Arlington, Virginia, USA, 24 July 2018: The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) issued a Federal Register notice announcing the first public meetings for the Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC) variable refrigerant flow multi-split air conditioners and heat pumps (VRF multi-split systems) working group (WG), AHRI said in a Press communiqué. The purpose of the WG will be to discuss and, if possible, reach consensus on a proposed rule regarding test procedures and energy conservation standards for VRF multi-split systems, the communiqué said. The WG is expected to make a concerted effort to negotiate its first term sheet on test procedures and its second term sheet on energy conservation standards within six months of its first meeting, the communiqué further said.

According to AHRI, the complete list of VRF WG members is:

• Michael Adams, GLUMAC, Tetra Tech, Energy Analyst, Project Manager
• Ashley Armstrong, U.S. Department of Energy, Team Lead for Test Procedures and Certification and Enforcement
• Jeremy Babb, United Technologies Corporation, Global Engineering Manager
• Daniel Bressette, Alliance to Save Energy, Vice President, Policy and Research
• James Broughel, George Mason University, Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor
• Kristen Driskell, California Energy Commission, Manager, Appliances & Outreach & Education Office Efficiency Division
• Tom Eckman, NW Power and Conservation Council, Consultant/Senior Advisor
• Jill Hootman, Trane Commercial HVAC/Unitary, Manager Product Planning
• Marshall Hunt, Consultant, Consulting Mechanical Engineer
• Diane Jakobs, Rheem Manufacturing Co., Manager of Regulatory and Technical Affairs
• Rob Lafleur, Midea America Research Center, North America Product Manager, Room Air Conditioning
• Joanna Mauer, Appliance Standards Awareness Project, Technical Advocacy Manager
• Christopher Perry, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Senior Analyst – Buildings Program
• Laura Petrillo-Groh, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, Engineering Director of Regulatory Affairs
• Louis Starr, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Energy Codes and Standards Engineer
• Rusty Tharp, Goodman Manufacturing Company, Director of Regulatory Affairs
• Arturo Thur de Koos, Fujitsu General American, Inc., Government Affairs and Compliance Engineer
• Douglas Tucker, Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating, Senior Manager of Building Code Compliance
• Joe Vukovich, Natural Resources Defense Council, Energy Efficiency Advocate, Climate and Clean Energy Program
• Wei Wang, Johnson Controls, Inc., Product Engineer, VRF & Ductless, North America Building Technologies & Solutions
• David Winningham, Lennox International, Allied Air Enterprises Division, Senior Engineering Manager – Regulatory Affairs

The communiqué said the VRF WG in-person meetings will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, August 24, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building.

According to AHRI, participants may register by using the following link: ASRAC VRF Meeting Registration; the agenda will be available for public viewing at EERE-2018-BT-STD-0003 in the near future.