The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and
Refrigeration Institute is being honored for its work to help establish
regional efficiency standards across the country.
The institute
has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the Super Nova of Energy Efficiency
Award from the Alliance to Save Energy.
AHRI members and
staff negotiated an agreement that would, for the first time, establish
regional efficiency standards for furnaces, heat pumps and central air
conditioners.
Under the agreement, most of which was adopted
by the U.S. Department of Energy, furnaces in the northern U.S. would have a
minimum efficiency standard higher than that for furnaces in the South and
Southwest. Similarly, central air conditioners in those areas would have a
higher minimum efficiency standard than the Northern states.
The
award also recognizes AHRI’s work in negotiating agreements that would
establish a new federal minimum standard for heat pump pool heaters, revise
standards for service-over-the-counter commercial refrigerators, and require
the Energy Department to conduct rule-making to determine if a change is
necessary for its water heater test procedure.
“We are
honored to have been selected for this award,” said AHRI President and CEO
Stephen Yurek. “The majority of the credit for this honor goes to our member
companies, several of whom were diligent and instrumental in crafting the
agreements cited in the award announcement. We are gratified that our approach
of constructive engagement with our friends in the energy efficiency advocacy
community is being recognized and encouraged in such a manner.”
The
Alliance to Save Energy will present the award to AHRI at its Oct. 4 dinner
with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards gala in Washington, D.C.
AHRI Chairman Morrison Carter is to accept the award on behalf of the
association’s 309 member companies.
