The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating (AHR) Exposition will be held January 23-25, 2012, in Chicago, Ill., and will include a presentation from AHRI on its latest certification program, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Multi-Split Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Equipment.

A panel of VRF manufacturers, including Paul Doppel of Mitsubishi, Chris Bellshaw of Daikin, and Malcolm Persaud of Panasonic, will discuss the history and development of VRF products, the impact AHRI’s certification program will have on the market, and related energy efficiency opportunities. A Q&A session will follow the panel presentation. Attend this session on Monday, January 23, 2012, from 1:30-3:00 pm, at McCormick Place, Room S101b. Admission is included with visitor registration for the AHR Expo.

The AHR Expo is jointly sponsored by AHRI, ASHRAE, and the International Exposition Company (IEC). Visit AHRI at booth #4310 in the South Hall. Contact: Francis Dietz.

Mark your calendars for the premiere legislative event of the year, AHRI’s Public Policy Symposium, which will be held March 20-21, 2012, at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. This election year, AHRI members are invited to strengthen relationships with Congress, and build awareness of the issues affecting the HVACR and water heating industry. Group rate hotel reservations are available until February 28, 2012. Click here for details and registration information. Contact: Jennifer Silvi.

The January 2012 version of the AHRI Member Roster is now available in the Member Information section of the Members Only website. The roster includes a listing of all AHRI member companies; official representatives; and participants in product sections and committees. It also includes a staff directory and staff assignments for all product sections, standing and business committees, and certification programs. The roster is updated quarterly and made available for download as a PDF. Contact: Monica Cardenas.

AHRI membership dues invoices for 2012 were sent via email on Tuesday, December 13. Payment is due January 31, 2012. Contact: Stephanie Murphy.

On January 11, 2012, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued two notices impacting residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. The first notice is a proposed coverage determination of residential central air conditioner split-system condensing units and residential heat pump split-system outdoor units as a covered consumer product. DOE is soliciting input from stakeholders as to whether classifying residential condensing and outdoor units as a covered product is necessary or appropriate under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). AHRI will submit comments to DOE before the February 10, 2012, deadline.

The second notice is a draft guidance for testing split-system central air conditioners and heat pumps utilizing R-22. DOE is proposing to allow the sale of R-22 condensing units only for existing matched systems that were designed, certified to DOE, and compliant with the minimum energy conservation standards in effect on January 1, 2010. DOE is in fact proposing to ban the manufacture of newly designed R-22 condensing units. Contact: Karim Amrane.

On January 17, 2012, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), “Energy Conservation Program for Certain Industrial Equipment: Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedures for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning, and Water Heating Equipment.”  A public meeting to discuss this NOPR will be held on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, at DOE’s offices in Washington, D.C.

DOE is proposing to adopt the amended energy efficiency standards in ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 for: small, large, and very large water-cooled and evaporatively-cooled commercial package air conditioners; variable refrigerant flow (VRF) water-source heat pumps less than 17,000 Btu/H and 135,000 Btu/H or greater; and computer room air conditioners.

In the case of single-package vertical air conditioners and single-package vertical heat pumps (SPVUs), DOE has decided to consider efficiency levels higher than those in ASHRAE 90.1–2010.   DOE is conducting additional analysis for these products along the 30-month timeline for more stringent standards, as allowed by the Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA). DOE also is proposing changes to the federal efficiency test procedures to incorporate, by reference, the current versions of the following industry test procedures specified in ASHRAE Standard 90.1: AHRI 210/240 (small commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment); AHRI 340/360 (large and very large commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment); Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 727 (commercial warm-air oil furnaces); ANSI Z21.47 (commercial warm-air gas furnaces); and ANSI Z21.10.3 (commercial water heaters). In addition, DOE is proposing to adopt the following industry test procedures: AHRI 1230 (variable refrigerant flow air conditioners and heat pumps); ASHRAE 127 (computer room air conditioners); and AHRI 390 (single package vertical air conditioners and single package vertical heat pumps). AHRI will submit comments before the April 2, 2012, deadline. Contact: Frank Stanonik.

