EFA update on the Blue Angel and quality mark

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From March 21 to 22, 2024, the European Fireplace Association (EFA) hosted a conference in Bonn. The RRF was represented by our Managing Director Christian Droll, who acted as a board member of the EFA. The conference was also hosted by RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e.V., the central body for quality marks in Germany, which also manages the Blue Angel.

On the first day, the speaker Niklas Neureuther from RAL gave a presentation on the Blue Angel and quality marks. Other topics on the first day included the “#ofenzukunft” initiative, which provides targeted and comprehensive information about stoves and tiled stoves and addresses politicians, as well as a presentation by Sabrina Walter from the “Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection” (BMUV), who gave an overview of current issues relating to immission control, funding requirements and the European legal framework. The ZIV, represented by board member Markus Burger, provided information on the topic of “Decommissioning single-room fireplaces” and the background to the counting of fireplaces and tiled stoves by the chimney sweep trade. Finally, Dirk Böhringer, external technical advisor to the EFA, gave a presentation on the testing and proof of use of particle separators. The focus of the tests by the DIBt, which he presented, was primarily operational safety and fire safety.

On the second day, the association’s direction for the future was presented. To enable the association to keep on strengthening, monitoring and supporting its European work in Brussels, cooperation with associations is to be expanded and costs reduced through digitalization in view of the stable membership fees. Furthermore, the three specialist groups – manufacturers, exhaust systems and suppliers – are to be strengthened and do more substantive work. According to the Chairman of the EFA Board, Uwe Striegler, this is necessary as the strong growth has resulted in 42 members from all sectors. Mr. Striegler sees the future of the EFA as secured and well positioned for the coming years thanks to the continuous further development.

The upcoming conference will take place from October 24 to 25 in Würzburg. A workshop on current issues is planned for the time in between. The date will be announced in good time.

Trade fair appearance at Progetto Fuoco 2024

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From February 28 to March 1, 2024, our CEOs Christian Droll and Dennis Droll and the head of testing laboratory Sven Müller, were at the Progetto Fuoco in Verona. There they took part in numerous meetings and came into direct contact with you.

This trade fair was also a complete success for us, as we were able to make new contacts and hold future-oriented discussions with you.

Among the top topics were the new EN 16510 series of standards and the certification of chimneys and flue gas systems, for which we are also accredited in addition to testing fireplaces.

If you are visiting or exhibiting at a trade fair and you’re interested in making an appointment with us, please feel free to contact us at info@rrf-online.eu or 0208 607041-0.

In front Dennis Droll and Sven Müller on their way to the fair

Progetto Fuoco 2024 

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From February 28 to March 1, 2024, we will be visiting the Progetto Fuoco in Verona. We gladly visit you at your stand or arrange an appointment with you. 

To arrange an appointment, please contact us by telephone on +49(0)208 60 70 41 – 11 or via e-mail at l.schmidt@rrf-online.eu. 

RRF team building “training” to become stove builders for Ethiopian clay stoves

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On 24.11.2023, Marius Dislich and Christoph Ruopp were our guests with their project “Die Ofenmacher e. V.”.

The day began with a pleasant meeting in the warmth, where the two of them told us about their local projects, the people and their experiences with other cultures. After they explained the theory of a clay stove to us and divided us into two groups, we got down to business.

First, everyone was allowed to try out for themselves how to mix sand and clay so that it becomes a stable and dense mass when dry. Once we had found the optimum mixing ratio, the sand, clay and water were kneaded on the floor with our feet to classical African music. Meanwhile, a delicious African stew was prepared on an already made clay oven that Marius and Christoph had brought along. Strengthened by the stew, they got to work on the clay. The aim was to build a complete clay oven in two teams.

The clay oven used in Ethiopia has a second hearth for the met’ad, which is the main cooking area from the Ethiopian user’s point of view. The exhaust air from the met’ad combustion chamber also heats another pot, and the heat from the exhaust gases from the cooking pot combustion chamber is also used by this pot.

Even though everyone in the team could still feel the hard work in their bones the next day, they all had a lot of fun with the project. There was even a small competition for the most beautiful stove. The result of both stoves is impressive and we can now call ourselves “stove builders” of an Ethiopian clay stove.

