Thank you to the more than 300 members and guests who joined us for AHRI’s virtual Leadership Forum that took place online this week! Four Sector Leadership Council meetings and four main general sessions covering such topics and decarbonization, the global post-COVID future, and the state and federal legislative and regulatory outlook gave members and guests alike much food for thought as we head into the holiday season and look toward 2021. We offer a warm welcome to our 2021 Board Chairman Mike Schwartz (Daikin Applied) and offer our appreciation to our 2020 Chairman John Galyen and our congratulations to our award recipients:

Richard C. Schulze Award

• Beth Braddy, Trane Technologies
• John Gibbons, Carrier
• Bruce Hierlmeier, Zero Zone

AHRI Distinguished Service Award

• Roger Richmond-Smith, Smardt
• Robert B. (Dutch) Uselton, Lennox International

AHRI members will soon receive email instructions on how to access the sessions and presentations, all of which were recorded. Contact: Adanna LeGendre.

AHRI’s management team in the new Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional office in Dubai, UAE, held a successful introductory webinar on November 11 titled, “AHRI in MENA: Working Together for a Better Future.” The event hosted nearly 80 AHRI member and certification program participants representing more than 40 HVACR manufacturers from 15 countries in the MENA region (countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and North Africa) and beyond, including the USA, China, India, Turkey.

Senior executives and managers in charge of standards, certification programs, and regulatory compliance in the region joined AHRI MENA staff and senior leaders from the headquarters in Arlington, VA, to discuss the ways in which AHRI plans to enhance its support and engagement with industry stakeholders across the MENA region. Topics included AHRI global services, global advocacy, the outlook for regional standards and certification programs, and contributing to greater energy & environmental consciousness. A guest speaker from the ASHRAE Falcon Chapter, YEA Committee Chair Carine Saliba, presented on ASHRAE Std 90.1/90.2 - Regional Adoption and Relevance.

AHRI’s team in MENA is committed to collaborating with member companies to address the region’s increasing environmental and energy efficiency challenges, regulatory concerns, and the growing demand for regionally relevant AHRI standards and certification programs. The management team at AHRI MENA will create new opportunities to share the industry’s perspective by holding a series of talks and meetings over the next few months. For more information, learn more about AHRI MENA here and email MENA@ahrinet.org. Contact: Khalil Issa.

Humidifiers Educational Working Group – This WG is creating an AHRI-NATE training course for technicians, providing guidance and background on installing and maintaining humidification equipment. Due to the cancellation of the AHR Expo and associated educational sessions, the group is producing short-form educational videos that will complement the AHRI IAQ campaign and serve as a worthy replacement to the aforementioned educational presentation. Other areas of work include drafting of letters of concern and response to other organizations, with information on recommended relative humidity levels. The WG is meeting every two to three weeks to work on these tasks. Contact: Vincent Hwang.

AHRI Standard 550/590 Working Group – This WG met several times over the last few months to finalize the revision of AHRI Standard 551/591 (SI), Performance Rating of Water-Chilling and Heat Pump Water-Heating Packages Using the Vapor Compression Cycle. This revision will bring the standard in line with AHRI 550/590 (I-P/2020), which was published earlier this year. Revisions include updates to part-load interpolation and reference to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 30 as the method of test. The WG voted to approve the revised standard on November 2, and the draft will move on to the Cooling Standards Subcommittee for review. Contact: Jaime Yeh.

Visit AHRI Connect to learn more and to join recruiting groups.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following new certification participants:

• Prem Sales, LLC – Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTAC) and Heat Pumps (PTHP)
• Dial Manufacturing, Inc. – Unitary Small Air Conditioner Equipment (USAC)
• Qatar Air Distribution Network Manufacturing Factory W.L.L. – Variable Air Volume Terminals (VAV)

Contact: Rupal Choksi.

On Tuesday, November 10, members of the International Council of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Manufacturers Associations (ICARHMA) held a virtual symposium on the impact of the pandemic on commercial real estate use and construction, and the resulting effect on HVACR and water heating equipment demand, especially with respect to indoor air quality (IAQ). President and Chief Operating Officer Henry Chamberlain of the Building Owners and Managers Association International , and AHRI Vice President of Industry Sector Services Bill McQuade each presented, followed by Q&A.

In general, the pandemic opens opportunities to meet increased market demand for products that minimize indoor exposure to the COVID-19 virus and other pathogens. Overall, buildings will have to be designed to be more flexible in the case of emergency situations such as another pandemic.

ICARHMA consists of eleven member associations from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific, representing manufacturers that produce 90 percent of the world’s heating, cooling, commercial refrigeration, and water heating equipment. AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek and AHRI Chairman John Galyen represented AHRI, while Vice President of International Affairs Jim Walters and Director of International Affairs Michael LaGiglia represented the Secretariat of ICARHMA. Contact: Jim Walters.

On November 17, AHRI Vice President of Asia Operations Bridge Xue attended the Eco-Friendly Refrigerant Summit in Hangzhou, China, where he presented on the topic, "Low-global Warming Potential (GWP) Refrigerants for Direct HVAC Appliances." Xue discussed new A2L refrigerants and reported on the technical research and standards upgrades for flammable refrigerants. More than 100 chemical industry experts from around the world joined AHRI member companies at the event. As the industry prepares for the coming changes, AHRI is leading seven working groups supporting the safe transition to low-GWP refrigerants. Contact: Bridge Xue.