On January 11, 2012, the Department of Energy issued a final rule adopting amendments to the federal test procedure for commercial icemakers.  The final rule amends the existing test procedure by adopting AHRI Standard 810-2007 with Addendum 1 and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 29-2009.  In addition, the final rule incorporates revisions that (1) expand the scope to include equipment with capacities from 50 to 4,000 pounds of ice per 24 hours, (2) provide test methods for continuous-type ice makers and standardize the measurement of energy and water use for continuous-type ice makers with respect to ice hardness, (3) clarify the test method and reporting requirements for remote condensing automatic commercial icemakers designed for connection to remote compressor racks, and (4) discontinue the use of a clarified energy use rate calculation and instead calculate energy use per 100 pounds of ice as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 29-2009.  The final rule changes will become mandatory for equipment testing effective January 7, 2013. Contact: Karim Amrane.

In recognition of India’s growing HVACR and water heating market, and its interest in AHRI standards and certification, AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek signed a Global Partnership Agreement with the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) on January 12, 2012.  This agreement provides the basis and framework for a broad-based cooperation, which includes collaboration in meetings, workshops, and events of mutual interest. The goal of the agreement is to further promote the art and science of the HVACR and water heating industry, as well as its contribution to energy efficiency and sound policies for a greener environment.  “This agreement will allow AHRI to work even closer with our Global Partners at ISHRAE, and will strengthen our mutual cooperation in this growing market,” said Yurek.

The agreement was signed during the ACRECONF Conference, in New Delhi, India.  The conference, titled “Reviving Mother Earth Through Better Building Designs,” drew over 100 speakers from around the world, and included presentations from AHRI members and from AHRI Senior Vice President Henry Hwong. The full list of technical papers given is online here. Contact: Jim Walters.

Photos from AHRI’s 2011 Annual Meeting in Bonita Springs, Florida, are now available online. AHRI members are invited to visit the Members Only website, and click the blue hyperlink to View Materials from the 2011 AHRI Annual Meeting. This page contains presentations from the annual meeting, section meeting summaries, and a link to an online photo gallery containing images from the many events held November 12-15, 2011. Contact: Monica Cardenas. 

The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating (AHR) Exposition will be held January 23-25, 2012, in Chicago, Ill., and will include a presentation from AHRI on its latest certification program, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Multi-Split Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Equipment.

A panel of VRF manufacturers, including Paul Doppel of Mitsubishi, Chris Bellshaw  of Daikin, and Malcolm Persaud of Panasonic, will discuss the history and development of VRF products, the impact AHRI’s certification program will have on the market, and related energy efficiency opportunities. A Q&A session will follow the panel presentation. Attend this session on Monday, January 23, 2012, from 1:30-3:00 pm, at McCormick Place, Room S101b. Admission is included with visitor registration for the AHR Expo.

The AHR Expo is jointly sponsored by AHRI, ASHRAE, and the International Exposition Company (IEC). Learn more about the Expo here. Contact: Francis Dietz.

Mark your calendars for the premiere legislative event of the year, AHRI’s Public Policy Symposium, which will be held March 20-21, 2012, at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. AHRI members are invited to this unique event aimed at strengthening relationships with Congress and building awareness of the issues affecting the HVACR and water heating industry. Group rate hotel reservations are available until February 28, 2012. Click here for details and registration information. Contact: Jennifer Silvi.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology Institute (AHRTI) recently completed an 18-month research project titled, Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) Model for Residential Heat Pump Systems. A Microsoft Excel based tool has been developed to calculate LCCP for residential heat pumps. The LCCP model includes the direct impacts of refrigerant emissions, the indirect impacts of energy consumption used to operate the heat pump system, and the energy to manufacture and safely dispose the system and refrigerant.  With appropriate input, the tool can handle different heat pump systems, refrigerants, locations, and CO2 emission profiles of power plants. The final report and the calculation tool are available online here. Contact: Xudong Wang. 

