Certification for A-Cs soon

ISHRAE to set up laboratory in Bangalore to test air-conditioners

The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air -conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) will set up a laboratory in Bangalore to certify air-conditioners and its components for power consumption, noise levels and the like.

ISHRAE, which is in talks with US-based Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), proposes to name the certification as ISHRAE-ARI certification.

While the first such testing and certification laboratory is expected to be set up in Bangalore within the next one year, ISHRAE is also looking to set up more such laboratories at Mumbai and Delhi.

The need for such a laboratory has been felt because there are still no fixed standards on parameters like how much power must an air-conditioner of a specific tonnage consumes, how much noise level must be permitted for various categories and the like.

"There is the ISI certification, but still, air-conditioners of different companies consume different amounts of power, there are differences in the noise levels and the like. The proposed laboratory will provide the ISHRAE-ARI certification after rigorous testing," said P R Dharkar, past president of the Ahmedabad chapter of ISHRAE.

He added that both ISHRAE and the parent worldwide body American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) are in talks with US company ETL to set up the laboratories in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi.

"The laboratories will be completed in a phased manner and are expected to cost around Rs 20 crore. ETL has shown an interest in setting up the Bangalore lab and by next year, we should be able to have the ISHRAE-ARI standards in place," said Dharkar, who is also a member of ASHRAE.

ISHRAE has identified the need to establish facilities for testing, rating and certification of air-conditioning, refrigeration, and allied equipment and systems as one of its key objectives.

However, it will not be compulsory for members to get the ISHRAE-ARI certification.

The past few years have seen a great surge in the manufacturing activities of both major equipment and ancillaries and devices in the Heating Ventilation Air-conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) industry.

This has given rise to a need for a facility which will under take testing, and will develop ratings which will help the industry establish reliable ratings and encourage development work.

The air-conditioning market in India is worth Rs 4000 crore at present. It is expected to grow to around Rs 14,000 crore by 2007.