As much fun as we had that day, the cause of “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” is serious and important. Around 3 billion people worldwide still cook over an open fire. This is the fifth most common cause of death. In addition to life-threatening burns, open fires produce very high levels of particulate matter and emissions. “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” trains local stove builders and teaches local people how to make a stove from locally available materials that can also be easily assembled and maintained. This stove alone significantly reduces health risks, emissions and wood consumption.

Last year, we supported “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” with a financial donation. In order to show how pollutant emissions can be drastically reduced worldwide with simple means and how high the reduction actually is, we donated a test of a typical clay stove to “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” as a Christmas campaign. “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” can use the test results as a basis for discussions for example with politicians and supporters and continue to realize their goals. We would like to thank Marius and Christoph for the exciting insights and a unique and unusual team-building exercise and, of course, everyone in the RRF team who supported the project wholeheartedly

Another addition to our team in Oberhausen

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At the beginning of the year, we were able to welcome a new employee at the firm in Oberhausen. The 25-year-old Dogukan Piri will strengthen our laboratory as a technician. After his traineeship as an industrial mechanic in Essen, he then completed a six-month postgraduate training. Mr Piri will currently not only be schooled in 13240 and 13229 but also in the future 16510 series of standards. We are pleased to include him in our team as a support and we look forward to a good time together in our company.

Environmental Sustainability Information (ESI)

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With the publication of standards series EN 16510-2-x:2022 in the Official Journal of the European Union and thus their harmonisation, an environmental sustainability information for fireplaces becomes mandatory as part of the Declaration of Performance. The European Green Deal sets requirements for the construction sector. This Green Deal results in a standardization mandate on “sustainable use of resources” for the European Committee for Standardization. A simplified approach has been developed that allows the creation of type-specific sustainability information based on generic information for main components of the appliances and various lifecycle phases.

The ESI considers the following lifecycle phases:

• Manufacturing phase

• Usage phase

• Disposal phase

• Reuse and recycling potential

The HKI Industry Association, in cooperation with service provider Kiwa, has developed a calculation tool for creating environmental sustainability information for domestic stoves for solid fuels according to the EN 16510-x:2022 standards series. The tool is a simple way to meet the requirement.

According to Annex ZA of the standards series, we, as RRF, are responsible for controlling the existence and completeness of the ESI in the context of creating a test report for a construction product.

For further information regarding the ESI, please feel free to contact us.

2023 – Our view of the new year

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The RRF wishes all customers, delivers and our partners a happy new year. In the following we want to give you a look into our year 2023.

At our firm place in Oberhausen, we are looking forward to work with our new employees. They will enhance our already existing strong team and we look positively forward to their future development within our company.

An audit from the accreditation authority awaits us in February. In addition to the re-accreditation of the test laboratory, the focus is on expanding the certification body for exhaust systems and chimneys.

In addition to the traditional ISH fair, we will be part of the newly founded “World of Fireplaces” fair in Leipzig. We are excited to meet you there in person! Our stand is D57. We would be happy to meet you at your own booth or on the fairground. You can of course contact us at any time in the run-up to the trade fair or during the trade fair period to arrange a fixed appointment.

We continue to watch the development of the EN 16510 with interest. We have set course, both technically and administratively, to be successfully prepared for the challenges coming ahead. Even with the doubt of many, we are looking forward to a positive future. We are convinced that with you together we can overcome the obstacles in the implementation.

We will make further investments this year as well, which will form another cornerstone for our high standards. Looking back, we are very satisfied with the investments from the previous year and the future-oriented orientation of our company. This includes measurement data acquisition systems, scales, electric work platforms, software and hardware for both locations.

We as the RRF, are excited on what the coming year has for us and wish everyone a healthy and successful year 2023.

