Air filter selection with the Eurovent guideline
There is no definitive answer to the question: ‘Which air filter do I need?’. After all, every situation requires a different air filter with different qualities. Eurovent has drawn up a guideline that helps you decide on the right air filter for each situation.
Eurovent is a European industry association for indoor climate. In consultation with businesses, Eurovent has drawn up a guideline to facilitate choosing air filters. This guideline takes the strict requirements of the World Health Organisation (WHO) into account. The Eurovent directive allows you to determine in two steps what type of air filter is needed for your specific situation.
What is ODA?
ODA is short for Outdoor Air Quality. In order to be able to ultimately choose an air filter, it is important to know how polluted the outside air is. An industrial area in the port of Rotterdam, for example, will generally have a different air quality than a business premises located further away in a rural village.
The specific area is then divided into one of the three ODA classes: ODA 1 to ODA 3. ODA 1 is the least polluted outdoor air, and ODA 3 is the most polluted.
ODA is short for Outdoor Air Quality. In order to be able to ultimately choose an air filter, it is important to know how polluted the outside air is. An industrial area in the port of Rotterdam, for example, will generally have a different air quality than a business premises located further away in a rural village.
The specific area is then divided into one of the three ODA classes: ODA 1 to ODA 3. ODA 1 is the least polluted outdoor air, and ODA 3 is the most polluted.
What is SUP?
SUP is short for Supply Air, or the desired quality of supply air in a given space. In other words: how clean the air that flows from the outside inwards should be.
In a hospital, for example, the air will need to be cleaner than in a room that few people hang out in, such as a storage room. In the Eurovent guideline, spaces are divided into different SUP classes, from SUP 1 to SUP 5. This table shows the different SUP classes, with a description and examples.
Choosing an air filter
So, now we know what ODA and SUP mean, but not which air filter to choose. First of all, it is important to determine the actual outdoor air quality. This can be done with the help of an air measurement, with which TOPS is happy to help, of course. An air meter is used to determine how polluted the relevant area is. With this result in hand, the outdoor air quality can be subdivided into an ODA class.
Next, you will need to determine in what type of environment the supply air will eventually end up. Is it a hospital, an office, or a storage room? In other words, you need to choose a SUP class.
Once the ODA and SUP classes are known, you can determine the efficiency standards a filter must meet. You can find the minimum efficiency that the filter must meet in the table below.
Let's use an example to explain how to read this table. In this example, we have opted for an office building that is located in a highly polluted area. The ODA class for a highly polluted area is ODA 3. The table about SUP classes shows that an office building falls into the SUP-2 category.
Next, in the table, we find the row of ODA 3 on the left and then to the right until we find SUP 2 at the top (See the percentage circled in red). The box under "SUP 2" says "ePM1". Combined with the percentage circled in red, this means that the result is ePM1 80%. In other words: the desired efficiency for the office building in a very polluted area is ePM1 80%. So, the filter that is used must filter at least 80% of the ePM1 dust particles.
Written by Sven
International Account Manager at TOPS Luchtfilters
Would you like to have advice with choosing the right air filter? Please feel free to contact us. We are happy to advise you on the best filter choice.