Agrement Certs

I dont have the answer to your question… but i usually use the rule of thumb that if it isnt agreement certed, dont use it….

i have experience with timber frame houses. the client enagaged an austrian company (who had lots of euro certs but no NSAI cert) things were fine till Homebond, solicitors and financial institutions became involved. they usually require agrement certs because its a proof of suitably with Irish standards.

visit

http://www.nsai.ie/index.cfm/area/page/information/irishagrementboard

it explains the whole thing very well and gives you a list of certified products

the DOE are big on Agrement Certs for building materials ie walls and roofs. With a pellet boiler the first thing I’d look for is “SEI approved”

Agreement certs are a useful way of establishing whether the new “wonder” product you are being asked to consider or approve is any good . Wafer thin insulation to replace 300mm fibreglassl . One coat paint . a radon barrier , a damp proofing treatment , whatever ….

This is an extract from TGD D B Regs .

“proper materials” means materials which are fit for the use for which
they are intended and for the conditions in which they are to be used,
and includes materials which:
(a) bear a CE Marking in accordance with the provisions of the
Construction Products Directive; or
(b) comply with an appropriate harmonized standard, European
technical approval or national technical specification as defined
in article 4(2) of the Construction Products Directive; or
(c) comply with an appropriate Irish Standard or Irish Agrément
Board Certificate or with an alternative national technical
specification of any State which is a contracting party to the
Agreement on the European Economic Area, which provides in
use an equivalent level of safety and suitability.

Agreement certs are a way for newer innovative products to show that they are fit for purpose AND TO INDICATE WHEN AND HOW THEY ARE TO BE USED . So if an unfamiliar ( to you ) material claims to have certain thermal insulation , structural or firE performance , or whatever , check it has an Agrement cert . Example – roof pitch 20 degrees , developer client wants to use a certain slate , rep says it’s fine …… look for the cert . Breather membrane rep says “use this and you dont have to ventilate roof ” … check cert which will contain spec advice and conditions ( like maybe you need battens and counter battens to create a 50mm vent space OVER the felt , below slates .

This is also from TGD D

While the primary route for establishing the
fitness of a material for its intended use is through
the recognised standardisation procedures referred
to in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of Requirement D3,
other methods may also be considered in
establishing fitness including:-
(a) Independent certification by an approved body
e.g. the National Standards Authority of
Ireland (NSAI);
(b) Tests and calculations carried out by an
accredited laboratory, showing that the
material is capable of performing the function
for which it is intended. The INAB (Irish
National Accreditation Board) offers a way of
ensuring that tests are conducted in
accordance with recognised criteria;
(c) Performance in use, i.e. that the material can
be shown by experience, such as its use in a
substantially similar way in an existing building,
to be capable of enabling the building to satisfy
the relevant functional requirements of the
Building Regulations.

“Performance in use” may be considered a way of accepting a material or product . A simple example to make the point , is that you wont find a cert covering concrete as a suitable material to make a footpath with … it’s performance in use is well established for that application .

Forget SEI approving anything – they won’t do that . But lists they issue are not a bad starting point at all. Overseas wood pellet boiler manufacturers may not go to the trouble and expense of having test done for AG Cert . However looking for comprehensive list of units installed and where and following up end user references may be the way to go .