EFA – Future workshop in Leipzig for energy efficiency and emission reduction

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Vom 17. bis 18. November 2022 lud die Europäische Feuerstätten Arbeitsgemeinschaft (EFA) und das Deutsche Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ) zum gemeinsamen Zukunftsworkshop in Leipzig ein, um die zwei zentralen Herausforderungen der Branche, Energieeffizienz und Emissionsminderung, anzugehen. Vertreten wurde die RRF durch Christian Droll als Mitglied des EFA-Vorstands. Weiter nahmen nicht nur Mitglieder der EFA, sondern auch Vertreter der Forschung verschiedener Hochschulen und Einrichtungen, Prüfinstitute, Schornsteinfeger, Handwerksunternehmen, Verbände und das Umweltbundesamt teil. Das Ziel war es gemeinsam eine konkrete Strategie zu entwickeln, die die Ofenbranche mit den Produkten aus Industrie und Handwerk als festen Bestandteil in der Energiewende verankert.

Vorbereitet wurden die Teilnehmer in zwei fachlich ausgezeichneten wissenschaftlichen Keynotes. Vinzent Egenolf von der Universität Kassel begann mit einer Informierung über die Holznutzung und ihre Pfade sowohl national als auch global. Die wichtigste Erkenntnis aus seinem Beitrag ist, dass Deutschland noch sehr weit von einer Holzknappheit entfernt ist, aber in Zukunft trotzdem ein rationaler und deutlich reduzierter Einsatz von Holz dringend notwendig sein wird. Ebenfalls sind Wälder nicht automatisch CO2-Senken. Je nach äußerlichen Bedingungen und Lage können sowohl nicht-bewirtschaftete als auch bewirtschaftete Wälder zu unerwünschten CO2-Quellen werden. Als Beispiel sind äquatornahe Wälder eher dazu in der Lage CO2 bei hohen Temperaturen zu absorbieren, während Wälder in höheren Breiten eher CO2 abgeben bei erhöhter Temperatur. Demnach ist eine nachhaltige und kontrollierte wirtschaftliche Holznutzung für stoffliche und energetische Zwecke aus ökologischer Sicht notwendig.

Prof. Dr. Heinz Kohler von der Hochschule Karlsruhe informierte in seinem Vortrag über die Notwendigkeit der Emissionssenkung, als auch über die große Wirksamkeit von sensorgestützten Verbrennungsluftregelungen. Umfangreiche Untersuchungen im Labor und Feld zeigten, dass bereits vorhandene und markreife Technologien in der Lage sind, Luftschadstoffe, wie Staub wesentlich zu senken. Herausfordernd wird es sein, eine wirksame Kombination und Preisgestaltung zu schaffen. Einig war man sich, dass eine größere Marktdurchdringung gleichzeitig eine massive Senkung des Einkaufspreises der Komponenten bedeuten wird.

In fünf Gruppen wurde unter Moderation von Prof. Dr. Hartmann, DBFZ, und Dr. Johannes R. Gerstner, EFA sowie Christian Droll als Gruppenleiter, nach der Controlling-Methode des „Strategy House“ das Thema Ofenzukunft weitergedacht. Mit dem Wissen und Resultate der drei vergangenen Zukunftsworkshops wurden nun konkrete Handlungsfelder zu denen „Energieeffizienz“, „Emissionsreduktion“, „Ofenmehrwerte“ und „Innovation“ gehören, identifiziert. Die dazu notwendigen Verantwortlichen wurden ausgemacht. Neben Industrie und Handwerk soll nun in Zukunft auch Verwaltung, Landes- und Bundesministerien sowie Verbände in die Pflicht genommen werden.

Dr. Johannes Gerstner wies darauf hin, dass erst ein deutliches Signal der Politik dazu führen wird, dass Unternehmen investieren können. Die Rechtssicherheit mache die Sache erst Interessant für Unternehmen sich finanziell auf neue Produkte einzulassen. Dazu forderte er das Umweltbundesamt dazu auf, sich klar zu Holz als fester Bestandteil der Energiewende zu bekennen und ihnen dabei keine Steine in den Weg zu legen. So könne in einem konstruktiven Miteinander die notwendigen Rahmenbedingungen für eine ökologische Zukunft geschaffen werden, die es braucht, damit die Industrie ihren gewillten Beitrag dazu leisten kann. Herr Professor Dr. Hartmann bekräftigte noch einmal gegenüber allen Workshop-Teilnehmern, dass die Technologien, um die Ziele zu erreichen, schon bereits vorhanden sind und es jetzt an der Zeit ist, diese auch zu nutzen. Unterstützung, um diese Ziele zu erreichen haben alle bereits anwesenden Branchenvertreter versichert. Die Ergebnisse des Workshops werden nun sorgfältig ausgearbeitet und dokumentiert.

