ICC-SRCC joins with CSA Group to harmonize and update North American solar thermal standards.

 
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The Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (ICC-SRCC), the industry standard since 1980, became a part of the International Code Council's (ICC) Family of Companies in 2015. ICC-SRCC and the Canadian Standards (CSA) Group are collaborating on an initiative to coordinate and unify standards so that stakeholders have North American solar thermal standards that best meet the industry's needs.

The CSA Group has been developing and maintaining Canadian solar thermal standards since 1987. The CAN/CSA F378-11 (R2016) Series on Solar Collectors, used for the verification of solar collector performance, is similar to ICC 901/SRCC 100-2015. The CSA Group also published CAN/CSA F379 Series-09 (R2013) — Packaged Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems (liquid-to-liquid heat transfer), and the CAN/CSA-F383-08 (R2013) — Installation of Packaged Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems, which primarily include safety certification requirements. Combined, these standards are similar to ICC 900/SRCC 300-2015.

Between 1998 and 2011, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) offered solar thermal incentives directly to homeowners and utilities for large-scale deployment of solar domestic hot water heating across the country. Key aspects of the program required installed systems be verified for performance to the F378 and meet the safety requirements included in the F379 and F383.

In 2011, the Canadian government cancelled the program. After a review of the verification and certification operation and consultation with industry, the CSA Group made a decision to discontinue its rating verification program for solar thermal products as of July 1, 2014 (Class No 8854 01/02/03). The National Building Code of Canada specified compliance only with the F379 and F383, and such compliance did not mandate energy verification.

Since 2013, CSA Group solar thermal stakeholders have noted that they preferred that CSA standards be harmonized with the ANSI ICC/SRCC 100. They noted that the F378 had minor differences from the ICC/SRCC 100 standard. In October 2015, CSA announced it was withdrawing from safety certification of solar domestic hot water heaters effective November 2016 (Class No 2831 06/07/30/36/37, 8854 04/05).

On October 27, 2016, the Technical Committee on Solar Energy reached general consensus that the F378 be considered for withdrawal and that the North American industry strive for harmonized standards.

ICC-SRCC fulfills the industry's need for a single, national program that allows manufacturers to rate and test the efficiency of solar equipment. Its primary purpose is to provide authoritative performance ratings, certifications and standards for renewable energy products, with the intention of protecting and providing guidance to consumers, incentive providers, government and industry.