We regularly rely on a variety of different services during everyday life whose quality it is often difficult to assess without specialist knowledge. However, this doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem. Reliable labels provide guidance and ensure that consumers can identify at first glance and without expert knowledge what requirements have been placed on a particular service and what regulations have to be adhered to. Examples of these types of reliable labels are RAL Quality Marks, where the services provided are subjected to regular testing by independent organisations. The RAL Quality Mark for Energy Trading and the RAL Quality Mark for the Fitting of Windows, Façades and House Doors are good examples for reliable and correct service provision.

Precise down to the last litre
Anybody who orders a delivery of heating oil expects the tank to be precisely filled with the volume of oil purchased. Yet this is only the case if the meter has been correctly calibrated and the energy supplier takes into account the fact that heating oil will expand or contract at different temperatures. Customers have to rely on the company in this situation because it is very difficult for them to actually check for themselves. However, they can place their trust in the RAL Quality Mark for Energy Trading. Companies that use this label verify their compliance with the legal regulations in accordance with the German Weights and Measures Act and obligate themselves to convert the supplied volume to 15 degrees Celsius in order to avoid any false measurements. In addition, the meter reading at the end of the filling process has to precisely match the value on the delivery note. Consumers who purchase energy supplies holding the RAL Quality Mark can thus rely on the fact that they only pay for the volume of heating oil that they have actually received.

Careless work at the building site can prove expensive
In the case of modernisation and renovation work, in particular, it is important to be able to rely on the fact that companies will provide high-quality services. Careless work at the building site can not only quickly result in serious defects but these defects also often remain undiscovered over a long period of time and impact long-term investments. It is imperative that windows – which can now last for around 40 years – are professionally installed to avoid, for example, the costly development of thermal bridges. In the long term, this issue can cause moisture damage, the formation of mould and unnecessarily high heating costs. Yet it is difficult in most cases for homeowners to evaluate the quality of the installation services at first glance. The RAL Quality Mark for the Fitting of Windows, Façades and House Doors is thus a helpful label that stands for the professional fitting of windows and the associated connections, seals and mounting elements. The requirements associated with the RAL Quality Mark define detailed processing steps that companies carrying out an order have to take into account while providing the individual installation services. The quality of the result is also defined: Companies are required, for example, to determine whether the relevant sealing and fixing system is suitable for the exterior wall system or whether the connection joint between the window and the building structure has been correctly achieved so that it guarantees impermeability to air and permanent resistance to driving rain.