Die nächste EFA-Sitzung findet vom 27. bis 28. April 2023 in Würzburg statt und wird über den aktuellen Stand berichten.

World of Fireplaces 2023 (WOF2023)

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New trade fair in Leipzig all about fireplaces!

From April 17th to 19th, the newly founded “World of Fireplaces” fair will take place in the Leipziger Messe. We from the RRF are of course also represented there and are available to you at our stand D57 in hall 5 at the fair.

The newly scheduled trade fair for fireplaces and a feel-good ambience is to become a business platform that focuses on European manufacturers of fireplaces such as fireplaces, pellet stoves and tiled stoves, heating fireplaces and decorative fireplaces, suppliers and service providers. The trade fair is organized by the independent trade fair organizer trendfairs GmbH. These focus explicitly on demanding industry events and special trade fairs. All groups, industry associations and industry players should see themselves as an important part of the new trade fair and get actively involved. This is the only way to ensure that all important topics in the industry are given attention.

There will also be a “special show” on the subject of “hybrid heat” at the fair. There they ask themselves the question that is currently on everyone’s mind, “How do we achieve the energy transition?”. The project is intended to be a platform to create a space for discussion between providers and visitors, to promote cooperation among each other and to present possible solutions to the decision-making politicians. There is also an expert hub for knowledge transfer and special services for trade fair guests.

The fair will be accompanied by a virtual edition, live streams with chats and lectures. Innovations and news on the live days of the trade fair will also be reported there.

Admission to the trade fair and the expert hub is free for all trade visitors.

We would like to invite you to visit us at our booth D57 at the fair and look forward to everyone who comes to visit us!

Your RRF-Team

Click on the banner below to be redirected to the WOF home page

EFA – The woodstove branch meets together with the RRF to exchange and look into the future in Salzburg

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From 13.10. to 14.10.2022 the autumn conference was held in Salzburg, Austria by the European Fireplaces Association (EFA).

The RRF was represented by Mr. Christian Droll. As a member of the board of the EFA he took part of the earlier board-meeting at 12th of October.

At this symposium the current challenges were targeted. The EFA CEO Mr. Uwe Striegler opened the fully occupied conference. This time not only members participated, representatives of other associations, companies and research facilities.

Thomas Schnabel (HKI) began with the presentation of innovative heat combinations, within not only the HKI sees a sensible input to the energy shift in Germany. About the “draining condition” §19 der Bundesimmissionsschutzverordnung BImSchV informed Markus Schlichter from the ZIV. He showed us in his presentation that the impact is not as bad as expected. But there is still room to improve for some. He again said that only with the concentrated cooperation of the associations something much worse could be prevented. After that Dr. Volker Schmatloch form the company Spartherm informed everyone about the Eco-Design Regulation EN16510. He drew attention to the fact that politics and technical expertise must go hand in hand here so that the industries can prepare for this.

Prof. Dr. Ingo Hartmann from DBFZ told us about the project UVV. Research is being done here to sensors and clean combustion. He pointed out that only innovations will add an important input to the heating market. But also, it will take a supporting role. After that he invited everyone to the industry summit at 17th of November till 18th of November at the DBFZ in Leipzig. On this day a strategy offer is made from past workshops on the industry, politics and environmental organizations. The RRF will also attend at this appointment.

In closing a donation check over 5.500 € was handed to the association “Die Ofenmacher e.V.”. Their project is to support the building of new clay oven in Nepal and Africa so that the people who live there will be protected from the danger of cooking at an open fireplace. We from the RRF plan to donate to them in the future as well.

Friday, October 14th the general meeting took place at which internal topics were discussed. The Association’s year was prepared and the most important topics of the year were pointed out.