with evaluations against minimum standards of system durability, reliability, safety and operation; as well as factors affecting total system design, installation, maintenance and service.
Giving suppliers the opportunity to submit their solar domestic hot water (SDHW) system designs to an open-ended review encourages them to produce the best products possible.
Requirements
Under the OG-300 system rating and certification program:
* Systems must meet or exceed all criteria required to meet HUD Minimum Property Standards.
* Rating includes a simple way for consumers to compare expected performance and energy savings.
Unique features of this certification program include:
* Evaluation of system design, safety, installation procedures, operation and maintenance manuals and system performance.
* Rating label that is comparable to the Energy Guide Label required by the Federal Trade Commission for most gas and electric hot water heaters.
Process for rating and certifying systems
The process for rating and certifying solar water heating systems under the OG-300 protocol includes ten steps for each system. The process is described below and illustrated in Table 1.
1. The "Supplier" of a solar water heating system is the entity responsible for the assembly and installation of the system. The first step in the certification process is for the Supplier to decide which components are to be included in the system. These components must be listed on an OG-300 application form
2. The solar collecting portion of the system must be tested. The testing to be done is determined by the system design:
a. The collectors which are part of the system must be tested and rated under the OG-100 protocol.
b. Passive systems in which the collector can not be tested separately must be rated and certified under a system test protocol.
3. A diagram must be prepared showing the relative location and interconnection of all system components.
4. Manuals must be written to describe installation, operation, and maintenance of the system. The manuals must include a copy of the system diagram as well as all information required in section 6.6 of the OG-300 document.
5. Labels must be prepared in accordance with OG-300. A summary of the required labels is attached to the application form.
6. The application and all supporting documents are reviewed by SRCC staff and then forwarded to the SRCC Design Review Team for review and discussion. Major system components, the contents of the manual delivered with the system, and the supplier’s instructions for system installation must be approved by SRCC.
7. Data from the OG-100 collector test, the system test and review of design and installation guidelines are input to a computer program called TRNSYS to calculate the performance rating.
8. When all reviews have been completed, SRCC will notify the applicant of any outstanding items to be submitted.
9. When the application is complete and all fees have been paid, SRCC will finalize the performance rating, prepare a new page for the directory, and mail the program agreement and/or license(s) to the Supplier for signature.
10. Upon receipt of the signed document(s) SRCC will prepare a certification award and rating label artwork and will publish the directory pages.
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