ARLINGTON, Va. — The International Council of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Manufacturers’ Associations (ICARHMA), at its meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, discussed industry trends and other topics and approved 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, the members agreed to consider revising its 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.

A presentation was made by Nuno Duarte, P.Eng, P.E., LEED AP, an associate with Stantec Consulting Ltd., Toronto. Duarte’s presentation was titled Successfully Applying New Technology: A Case Study, and his presentation led to a discussion about future trends of the industry and possible directions of where the industry is headed.

ICARHMA’s working group meeting will be held Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in Chicago, in conjunction with the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating (AHR) Expo. The 2012 Annual ICARHMA meeting will be hosted by the Japan Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA) in Japan, October 2012.

Publication date: 11/14/2011