As part of a long-term partnership, the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has agreed to share its equipment and component performance standards with the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) to facilitate the development of harmonized standards that address India's specific needs and conditions.

The two organizations signed the agreement June 23 during a ceremony held in Salt Lake City. The agreement sets forth a framework that promotes a process for effectively sharing AHRI's standards. According to the the entity’s press release, the agreement provides ISHRAE with the ability to more widely disseminate AHRI's standards among the nation's standards developers; it establishes a process to ensure ISHRAE is notified when AHRI standards are revised and updated; and it provides ISHRAE greater access to AHRI's standards developers to assist them with technical issues relating to India's specific needs and conditions. "This agreement is consistent with the spirit of the HVACR industry's goal to reduce regulatory differences and facilitate international trade while maintaining high levels of performance," said AHRI's Executive Vice President, Mark Menzer. "We are pleased ISHRAE is focused on strengthening its country's HVACR performance standards and we are willing and ready to help the organization achieve this monumental task."

 

According to ISHRAE's President, Ashish Rakheja, India has a rapidly growing need for solid, respected HVACR equipment performance standards. "Our country has become a hub for multinational companies and we are experiencing major growth, especially in the construction of multi-million square foot buildings," he said. "The engineers responsible for these projects are bringing with them an awareness of the importance of standardization and international best practices. In addition, India is becoming a major force in the green movement led by the Indian Green Building Council and supported by a LEED rating system and the launch of the Energy Conservation Building Code last year. For these reasons, we need to strengthen our equipment performance standards, which is why we turned to AHRI for assistance in this area through this agreement."