AHRI Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Samantha Slater is back this week on the AHRI Video Update to discuss details of new legislation signed last year, which includes the AIM Act and several tax incentives supported by AHRI. She also outlines AHRI’s priorities for the 117th Congress. Watch here. Contact: Samantha Slater.

As businesses, corporations, associations, and other entities prepare to have their employees return to offices spaces, building owners, operators, and engineers need reliable information on steps they can take to help make the commercial spaces they control as safe and welcoming as possible. A large part of that effort will involve a building’s HVAC and water heating infrastructure. As part of its indoor air quality campaign, AHRI provided detailed guidance to ensure safer commercial buildings. A properly installed, properly maintained system, with adequate ventilation using outside air, proper filtration, and appropriate humidity control – all of which are accomplished through readily available technologies -- can go a long way toward mitigating potential viral spread. Learn more here. Contact: Francis Dietz.

The Clifford H. "Ted" Rees, Jr. Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of AHRI and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), recently announced scholarship awards totaling $83,000 to 44 students, including five military veterans, studying to become technicians in the HVACR and water heating industry. The Foundation was established to assist with the recruitment and competency of future HVACR and water heating technicians by awarding scholarships to qualified students enrolled in an institutionally accredited school. Eligible students must be preparing for a career in either residential or light commercial air conditioning, heating, or water heating, or commercial refrigeration. Read more here. Contact: Sue Perez.

Join us tomorrow, January 15, at 10:00 a.m. EST for a webinar on proposed ASHRAE Standard 205: Standard Representation of Performance Simulation Data for HVACR and Other Facility Equipment. Dick Lord of Carrier will present an overview of the standard and discuss its importance to AHRI’s systems work and the industry. The AHRI Systems Steering Committee has been leading association-wide efforts related to system efficiency for several years and is working to improve performance metrics and mapped ratings where appropriate. System efficiency has been identified as a top priority across the four sectors and working groups have been created to pursue these objectives.

Mark your calendars for this webinar, which is open to all systems WG and AHRI members. Contact: Lauren MacGowens for more information or to receive the webinar invite.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following new certification participants:

• Bextair LLC – Unitary Small Air Conditioner Equipment (USAC) and Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning India Limited – Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• Zero Technologies Holdings Limited – Unitary Small Air Conditioner Equipment (USAC)
• Everwell Parts Inc. – Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)

Contact: Rupal Choksi.

On January 11, AHRI submitted comments to the WTO/TBT National Notification and Enquiry Center of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on its draft national standard on minimum energy efficiency standards for VRF equipment. AHRI and other global industry stakeholders are drafting a new global VRF standard and recommended that once the standard is completed, the PRC. should adopt that standard rather than instituting its own.

AHRI commended the PRC State Administration for Market Regulation for its efforts to set minimum energy performance standards, which AHRI supports in principle, and advised how it can use AHRI’s standards, certification programs and the AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance to improve the implementation and verification of energy efficiency policies. Contact: Michael LaGiglia.

Left to right: Ray Bao, Bridge Xue, Alec Yan, Jenny Zhang, and Allen Xu.

On January 12, Vice President of Asia Operations Bridge Xue and Senior Engineer Jenny Zhang visited the Chemours Shanghai Office to discuss new regulations in California and Singapore and the plan to transition to A2L refrigerants. They met with Senior Director of AP Fluoroproducts Alec Yan; AP Technical Service Director Ray Bao; and China Marketing Development Manager Allen Xu to discuss those issues and others affecting the industry in Asia and elsewhere.

Contact: Bridge Xue.

Led by the Gulf Coast countries, the introduction of energy efficiency regulations in the Middle East region has been on the rise over the past seven years. Since electricity is still partially subsidized by many governments in the region, several countries are reverting to regulating home appliances and the energy consumption of low voltage equipment to address emissions and tight budgets due to recent oil price declines.

Air conditioners in this region -- rated as high ambient temperature (HAT) countries -- consume by far the most electricity compared to all other equipment (up to 70 percent of overall energy consumption). To date, the focus has been to establish minimum requirements for energy efficiency rating (EER) and to gradually raise them. Saudi Arabia has been one of the countries leading this effort and recently moved to the next level of energy consumption, evaluation, and monitoring.

The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) is planning to introduce the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) method of evaluating the performance of air conditioners and will follow that with a review of other and equipment. SEER is more accurate than EER as a way of measuring the energy consumption of air conditioners due to the need to address the predominant partial load conditions throughout the year. SEER measures the average consumption throughout the year at the prevailing temperatures based on KSA historical temperature profile (commonly known as the BIN hours), not just at fixed peak conditions (i.e., 46° C) as is used for EER.

The AHRI MENA team held a Regional Industry Group meeting on January 11 to discuss upcoming revisions to SASO Standard 2663 that includes SEER, which is expected to be released by the end of this year. The draft standard will not initially include a minimum SEER requirement, but all manufacturers will need to report the SEER on their products’ energy labels and comply with the existing EER minimum requirements. It is expected that SASO will establish minimum SEER levels in future releases of the same standard.

Twenty-eight attendees, including regional manufacturers and those representing multinational HVAC companies in the MENA region, discussed the new requirements, details of the standard, testing and calculation requirements, local manufacturers’ readiness, the need for consumer education, and installer and merchant training. The participants acknowledged that this requirement is likely to pressure manufacturers into switching from fixed speed compressors to inverter compressors that usually yield higher SEER levels. Inverter technology market share has been on the rise in the MENA region and is currently roughly 20 percent in the residential and light commercial sectors. AHRI MENA encourages AHRI members, regional certification program participants, and other industry stakeholders to provide feedback as it develops a unified response to SASO. Contact: Nabil Shahin.

