January 26, 2023

Top Stories

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Save the Date! | 2023 AHRI State Summit Registration Opens on February 21

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend the 2023 AHRI State Summit, to the be held at the Renaissance Albany Hotel from April 25-26 in Albany, New York. Participants will gain insight from key policymakers and stakeholders on priority issues impacting the HVACR and water heating industry in New York state and the northeast region. Let lawmakers know our industry’s position on the critical policy decisions affecting your business, employees, and customers!

In addition to meetings with New York legislators and regulators, the State Summit will include: 

• presentations from key regulatory agencies, legislative offices, business organizations, and environmental NGOs;

• conversations with policymakers on high priority issues;

• updates on AHRI’s state legislative and regulatory activities; and

• opportunities to network with colleagues and conference participants.

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AHRI to Cosponsor and Exhibit at AHR Expo 2023 – Offering Five Free Educational Sessions

AHRI will co-sponsor and exhibit at the 2023 AHR Expo, to be held February 6-8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit booth B1539 to learn about AHRI’s certification and standards programs, membership, and more. The AHR Expo is the world’s largest HVACR marketplace event and will host more than 1,500 exhibitors and attract a diverse group of international industry professionals.

AHRI will host five free educational sessions during the AHR Expo:

Status Update on Refrigerant Classification, Specification, and Recovery Standards
Monday, February 6, 2023
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM | Room B311
This presentation will review specific ASHRAE and AHRI refrigerant standards and their roles in enabling refrigerant transitions and equipment reliability. Proposed and completed changes to these standards will be discussed, with a review of how they complement each other and address industry needs.

Improving Indoor Air Quality in Commercial Spaces: Best Practices and Financial Resources
Monday, February 6, 2023
9:00 AM-10:00 AM | Room C102 Auditorium
Indoor air quality continues to be top-of-mind as the nation emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and returns to offices and other commercial spaces. This panel discussion explains the demonstrated best practices and financial resources that can be accessed to help make these spaces as healthful and safe as possible.

What’s in it for Me? A Closer Look at Inflation Reduction Act Incentives
Monday, February 6, 2023
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Room B312
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a landmark tax, climate, and health care law that includes energy efficiency tax incentives and clean energy rebate programs, as well as grants and incentives for contractors. This panel discussion aims to educate the entire distribution chain on the incentives to consumers and contractors available under the new law.

Innovations in Thermal Energy Storage
Monday, February 6
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Room B310
During this session, the audience will hear about the latest innovations in thermal energy storage and why is it important, especially with the new investment tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The presentation will cover what types of products are commercialized (i.e., rooftop packaged units, chillers, campus-wide tanks), the economic and carbon-reduction benefits to end-users, as well as the benefits to the grid.

The Regulatory Report: 2022 Changes and What You Need to Know in 2023
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM | Room B310
The Climate Alliance states and the Biden Administration’s fast-paced regulatory agenda are prioritizing issues critical to the AHRI members. Policies related to decarbonization, energy efficiency, chemicals in equipment components, and implementing the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act will be highlighted in this discussion. This session will also touch on the 2023 change in energy efficiency standards for residential air conditioning.

AHRI/Industry News

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AHRI Members: Contribute to the Rees Scholarship Foundation with Your Membership Invoice

AHRI members may contribute to the Rees Scholarship Foundation by using the membership dues invoice sent on December 16, 2022, which includes an optional line item for a $500 donation. This tax-deductible contribution will support the continued promotion of the HVACR industry through scholarships to qualified students enrolled in an institutionally accredited school. To date, Rees has awarded more than $1 million to over 700 students pursuing HVACR careers. Contributions are voluntary and any amount helps. Learn more about Rees here.

Legislative and Regulatory

Low-GWP Building Code Legislation Introduced in Hawaii

Hawaii State Representative Nicole Lowen (D) has introduced H.B. 345, enabling the use of low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants through a technical building code fix in the state. The legislation states that the use of a refrigerant designated acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency shall not be prohibited or regulated by any code, ordinance, rule, or regulation of any state or local agency or any political subdivision of the state of Hawaii, except that any equipment containing a permissible refrigerant shall be utilized and installed in accordance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

Hawaii is in session until early May. The legislation is awaiting committee referral, with a hearing expected in the coming weeks.

EPA Publishes Proposed Rule on AIM Act Technology Transitions

On December 14, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule regarding the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act Technology Transitions, which would restrict the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in specific industrial sectors and establish administrative channels for petitioning, recordkeeping, and reporting on the phasedown process. This rulemaking would implement certain provisions of the AIM Act, bipartisan legislation that passed into law in 2020, directing EPA to implement an 85 percent phasedown of the production and consumption of HFCs by 2035. Additional information on the proposed phasedown rule is available here.

