ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) has launched a new online tool enabling contractors to access important information on certified product performance of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.

Known as the ARI Directory of Certified Product Performance (ARI Directory), the new tool (www.ari.org/aridirectory) will allow contractors, distributors, engineers, architects, and specifiers to quickly access the information they need to, for example, properly match outdoor condensing units and indoor coils, enabling the system to achieve the advertised levels of efficiency. In addition, the new ARI directory will allow a contractor to print out a certificate stating that the installed system is properly matched, thereby protecting the consumer's warranty and enabling them to qualify for utility rebates that are offered in some areas.

In addition to unitary equipment, the ARI directory also includes certified performance information for products covered under ARI's 22 other certification programs.

"This new ARI directory provides end users - customers - with the tools they need to ensure they get what they pay for," said ARI President William G. Sutton. "With this tool, contractors and their customers can be assured that their ARI-certified products are properly matched, energy efficient systems. We are excited about the potential for this new directory to bring manufacturers, contractors, and the public closer together in a continuum of quality, efficiency, and performance, as we continue to improve life and the environment."

Publication date: 02/06/2006