SHC Standards: An Integral Component of Quality Infrastructure
Abstract
Quality Infrastructure has been defined as “a system of institutions which jointly ensure that products and processes meet predefined specifications.” Ideally, a fully and properly developed Quality Infrastructure (QI) would be fully represented by each of the components: Certification, Standardization, Testing, Metrology, and Accreditation. However, in reality every component may not be fully developed, depending on the history and growth of the industry. Standards are an integral component to any Quality Infrastructure. Compared to other renewable technologies, solar heating and cooling (SHC) standards have been in development for a long time. We discuss how these Standards fit into a complete quality infrastructure. We take a look at examples of SHC standards in the U.S.