North American Technician Excellence (NATE), the only technician certification organization governed, owned, operated, developed and supported by the HVACR industry, has widened its testing and certification portfolio by offering new certifications in commercial and light commercial refrigeration for the service segment. The installation segment for refrigeration certification testing is expected to follow soon.

For those technicians seeking NATE certification in light commercial refrigeration, the test will cover information related to fractional HP to 7.5 HP; while those needing commercial certification will be tested on information related to 7.5 HP to 80 HP. Pat Murphy, NATE’s Vice President of Certification, says the process of creating a NATE certification protocol for commercial and light commercial refrigeration was three years in the making. “Collaborating with the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute’s (ARI) Commercial Refrigeration Manufacturer’s Division (CRMD), we created a test that should be challenging to technicians and provide a comprehensive audit of their skills and knowledge of refrigeration.”

Murphy says the new tests were developed using a process that follows the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, reveals the company’s press release. “It’s the testing industry’s gold standard for test development, which helps ensure we’re creating tests that are impartial and exact.” NATE anticipates its new refrigeration certifications will help create a new level of refrigeration proficiency in the industry, while it also recognizes much of the knowledge already present among refrigeration technicians. Rex Boynton, President of NATE, says: “We’re extremely pleased to broaden the testing capabilities of NATE to meet the needs of the entire HVAC/R professional community.”