AHRI Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Samantha Slater is back this week on the AHRI Video Update to discuss details of new legislation signed last year, which includes the AIM Act and several tax incentives supported by AHRI. She also outlines AHRI’s priorities for the 117th Congress. Watch here. Contact: Samantha Slater.

As businesses, corporations, associations, and other entities prepare to have their employees return to offices spaces, building owners, operators, and engineers need reliable information on steps they can take to help make the commercial spaces they control as safe and welcoming as possible. A large part of that effort will involve a building’s HVAC and water heating infrastructure. As part of its indoor air quality campaign, AHRI provided detailed guidance to ensure safer commercial buildings. A properly installed, properly maintained system, with adequate ventilation using outside air, proper filtration, and appropriate humidity control – all of which are accomplished through readily available technologies -- can go a long way toward mitigating potential viral spread. Learn more here. Contact: Francis Dietz.

The Clifford H. "Ted" Rees, Jr. Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of AHRI and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), recently announced scholarship awards totaling $83,000 to 44 students, including five military veterans, studying to become technicians in the HVACR and water heating industry. The Foundation was established to assist with the recruitment and competency of future HVACR and water heating technicians by awarding scholarships to qualified students enrolled in an institutionally accredited school. Eligible students must be preparing for a career in either residential or light commercial air conditioning, heating, or water heating, or commercial refrigeration. Read more here. Contact: Sue Perez.

Join us tomorrow, January 15, at 10:00 a.m. EST for a webinar on proposed ASHRAE Standard 205: Standard Representation of Performance Simulation Data for HVACR and Other Facility Equipment. Dick Lord of Carrier will present an overview of the standard and discuss its importance to AHRI’s systems work and the industry. The AHRI Systems Steering Committee has been leading association-wide efforts related to system efficiency for several years and is working to improve performance metrics and mapped ratings where appropriate. System efficiency has been identified as a top priority across the four sectors and working groups have been created to pursue these objectives.

Mark your calendars for this webinar, which is open to all systems WG and AHRI members. Contact: Lauren MacGowens for more information or to receive the webinar invite.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following new certification participants:

• Bextair LLC – Unitary Small Air Conditioner Equipment (USAC) and Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning India Limited – Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• Zero Technologies Holdings Limited – Unitary Small Air Conditioner Equipment (USAC)
• Everwell Parts Inc. – Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)

Contact: Rupal Choksi.

On January 11, AHRI submitted comments to the WTO/TBT National Notification and Enquiry Center of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on its draft national standard on minimum energy efficiency standards for VRF equipment. AHRI and other global industry stakeholders are drafting a new global VRF standard and recommended that once the standard is completed, the PRC. should adopt that standard rather than instituting its own.

AHRI commended the PRC State Administration for Market Regulation for its efforts to set minimum energy performance standards, which AHRI supports in principle, and advised how it can use AHRI’s standards, certification programs and the AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance to improve the implementation and verification of energy efficiency policies. Contact: Michael LaGiglia.

Left to right: Ray Bao, Bridge Xue, Alec Yan, Jenny Zhang, and Allen Xu.

On January 12, Vice President of Asia Operations Bridge Xue and Senior Engineer Jenny Zhang visited the Chemours Shanghai Office to discuss new regulations in California and Singapore and the plan to transition to A2L refrigerants. They met with Senior Director of AP Fluoroproducts Alec Yan; AP Technical Service Director Ray Bao; and China Marketing Development Manager Allen Xu to discuss those issues and others affecting the industry in Asia and elsewhere.

Contact: Bridge Xue.

Led by the Gulf Coast countries, the introduction of energy efficiency regulations in the Middle East region has been on the rise over the past seven years. Since electricity is still partially subsidized by many governments in the region, several countries are reverting to regulating home appliances and the energy consumption of low voltage equipment to address emissions and tight budgets due to recent oil price declines.

Air conditioners in this region -- rated as high ambient temperature (HAT) countries -- consume by far the most electricity compared to all other equipment (up to 70 percent of overall energy consumption). To date, the focus has been to establish minimum requirements for energy efficiency rating (EER) and to gradually raise them. Saudi Arabia has been one of the countries leading this effort and recently moved to the next level of energy consumption, evaluation, and monitoring.

The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) is planning to introduce the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) method of evaluating the performance of air conditioners and will follow that with a review of other and equipment. SEER is more accurate than EER as a way of measuring the energy consumption of air conditioners due to the need to address the predominant partial load conditions throughout the year. SEER measures the average consumption throughout the year at the prevailing temperatures based on KSA historical temperature profile (commonly known as the BIN hours), not just at fixed peak conditions (i.e., 46° C) as is used for EER.

The AHRI MENA team held a Regional Industry Group meeting on January 11 to discuss upcoming revisions to SASO Standard 2663 that includes SEER, which is expected to be released by the end of this year. The draft standard will not initially include a minimum SEER requirement, but all manufacturers will need to report the SEER on their products’ energy labels and comply with the existing EER minimum requirements. It is expected that SASO will establish minimum SEER levels in future releases of the same standard.

Twenty-eight attendees, including regional manufacturers and those representing multinational HVAC companies in the MENA region, discussed the new requirements, details of the standard, testing and calculation requirements, local manufacturers’ readiness, the need for consumer education, and installer and merchant training. The participants acknowledged that this requirement is likely to pressure manufacturers into switching from fixed speed compressors to inverter compressors that usually yield higher SEER levels. Inverter technology market share has been on the rise in the MENA region and is currently roughly 20 percent in the residential and light commercial sectors. AHRI MENA encourages AHRI members, regional certification program participants, and other industry stakeholders to provide feedback as it develops a unified response to SASO. Contact: Nabil Shahin.