Air-Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)
By Betty Stephens
What is AHRI?
AHRI is a trade association of manufacturers and maintains and publishes over 80 standards, mainly related to equipment performance, and many AHRI standards are accepted as ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards. AHRI’s rating standards, when teamed with ASHRAE’s methods of tests, provide a method to test and rate heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, commercial refrigeration, water heating, boiler and radiant panel equipment.
AHRI Standards and Guidelines are used by designers, manufacturers and installers of air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment. They are also used by architects and mechanical engineers to specify equipment.
Background
The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), formed in 2008 by a merger of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA), is a North American trade association of manufacturers of air conditioning, heating, and commercial refrigeration equipment. The organization performs political advocacy on behalf of its member industries, maintains technical standards, certifies products, shares data, conducts research, and awards scholarships.
Standards
AHRI standards and guidelines are used throughout the world. They stimulate innovation and creation and are the stepping stones to improving product performance.
Through the use of industry standards and voluntary participation in AHRI’s certification programs, consumers can be assured manufacturers’ performance claims are accurate and rated uniformly, enabling fair comparisons. AHRI provides access to its standards and guidelines, as well as information about how they are developed and advanced globally.
Goal
Ensuring human comfort, productivity, and safety, while practicing environmental stewardship is the mission of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Their 300 member companies produce more than 90 percent of the residential and commercial air conditioning, heating, water heating, and commercial refrigeration equipment made in North America. Through their certification program, standards, advocacy, and other activities, they strive to help save energy, improve productivity, and ensure a better environment. Link to their official web site: LINK
AHRI Certified Reference Numbers
The AHRI Certified Reference Number (or AHRI Number) is a unique number assigned to equipment by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The AHRI tests the performance of commercially available equipment, and assigns a unique identifying number to matched equipment that can be used to look up performance information for that equipment.
It’s a good idea to look up equipment information using the AHRI number before installing equipment for any customer who may be participating in Complete System Replacement program. This way, both you and the customer are choosing equipment with the confidence that it is eligible for a rebate.
They suggest you place the AHRI Number on customer invoices for Complete System Replacement-eligible installations. By doing so, you can avoid getting call-back questions from customers who are completing a rebate application, and make the rebate process faster and easier for everyone – including yourself.
The fastest and easiest way to obtain an AHRI Certified Reference Number on your equipment is to go straight to your distributor and request it. Most wholesalers keep a list of AHRI Numbers for the equipment in their inventory, and requesting this number will save you the trouble of looking up these numbers manually.
Rather than requesting AHRI Numbers on a case-by-case basis, you may save yourself time by requesting a full list of AHRI Numbers from your distributor for the HVAC products you carry and keeping this list handy for future Complete System Replacement installations.
Homeowners and AHRI
The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424) extended the section 25D tax credit to geothermal heat pumps, effective January 1, 2008. In February of 2009, the credit was further enhanced by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) which removed the maximum credit amount for all eligible technologies placed in service after 2008.
A taxpayer may claim a credit of 30% of total investment for a system that serves a dwelling unit located in the United States that is owned and used as a residence by the taxpayer. Expenditures include labor costs for on-site preparation, assembly or original system installation, and for piping or wiring to interconnect a system to the home.
AHRI is viewed as a resource for industry shipment data, education and workforce information, and research. AHRI is an industry powerhouse, providing members with one industry voice, both domestically and abroad.
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