Thank you to the more than 300 members and guests who joined us for AHRI’s virtual Leadership Forum that took place online this week! Four Sector Leadership Council meetings and four main general sessions covering such topics and decarbonization, the global post-COVID future, and the state and federal legislative and regulatory outlook gave members and guests alike much food for thought as we head into the holiday season and look toward 2021. We offer a warm welcome to our 2021 Board Chairman Mike Schwartz (Daikin Applied) and offer our appreciation to our 2020 Chairman John Galyen and our congratulations to our award recipients:

Richard C. Schulze Award

• Beth Braddy, Trane Technologies
• John Gibbons, Carrier
• Bruce Hierlmeier, Zero Zone

AHRI Distinguished Service Award

• Roger Richmond-Smith, Smardt
• Robert B. (Dutch) Uselton, Lennox International

AHRI members will soon receive email instructions on how to access the sessions and presentations, all of which were recorded. Contact: Adanna LeGendre.

AHRI’s management team in the new Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional office in Dubai, UAE, held a successful introductory webinar on November 11 titled, “AHRI in MENA: Working Together for a Better Future.” The event hosted nearly 80 AHRI member and certification program participants representing more than 40 HVACR manufacturers from 15 countries in the MENA region (countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and North Africa) and beyond, including the USA, China, India, Turkey.

Senior executives and managers in charge of standards, certification programs, and regulatory compliance in the region joined AHRI MENA staff and senior leaders from the headquarters in Arlington, VA, to discuss the ways in which AHRI plans to enhance its support and engagement with industry stakeholders across the MENA region. Topics included AHRI global services, global advocacy, the outlook for regional standards and certification programs, and contributing to greater energy & environmental consciousness. A guest speaker from the ASHRAE Falcon Chapter, YEA Committee Chair Carine Saliba, presented on ASHRAE Std 90.1/90.2 - Regional Adoption and Relevance.

AHRI’s team in MENA is committed to collaborating with member companies to address the region’s increasing environmental and energy efficiency challenges, regulatory concerns, and the growing demand for regionally relevant AHRI standards and certification programs. The management team at AHRI MENA will create new opportunities to share the industry’s perspective by holding a series of talks and meetings over the next few months. For more information, learn more about AHRI MENA here and email MENA@ahrinet.org. Contact: Khalil Issa.

Humidifiers Educational Working Group – This WG is creating an AHRI-NATE training course for technicians, providing guidance and background on installing and maintaining humidification equipment. Due to the cancellation of the AHR Expo and associated educational sessions, the group is producing short-form educational videos that will complement the AHRI IAQ campaign and serve as a worthy replacement to the aforementioned educational presentation. Other areas of work include drafting of letters of concern and response to other organizations, with information on recommended relative humidity levels. The WG is meeting every two to three weeks to work on these tasks. Contact: Vincent Hwang.

AHRI Standard 550/590 Working Group – This WG met several times over the last few months to finalize the revision of AHRI Standard 551/591 (SI), Performance Rating of Water-Chilling and Heat Pump Water-Heating Packages Using the Vapor Compression Cycle. This revision will bring the standard in line with AHRI 550/590 (I-P/2020), which was published earlier this year. Revisions include updates to part-load interpolation and reference to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 30 as the method of test. The WG voted to approve the revised standard on November 2, and the draft will move on to the Cooling Standards Subcommittee for review. Contact: Jaime Yeh.

Visit AHRI Connect to learn more and to join recruiting groups.

AHRI is pleased to welcome the following new certification participants:

• Prem Sales, LLC – Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTAC) and Heat Pumps (PTHP)
• Dial Manufacturing, Inc. – Unitary Small Air Conditioner Equipment (USAC)
• Qatar Air Distribution Network Manufacturing Factory W.L.L. – Variable Air Volume Terminals (VAV)

Contact: Rupal Choksi.

On Tuesday, November 10, members of the International Council of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Manufacturers Associations (ICARHMA) held a virtual symposium on the impact of the pandemic on commercial real estate use and construction, and the resulting effect on HVACR and water heating equipment demand, especially with respect to indoor air quality (IAQ). President and Chief Operating Officer Henry Chamberlain of the Building Owners and Managers Association International , and AHRI Vice President of Industry Sector Services Bill McQuade each presented, followed by Q&A.

In general, the pandemic opens opportunities to meet increased market demand for products that minimize indoor exposure to the COVID-19 virus and other pathogens. Overall, buildings will have to be designed to be more flexible in the case of emergency situations such as another pandemic.

ICARHMA consists of eleven member associations from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific, representing manufacturers that produce 90 percent of the world’s heating, cooling, commercial refrigeration, and water heating equipment. AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek and AHRI Chairman John Galyen represented AHRI, while Vice President of International Affairs Jim Walters and Director of International Affairs Michael LaGiglia represented the Secretariat of ICARHMA. Contact: Jim Walters.

On November 17, AHRI Vice President of Asia Operations Bridge Xue attended the Eco-Friendly Refrigerant Summit in Hangzhou, China, where he presented on the topic, "Low-global Warming Potential (GWP) Refrigerants for Direct HVAC Appliances." Xue discussed new A2L refrigerants and reported on the technical research and standards upgrades for flammable refrigerants. More than 100 chemical industry experts from around the world joined AHRI member companies at the event. As the industry prepares for the coming changes, AHRI is leading seven working groups supporting the safe transition to low-GWP refrigerants. Contact: Bridge Xue.