US body to work closely with UAE entity to evolve country-specific standards; same with SASO 

Mohamed Saleh Badri

AHRI (the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute) on February 22, signed an agreement with ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology), whereby the UAE body will have access to use the AHRI testing and rating standards and to adapt them to regional conditions as ESMA standards. ESMA’s Acting Director General, Mohamed Saleh Badri and AHRI President, Stephen R Yurek were the signatories. 

According to the agreement, seen as a step in a process that can lead to the certification/ verification of claimed equipment performance, AHRI and ESMA have agreed to work closely to bring ESMA standards to the market. ESMA on its part will invite manufacturers to apply to join ESMA committees engaged in all the phases of developing standards and regulations dealing with energy efficiency. 

The move is in line with ESMA’s drive to usher in energy efficiency in buildings. As a national standards body for the UAE, ESMA’s stated goals include working to safeguard the environment and to ensure domestic. The agreement with AHRI is to ensure that the country is able to fast-track the process of establishing a comprehensive set of standards. Speaking to Climate Control Middle East, ESMA’s Acting Director General, Mohamed Saleh Badri, said: “Instead of starting something from scratch, we noticed that we can use AHRI standards. Developing standards is a heck of a job, and we are happy that AHRI will allow us to use their standards as our standards.” 

Stephen Yurek

Added James Walters, Senior Director (International Affairs) at AHRI: “We first met ESMA in November 2009 and had detailed discussions on how we can join hands with them. We feel happy we can provide technical assistance on how best to deal with energy and environmental concerns.” 

ESMA has different committees for different standards, be they electrical, chemical or physical. The committee dedicated to energy-efficiency will review the suitability of AHRI standards for UAE conditions and offer its recommendations. 

A day earlier, AHRI signed a similar agreement with SASO (Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation), again aimed at establishing energy-efficiency standards, in the Kingdom. The agreement will allow SASO to adopt and adapt AHRI testing and rating standards to Saudi conditions. SASO’s Director General, Nabeel Molla and AHRI President, Stephen R Yurek were the signatories. 

Post the signing of the MoU between AHRI and ESMA, Stephen R Yurek, President of AHRI spoke to Climate Control Middle East on the implications of the agreement and the way forward. James Walters, the Senior Director (international Affairs) at AHRI, also contributed. Read the Interview »