ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a final rule on Dec. 8 that adopts Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) standards as federal test procedures for evaluating the energy-efficiency performance of a variety of commercial cooling and refrigeration products.

“While manufacturers have voluntarily conformed to ARI standards for years, the federal government’s adoption of these standards will lend even more strength to their value in the global marketplace,” said Karim Amrane, vice president of public policy, ARI. “Ultimately, the widespread adoption of ARI standards will help achieve a higher degree of efficiency and compatibility, as well as help consumers make fair comparisons and informed buying decisions.”

DOE adopted ARI 810-2003 for commercial icemakers, ARI 340/360-2004 for very large unitary cooling equipment (240,000 to 760,000 Btuh), and ARI 1200-2006 for self-contained and remote commercial refrigeration products.

“The air conditioning and commercial refrigeration industry worked very hard to reach a consensus and to develop the ARI standards adopted by DOE,” said Amrane. “We are pleased that they are now going to form the basis of a partnership between industry and government for energy conservation.”

Publication date: 01/08/2007