AHRI LATAM Newsletter

April 24, 2025

AHRI Participates in ASHRAE Region VIII Chapter Regional Conference

The ASHRAE Region VIII Chapter Regional Conference (CRC), hosted by the ASHRAE Northeastern Oklahoma Chapter, is taking place from April 24–26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. AHRI is committed to fostering strong relationships with ASHRAE chapter professionals and continually exploring opportunities to support shared AHRI/ASHRAE mutual objectives. Region VIII includes 15 chapters across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico. AHRI’s Senior Director of Global Services Michael LaGiglia is attending the event, and AHRI is proud to serve as a sponsor of the conference. Contact: Michael LaGiglia.

AHRI to Discuss AHRI Certification Recognition with Central American Governments

During the week of March 10, AHRI Senior Director of Global Services Michael LaGiglia will travel to Central America to discuss with government officials the benefits of recognizing AHRI Certified equipment as a path of compliance to local minimum energy performance standards (MEPS). Six Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panamá) have a shared technical regulation for mini-split single speed and inverter air conditioning equipment that references AHRI 210/240 (I-P): Performance Rating of Unitary Air Conditioning and Air Source Heat Pump Equipment.

Referencing the AHRI standard is a solid foundation for recognition of AHRI Certified® products as compliant to MEPS, but each country has the ability to set its own compliance requirements and some do not recognize AHRI Certified® equipment. This forces manufacturers to either comply with a competing certification or test report or choose not to sell its equipment in the country.

AHRI members or certification participants interested in these markets may contact Michael LaGiglia for further discussion about how to encourage the remaining countries to accept AHRI certification as compliant to local MEPS. Contact: Michael LaGiglia.

AHRI Signs MOU with ANCE to Explore Mexico Testing Lab

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During the AHR Expo in Orlando Florida, on February 10, AHRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Asociación de Normalización y Certificación (ANCE), a Mexico-based testing and certification services company. The MOU provides a path for ANCE to make any necessary technical adjustments to its testing facilities to be considered for AHRI testing laboratory qualification.

The scope of the MOU is for equipment in the Unitary Air Conditioner Equipment (includes mixed-matched coils) (USAC) and Unitary Heat Pump Equipment (includes mixed-matched coils) (USHP) certification programs. In a later phase, the scope could be expanded to explore testing in Mexico for the Unitary Large Equipment (ULE) certification program.

The MOU includes AHRI audits of ANCE’s lab in Apodaca, Mexico, and a correlation plan that includes round robin testing. Another important facet of the evaluation process is to perform an estimation for the testing demand of unitary equipment in Mexico, in addition to current testing in the U.S. and China.

AHRI is very pleased to collaborate with ANCE and to see the commitment from AHRI members to elevate the credibility of industry ratings in Mexico and Latin America through testing and certification. Once the steps of the MOU are successfully completed, ANCE will have the opportunity to submit an application to AHRI for approval as a testing laboratory. Caption: L-R Abel Hernandez, ANCE Director General, Bill Tritsis, AHRI Senior Vice President of Standards and Certification. Contact: Michael LaGiglia.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Funds Energy Efficiency Efforts in Mexico

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is leading an initiative to assess opportunities for advancing energy-efficient cooling technologies in Mexico, with a focus on mini-split air conditioners. The project seeks “collaboration with manufacturers interested in exploring supply chain relocalization opportunities, and will analyze the current supply chain, evaluate costs and impacts of efficiency improvements, and develop recommendations for potential standards harmonization and mechanisms to support supply chain resilience and diversification.” Manufacturers interested in participating in this assessment should contact LBNL staff person Virginie Letschert. Contact: Michael LaGiglia.