What is BS EN 14500 about?
BS EN 14500 defines test and calculation methods for the determination of the reflection and transmission characteristics to be used to determine the thermal and visual comfort performance classes of external blinds, internal blinds and shutters, as specified in EN 14501:2021.
BS EN 14500 also specifies the method to determine the darkening performance of external blinds, internal blinds and shutters, as specified in EN 14501:2021.
BS EN 14500 applies to the whole range of shutters, awnings and blinds defined in EN 12216, described as solar protection devices in this document. Some of the characteristics (e.g., gtot) are not applicable when products are not parallel to the glazing (e.g., folding-arm awnings).
NOTE - Retro-reflecting products are outside the scope of BS EN 14500 for reflectance measurements.
Who is BS EN 14500 for?
BS EN 14500 on blinds and shutters is useful for
- Construction industry
- Architects
- Manufacturer, supplier and installer of shutters
- Workplaces
- Civil engineer
- Contractor of building
- Researcher or producer of solar devices
Why should you use BS EN 14500?
If you are examining or projecting solar protection devices and need help for testing and calculating the devices, BS EN 14500 will help you with the test methods for testing the characteristics of the curtain elements of solar protection devices.
Curtain elements are for example flat sheets of coated aluminium for slats for venetian blinds, fabric materials for roller blinds or glass slats with or without patterns for external glass venetian blinds. The calculation methods in BS EN 14500 help you in calculating solar and light characteristics of venetian blinds and louvres by combing to glazing, the properties of the whole product, which consists of one or more elements.
In relationship with the solar factor calculations, the openness coefficient is also very helpful.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 14500:2021 supersedes EN 14500:2008 which is withdrawn.
The main modifications of this project of revision are relating to:
- The improvement of the method for the determination of the optical properties with an integrating sphere. The major improvement concerns the consideration of samples with scattering properties (critical samples). This implied the definition of specific requirements relating to the geometry of the test equipment and a methodology to identify if a sample is critical or not
- The addition of a new method for the determination of the optical properties from direct measurement (without integrating sphere)
- The addition of a method for the determination of the cut-off angle;
- The improvement of the method for the determination of the darkening performance of curtain
- Materials and complete products, including a method to qualify both the test equipment and the observer
