The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) brought together over 80 senior industry leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for its third annual Leadership Roundtable on November 24. Held under the theme “Ready for Climate Change,” the meeting took place during the inaugural HVACR World exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Center.
The roundtable provided a platform for discussions on climate policy, refrigerant transition, regional regulations, and the market outlook for the HVACR industry in MENA. AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek opened the session with an overview of the global refrigerant transition and the United States’ pathway toward reaching 150 GWP limits for commercial equipment by 2032. He highlighted the need for climate policies to be both economically justified and practical. “For policies to succeed, they must be achievable, economically justified, and aligned with real-world market conditions,” Yurek stated.
Henry Hwong, AHRI Senior Vice President of Global Services, announced the opening of a new AHRI office in Singapore. The office aims to support stakeholders across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, including manufacturers, regulators, engineers, and organizations.
Nabil Shahin, AHRI MENA Managing Director, presented updates on regional initiatives, including the development of three new regional performance equations for Integrated Part Load Value (IPLV) and Integrated Energy Efficiency Ratio (IEER). These equations apply to chillers, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems, and large unitary equipment, aiming to improve region-specific performance evaluation.
The event concluded with an interactive session, during which members affirmed support for AHRI’s strategic direction and provided feedback to guide future initiatives.