The AHRI Directory.... What is it for?


Let's face it, in our industry, everyone is saying "we're the most efficient" and everyone tells you about how wonderful their equipment is compared to others. Well, I'm about 98% sure that if ever you are indeed part of the HVAC industry in the Philippines then at some point in your life you've already heard/read the same statement.



Now, depending on how well informed you are, when people say these things, your response would be of four possible outcomes..... and those would be:


  1. To agree.
  2. To disagree.
  3. I need more details.
  4. You don't care.
  5. I just care about the price.
If ever you are the person who would answer either 4 and or 5, then this is not for you. Just know that there is no right or wrong answer for this and the reason for me to say this is that I do not want to waste your time so please click the little "x" button on the right side of the tab or press "ctrl+x" now. Ill make another blog post dedicated for you guys.




Moving on, it is true that anyone can say "I have the most efficient machine" and even print it on paper and show you data's there that reflect how efficient the machine is. Heck, the guy who sells you coffee at Starbucks could even say the same thing. So, what now? How do you know that it is true? How are you to verify such claims? How are you to see through the "magic" and know how the trick is done?

Well, here comes AHRI. So, what are they? Well, if ever you check out the details of my blog you could see on the top left part that there's a "W" and a text box; in there you could type "Air conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute" and you will be taken to a Wikipedia page that defines what this is.

Well, to save some time then please allow me to paste the definition by Wikipedia for you:

"The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), formed in 2008 by a merger of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA), is a North American trade association of manufacturers of air conditioning, heating, and commercial refrigeration equipment. The organization performs political advocacy on behalf of its member industries, maintains technical standards, certifies products, shares data, conducts research, and awards scholarships."



The main thing you could take away from this is that this organization "certifies products" and what this means is that they help you to know the people who are talking the talk and walking the walk. Since they are a third party organization, you could count on them to know who really is telling you the truth or perhaps validate that the claim is real.



Of course there are other certification bodies out there that could perform the function, but for now lets just talk about them because they are the most prominent in the industry. Once you know that the equipment is AHRI certified then you can count on it to perform.



However, from the people I talked with in the industry, it was told to me that some guys "cheat" and claim that their machine is AHRI certified even if it's not and these guys even have the guts to put the AHRI logo on a non certified product report. Some even imply that they are certified by using statements like "_______ in accordance with AHRI standard ________......"


It's indeed a pity to know that these things are being practiced in the HVAC industry here in the Philippines.... But don't worry, i'm here to tell you that there's another way....



Ok. So, since these things can be "cheated" and whatnot; how do we really know the truth?
First. Let me begin by clarifying this. Since you are reading this blog you are connected to the internet right?

Second. Since you are already at this part then you have already taken some time to understand what AHRI is about right?

Third. You know well how to use your browser right now?


Ok. So let me now tell you about the AHRI directory.

It is an online resource where you could check and verify the product report of whoever manufacturer or supplier that claims that their unit is "AHRI certified".



Below you will see the screenshot of what you can find when you type in your browser the following address:







To help you out, here's the link for water cooled chillers:
For air-cooled chillers:
Sample search for a water cooled chiller using "Trane" as a filter option.
Screenshot:
Result screenshot:




Final thoughts:

I just want to quote a Facebook post i saw some time ago that is supposedly from Warren Buffet

"Honesty is a very expensive gift... Do not expect it from cheap people"
From cheap people.... or Cheap Chillers.
Just a reminder for all you folks out there..... "All data is valid.... Unless verified and certified!"

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