The EPA is also seeking advance information on certain topics that may help develop a future proposed rule including restrictions on the use of HFCs for certain sectors and subsectors and a third-party auditing program to verify substances used in products. On December 17, 2022, AHRI submitted comments on the rule’s information collection provisions for consideration by the Office of Management and Budget. These comments specifically pertain to record keeping and reporting requirements and are open for additional member feedback.

EPA will accept comments until January 30, identified by docket identification number EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0643, via the Federal eRulemaking portal. 

Standards and Certification

Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers STC Initiates Project to Revise Standards 810 and 820

AHRI’s Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers Standards Technical Committee (STC) has initiated project to revise:

• The 2016 edition of AHRI Standard 810 (SI/I-P), Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers, and will create a joint-unit SI and I-P document by consolidating AHRI 811 into 810.

• The 2017 edition of BSR/AHRI Standard 820-202x (SI/I-P), Performance Rating of Ice Storage Bins, and will create a single joint-unit SI and I-P document by consolidating the former dual-unit standards.

AHRI Multi-Sector Standards Subcommittee Approves Project Revisions

AHRI’s Multi-Sector Standards Subcommittee has approved projects to revise the following standards:

• AHRI Standard 110-202x, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Equipment Nameplate Voltages

• AHRI Standard 700-202x, Specifications for Refrigerants

• AHRI Standard 740-202x, Performance Rating of Refrigerant Recovery Equipment and Recovery/Recycling Equipment

The standards team welcomes volunteers to revise AHRI Standard 110.

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AHRI Standards Team Seeks Heating Consensus Body Participation

AHRI’s standards team is seeking volunteers for its Heating Consensus Body. Consensus bodies are comprised of experts who provide the final review and approval to publish an approved AHRI standard as an American National Standard. A balance of interests is required among the membership, and no one interest category can constitute the majority of members. AHRI membership is not required to contribute. Learn more about this opportunity here.

AHRI Standards Open for Public Review and Comment

AHRI has issued a call for comments on the following standards:

Public Review/Deadline: February 5

• AHRI Standard 270-202x (SI/I-P), Sound Rating of Outdoor Unitary Equipment

Public Review/Deadline: February 6

• BSR/AHRI Standard 910-2014 (R202x) (I-P), Performance Rating of Indoor Pool Dehumidifiers

• BSR/AHRI Standard 911-2014 (R202x) (SI), Performance Rating of Indoor Pool Dehumidifiers

• BSR/AHRI Standard 1161-202x (SI), Performance Rating of Heat Pump Pool Heaters

Public Review/Deadline: February 13

• BSR/AHRI Standard 410-202x (SI/I-P), Performance Rating of Forced-Circulation Air-Cooling and Air-Heating Coils

Please see more information regarding these standards here. To submit comments, email this form to [email protected].

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AHRI Welcomes New Certification Program Participants

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following certification program participants:

• Appion, Inc. - Refrigerant Recovery/Recycling Equipment (RRRE)

• Nanjing Canatal Data-Centre Environmental Tech Co., Ltd. - Air-Cooled Water-Chilling Packages Using the Vapor Compression Cycle (ACCL)

AHRI Working Group Spotlight: Applied Sector

The DX-Dedicated Outdoor Air System Units (DX-DOAS) Certification Task Force will meet on January 30 at 3:00 p.m. EST to discuss member questions regarding the DX-DOAS certification program and to clarify information for the operations manual. These topics may be of interest to DX-DOAS manufacturers considering joining this new certification program.

International

AHRI Submits Comments for USTR’s Four-Year Review of Section 301 China Tariffs

On January 17, AHRI submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in response to a request for comments regarding its Four-Year Review of Actions Taken in the Section 301 China Investigation in the Federal Register on October 17, 2022. AHRI’s comments oppose the Section 301 tariffs because they have lowered the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, harmed workers, and raised costs for consumers, contributing to record-high inflationary pressures. In its comments, AHRI responded to questions about economy- and industry-wide impacts of the Section 301 China tariffs and included a list of member products affected by the tariffs.

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AHRI MENA Visits DEWA Research and Development Center in Dubai

On January 24, AHRI’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) team visited the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) Research and Development Center at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai to discuss potential cooperation opportunities in energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction. The DEWA staff provided the team with a tour of their state-of-the-art facility and explored ways in which the two organizations can promote sustainable energy practices and reduce the environmental impact of their respective industries to meet the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

The park is the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer model. It has a planned production capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030, with investments totaling $14 billion. When completed, it will annually save more than over 6.5 million tons of carbon emissions. Learn more about AHRI MENA here.