ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) will continue to list certified air conditioning systems using the HCFC refrigerant, R-22, in its Directory of Certified Product Performance (www.ahridirectory.org).

In November 2009, prior to the final EPA rule, AHRI’s Unitary Small Equipment Product Section classified all R-22 systems as discontinued as of Jan. 1, 2010 and removed these listings from the AHRI Directory as of Dec. 31, 2010. This meant that dry systems (i.e., systems shipped dry without R-22 refrigerant) would not be certified by AHRI or listed in the AHRI Directory.

Following issuance of the EPA rule, AHRI met with agency officials to encourage them to close the exception to the sale of non-charged R-22 condensing units for air conditioning applications. After the EPA made it clear that it would not do that, the Unitary Small Equipment Section in November 2010 re-visited its November 2009 decision and voted to return R-22 products to the scope of the AHRI Certification Program, thereby allowing dry-shipped R-22 models to continue to be listed in the AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance.

The R-22 models certified by AHRI and displayed in the AHRI Directory are high sales volume tested combinations (HSVTC) only, with no mix-match coil listings.

Publication date:02/14/2011