The UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute, in partnership with members of the fire service and AHRI, developed firefighter training related to the refrigerant transition mandated by both federal and state regulations. Join us Wednesday, May 12, for another free webinar in the Refrigerant Transition Webinar Series. A panel of experts will offer an overview and excerpts from the training, followed by a Q&A on the training program, other research, and regulatory policy issues related to the refrigerant transition. While the training program is designed for firefighters, all are welcome to join. Learn more from this press release, and register here. Contact: Lauren Miller.

AHRI’s 2021 Spring Webinar Series is now underway, featuring sessions on critical issues affecting the HVACR and water heating industry each Tuesday in May. More than 300 members joined the webinar this week, which featured speakers from the Biden administration and Congress who discussed the plans, impacts, and challenges of federal climate initiatives.

The next webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, May 11, will feature a panel discussion on State Legislative Priorities Impacting the HVACR and Water Heating Industry, an insider’s look at the energy and environmental policy issues driving state legislative action across the country. Participants will hear directly from key policymakers who are leading state-level efforts to tackle issues such as HFC phasedown plans, plastics and packaging waste, building decarbonization, and more.

On the panel:

• Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, Member, House Environment and Energy Committee/ Author of Washington State HFC Legislation, Washington State House of Representatives
• Senator Nathan Johnson, Vice Chair, Senate Committee on Administration/ Author of Texas HFC Legislation, Texas State Senate
• Former Senator Garrett Mason, Maine Senate Majority Leader 2014-18

Register here. Contact: Christine Gutermuth.

On April 29, the Global Cooling Prize organization announced that AHRI members Daikin and Gree had won the Global Cooling Prize, an international innovation competition.

A global coalition initiated by the Government of India, Mission Innovation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) initiated the competition to develop super-efficient and climate-friendly residential cooling solutions. Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai with partner Tsinghua University; and Daikin with partner Nikken Sekkei Ltd. emerged as the two winners among eight finalists, producing prototypes that have five times less climate impact than standard air conditioning units available in the market today.

Both winning teams achieved more than a 5X reduction in climate impact against the baseline unit, meeting the primary criteria of the Prize. The Prize administrators also concluded that whilst both teams’ technologies would likely have an initial up-front cost on introduction to the market at two to three times more than the baseline units, lifecycle cost of ownership would be around half that of the baseline unit. This means consumers would experience a simple payback on the higher first cost after just over three years of operation.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following participants to its certification program:

• Olimpia Splendid USA – Unitary Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• Zamna Solutions LLC – Unitary Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• CU Air Conditioning Industries LLC – Room Fan Coils (RFC)

Contact: Bill Tritsis.

The AHRI Water Heater Regulatory & Policy Committee recently initiated the AHRI 1430 Standard Working Group, which is tasked with reviewing the draft Standard 1430 and revising it as necessary before it is submitted for comment and approval. For more information on AHRI working groups or to join a specific group, visit AHRI Connect. Contact: Cobi Waxman.

On May 4, Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) re-introduced legislation (H.R. 2975) to clarify the definitions of residential and commercial water heaters in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

The bill was re-introduced in response to a final rule issued in November 2016 by the Department of Energy that revised test procedures for commercial water heaters to require manufacturers to recategorize them to meet residential efficiency standards. This created regulatory uncertainty and in response to industry concerns, DOE granted manufacturers a temporary “non-enforcement” policy that will expire at the end of 2021. Therefore, a technical amendment to the statutory definitions of water heaters in the EPCA is necessary to rectify this reduction in options for commercial consumers. The legislation is a narrowly tailored amendment to clarify the definitions of residential and commercial water heaters in EPCA. Contact: Samantha Slater.

The UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute, in partnership with members of the fire service and AHRI, developed firefighter training related to the refrigerant transition mandated by both federal and state regulations. Join us Wednesday, May 12, for another free webinar in the Refrigerant Transition Webinar Series. A panel of experts will offer an overview and excerpts from the training, followed by a Q&A on the training program, other research, and regulatory policy issues related to the refrigerant transition. While the training program is designed for firefighters, all are welcome to join. Learn more from this press release, and register here. Contact: Lauren Miller.

AHRI’s 2021 Spring Webinar Series is now underway, featuring sessions on critical issues affecting the HVACR and water heating industry each Tuesday in May. More than 300 members joined the webinar this week, which featured speakers from the Biden administration and Congress who discussed the plans, impacts, and challenges of federal climate initiatives.

The next webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, May 11, will feature a panel discussion on State Legislative Priorities Impacting the HVACR and Water Heating Industry, an insider’s look at the energy and environmental policy issues driving state legislative action across the country. Participants will hear directly from key policymakers who are leading state-level efforts to tackle issues such as HFC phasedown plans, plastics and packaging waste, building decarbonization, and more.

On the panel:

• Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, Member, House Environment and Energy Committee/ Author of Washington State HFC Legislation, Washington State House of Representatives
• Senator Nathan Johnson, Vice Chair, Senate Committee on Administration/ Author of Texas HFC Legislation, Texas State Senate
• Former Senator Garrett Mason, Maine Senate Majority Leader 2014-18

Register here. Contact: Christine Gutermuth.

On April 29, the Global Cooling Prize organization announced that AHRI members Daikin and Gree had won the Global Cooling Prize, an international innovation competition.

A global coalition initiated by the Government of India, Mission Innovation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) initiated the competition to develop super-efficient and climate-friendly residential cooling solutions. Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai with partner Tsinghua University; and Daikin with partner Nikken Sekkei Ltd. emerged as the two winners among eight finalists, producing prototypes that have five times less climate impact than standard air conditioning units available in the market today.

Both winning teams achieved more than a 5X reduction in climate impact against the baseline unit, meeting the primary criteria of the Prize. The Prize administrators also concluded that whilst both teams’ technologies would likely have an initial up-front cost on introduction to the market at two to three times more than the baseline units, lifecycle cost of ownership would be around half that of the baseline unit. This means consumers would experience a simple payback on the higher first cost after just over three years of operation.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following participants to its certification program:

• Olimpia Splendid USA – Unitary Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• Zamna Solutions LLC – Unitary Heat Pump Equipment (USHP)
• CU Air Conditioning Industries LLC – Room Fan Coils (RFC)

Contact: Bill Tritsis.

The AHRI Water Heater Regulatory & Policy Committee recently initiated the AHRI 1430 Standard Working Group, which is tasked with reviewing the draft Standard 1430 and revising it as necessary before it is submitted for comment and approval. For more information on AHRI working groups or to join a specific group, visit AHRI Connect. Contact: Cobi Waxman.

On May 4, Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) re-introduced legislation (H.R. 2975) to clarify the definitions of residential and commercial water heaters in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

The bill was re-introduced in response to a final rule issued in November 2016 by the Department of Energy that revised test procedures for commercial water heaters to require manufacturers to recategorize them to meet residential efficiency standards. This created regulatory uncertainty and in response to industry concerns, DOE granted manufacturers a temporary “non-enforcement” policy that will expire at the end of 2021. Therefore, a technical amendment to the statutory definitions of water heaters in the EPCA is necessary to rectify this reduction in options for commercial consumers. The legislation is a narrowly tailored amendment to clarify the definitions of residential and commercial water heaters in EPCA. Contact: Samantha Slater.