A delegation from the US-based Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) met with senior executives from Midea Air Conditioning in China to accelerate electrification and regulatory harmonisation.
AHRI president, Steve Yurek, alongside the AHRI management team, travelled to Midea’s global headquarters to discuss future collaboration, advance regional energy efficiency standards and streamline regulatory pathways for market access across global regions.
AHRI also recognised Midea for achieving 100% compliance in AHRI's three consecutive years of certification testing in VMAC, PTHP, PTAC and other categories.
With over 330 member companies in North America alone, AHRI standards cover 95 per cent of HVACR products in the region.
With its global service framework expansion, it establishes localised efficiency standards and market access rules, ensuring high-efficiency products enter markets smoothly.
In a joint statement, Midea and AHRI said choosing Midea as the first stop of its China visit reflects AHRI's recognition of Midea's leadership in driving energy efficiency upgrades and standard development globally.
During the closed-door meeting, both parties explored collaboration frameworks for three market types:
- Developing Markets: Accelerate electrification and inverter technology adoption through high-efficiency solutions
- Extreme-Climate Markets: Jointly develop practical efficiency and quality standards based on local usage insights
- Markets Without Unified Standards: Build foundational regulatory systems to foster healthy competition
The discussions focused on leveraging AHRI's expanding footprint, including new Singapore and Dubai offices, to accelerate regulatory harmonisation.
This alignment ensures Midea's advanced systems qualify for key incentive programs like federal/regional heat pump rebates tied to high-efficiency standards.
Yurek outlined AHRI's global structure, highlighting offices in the US, China, India, UAE, and Mexico. He praised Midea's heat pumps delivering up to 100% heating output at -31°F and up to 100% cooling output at 140°F, expressing interest in deeper global collaboration.
Since 2017, Midea has collaborated with AHRI to actively participate in developing standards for multiple projects including high-efficiency low-temperature heating, eco-friendly refrigerants, and CVP, jointly advancing industry energy efficiency models using the new R454B eco-friendly refrigerant.
Midea attendees included Louis Zhao, president of the Residential Air Conditioning Division; Vincent Chou, vice president of the Residential Air Conditioning Division; and Dennis Lee, vice president of Midea Building Technologies Division International Business.