SRCC established its certification and rating program for solar collectors. The program provides a means for evaluating the maintainability of solar collectors and a thermal performance rating characteristic of all-day energy output of a solar collector under prescribed rating conditions.
In order for a collector model to be certified and rated by SRCC, the collector must first pass a series of tests performed on a sample unit which has been randomly selected by SRCC from the manufacturer’s production. The series of tests are conducted according to the methods specified in SRCC Standard 100 by an independent laboratory accredited by SRCC.
Testing is a combination of durability and performance with the test procedures for performance being specified by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE Standard 93, "Methods of Testing to Determine the Thermal Performance of Solar Collectors," and ASHRAE Standard 96, "Methods to Testing to Determine the Thermal Performance of Unglazed, Flat Plate, Liquid Solar Collectors.")