NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario — The International Council of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Manufacturers’ Associations (ICARHMA) met Oct. 3-5 in Canada to discuss industry trends and approve the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) as an associate member.

The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) was this year's host, and David Morden, ECR International Co./Morden National Sales Marketing Inc., chaired the meeting. Attendees included ICARHMA members from Australia (AREMA), Brazil (ABRAVA), China (CRAA), Europe (EUROVENT and EPEE), Japan (JRAIA), Korea (KRAIA), and the United States (AHRI).

Members provided up-to-date reviews of governmental and association activities in their respective regions, on such issues as: future industry trends, energy efficiency and minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS), labeling requirements, refrigerant policies, global certification, renewable energy regulations, and green building codes. Continuing their focus on global refrigerant choice and containment policies, members agreed to consider revising their Refrigerant Policy Statement to address a potentially misleading distinction between “natural” and synthetic refrigerants. The members were briefed by AHRI on its alternative refrigerants and LCCP research projects.

Discussions at the meeting included a presentation from Nuno Duarte, P.Eng, PE, LEED AP, an associate with Stantec Consulting Ltd, Toronto. Duarte’s presentation was titled “Successfully Applying New Technology: A Case Study,” and it led to a discussion about future trends and possible directions that the industry is headed.

Publication date: 11/14/2011