On January 9, 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a final rule adopting new energy conservation standards for commercial ice-cream freezers; self-contained commercial refrigerators, commercial freezers, and commercial refrigerator-freezers without doors; and remote condensing commercial refrigerators, commercial freezers, and commercial refrigerator-freezers. The standards established in the final rule became applicable January 1, 2012. The energy conservation standards and the test procedure documents can be accessed here. Contact: Aniruddh Roy.

On January 4, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to adjust the allowance system controlling U.S. consumption and production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). The proposed rulemaking is a result of a recent court decision vacating a portion of the allocation Final Rule published by EPA in 2009. While the proposed rulemaking establishes baselines for 2012-2014 that reflect past inter-pollutant baseline transfers deemed pertinent by the Court, it also proposes to reduce HCFC-22 consumption allowances.  More specifically, EPA proposes to reduce HCFC-22 consumption allowances relative to the 2009 Final Rule by 11 to 38 percent in 2012, 13 to 42 percent in 2013, and 15 to 47 percent in 2014.  Comments on the proposed rulemaking are due on February 3, 2012. Contact: Karim Amrane.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following new participants to its certification program (program in italics):

• Laars Heating Systems Company – Commercial Water Heaters (CWH)
• 200 Park, Inc. d/b/a ArctiChill – Water Chilling Packages Using the Vapor Compression Cycle (Water-Cooled) (WCCL)

Contact: Sunil Nanjundaram.

ASHRAE Standing Committees, Technical Committees (TCs), and Standards Project Committees (SPCs) will meet January 20-25 in Chicago as part of ASHRAE’s 2012 Winter Conference. AHRI staff engineers and member company engineers serve on a multitude of important ASHRAE Committees that impact HVACR equipment manufacturers, and the team of nearly seventy-five engineers participate actively in both the summer and winter ASHRAE meetings.  ASHRAE standards greatly affect many of the AHRI markets, and HVACR manufacturers are encouraged to actively participate with ASHRAE.  

AHRI continues to work to improve its voice in ASHRAE activities by reporting on significant items at AHRI product section meetings, maintaining channels of communication between AHRI and ASHRAE staff, and encouraging the advancement of AHRI representatives into the leadership positions of ASHRAE. The list of Chicago meetings can be found on ASHRAE’s website. Contact: Michael Woodford. 

The U.S Department of Commerce will host a webinar January 20, 2012, at 11:00am EST. The webinar, Mandatory Eco-design and Energy Efficiency Requirements in the European Union, will explain various directives and regulations for energy efficiency performance, and also will address hazardous and electrical waste issues.

Moderated by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Europe Team, speakers include:
Mr. Chris Smith, Technical Enforcement Manager, UK National Measurement Office. Smith is responsible for market surveillance and of the EU RoHS, ErP and Batteries directives. He will present an overview of approaches to market surveillance and provide steps to compliance.

Dr. Chris Robertson, Head of Regulatory Compliance, ERA Technology Ltd. (UK). Robertson is an expert on the EU environmental legislation. He will explain how to comply with eco-design implementing measures, and address technical issues.

Ms. Sylvia Mohr, Standards Specialist at the U.S. Mission to the EU in Brussels, Belgium. Mohr has spent more than 15 years handling CE marking (a mandatory conformity mark for products in the EU) issues for U.S. companies. She will provide an overview of eco-design framework legislation and implementing measures.

There is a $65 session fee. Click here for registration information. Contact: Jim Walters.

More than 30 product section meetings were held in Bonita Springs, Florida, during AHRI’s Annual Meeting in November 2011. Sections discussed pertinent legislative and regulatory issues, standards, and future goals. Read summaries from each section meeting here. Contact: Monica Cardenas.

The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating (AHR) Exposition will be held January 23-25, 2012, in Chicago, Ill., and will include a presentation from AHRI on its latest certification program, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Multi-Split Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Equipment.

A panel of VRF manufacturers, including Paul Doppel of Mitsubishi, Chris Bellshaw  of Daikin, and Malcolm Persaud of Panasonic, will discuss the history and development of VRF products, the impact AHRI’s certification program will have on the market, and related energy efficiency opportunities. A Q&A session will follow the panel presentation. Attend this session on Monday, January 23, 2012, from 1:30-3:00 pm, at McCormick Place, Room S101b. Admission is included with visitor registration for the AHR Expo.

The AHR Expo is jointly sponsored by AHRI, ASHRAE, and the International Exposition Company (IEC). Learn more about the Expo here. Contact: Francis Dietz.

Mark your calendars for AHRI’s premiere legislative event of the year, AHRI’s Public Policy Symposium, which will be held March 20-21, 2012, at the Park Hyatt in Washington, D.C. AHRI members are invited to this unique event aimed at strengthening relationships with Congress and building awareness of the issues affecting the HVACR and water heating industry. Group rate hotel reservations are available until February 28, 2012. Click here to reserve your room now, or call 1-888-421-1442. Contact: Jennifer Silvi.

On January 4, 2012, AHRI submitted comments responding to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Request for Information (RFI) as it reviews its existing regulations to determine if any should be modified, streamlined, expanded, or repealed. The comments reaffirmed previous AHRI concerns regarding the DOE certification and enforcement rule, particularly noting the burden of DOE certification reporting requirements. The comments also pointed out the redundancy of DOE and EPA reporting requirements relative to products covered by an ENERGY STAR program. DOE is providing a reply comment period until February 3, 2012, to allow interested parties to review the comments and information submitted by January 4, 2012, and submit additional comments as appropriate.  The submitted comments and information can be accessed through the Federal Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Contact: Frank Stanonik.

As of January 1, 2012, all ARI Performance Certified, GAMA Efficiency Rating Certified and I=B=R certification marks were replaced by the AHRI Certified® mark. Equipment that falls under the former I=B=R program must bear the AHRI Certified mark, and may also bear the I=B=R mark until 2014. Certification program participants are reminded to update all outdated logos on company websites and printed collateral. Contact: Cheron Scott.

Constructive comments are invited on Proposed ASHRAE Standard 166P, Heating, Ventilating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Terminology, by January 22. Previously, definitions of terms in ASHRAE could be found in each handbook chapter, standard, guideline, and other publications. While there were some common definitions, there were also many inconsistencies between the various publications. Standard 166P is meant to standardize the use of these terms into their most common and consistent meaning for all ASHRAE publications. This draft proposed standard for public comment can be accessed by going to ASHRAE’s Standards and Actions and Online Comment Database. Contact: Mike Woodford.

For the past three years, AHRI and the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) have managed a professional development program whereby the staff of AHRI and the Grayling Consultancy (serving EPEE) spend several days in each other’s offices. This program exposes the respective staffs to how each organization develops and implements its services to members, gives staff a wider global view, and provides a broader understanding that will facilitate cooperation on issues of mutual interest.

Beginning the second week in January, AHRI’s International Affairs Manager Shelley Pursell will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to work with her counterparts in the EPEE/Grayling offices.  While in Brussels, Shelley will visit with AHRI’s other global partners, including Eurovent and Eurovent Certification, REHVA, and the European Heating Industries.  She also will meet with the Senior Staff of the U.S. Commercial Service in Brussels.

Later in the year, AHRI will host Fanny Van Der Loo from EPEE/Grayling. Her portfolio at EPEE includes F-Gas, energy efficiency, and market surveillance – all issues of importance to AHRI members in the EU. Contact: Shelley Pursell.