Midea, AHRI Advance Global HVAC Standards Collaboration Following Strategic Meeting in China

Stephen Yurek, president of the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, alongside the AHRI management team, visited Midea Air Conditioning Headquarters in China. The delegation shared AHRI’s global organizational structure and mission, discussing future collaboration with Midea to advance regional energy efficiency standards and streamline regulatory pathways for market access across global regions.

AHRI President Stephen Yurek and senior leadership met with Midea executives to explore joint initiatives aimed at strengthening global HVAC standards, market access protocols and regulatory alignment, especially in extreme-climate regions and emerging markets.

Key highlights from the visit include:

• AHRI honored Midea for achieving 100% certification compliance for three consecutive years across multiple HVAC categories, including VMAC, PTHP and PTAC products.
• AHRI praised Midea’s next-gen systems for delivering 100% heating at -31°F and 100% cooling at 140°F, further supporting global decarbonization and rebate-aligned performance metrics.
• Midea and AHRI discussed localized market strategies for developing economies, extreme climates and regions lacking unified HVAC standards. helping build regulatory foundations to encourage adoption of high-efficiency systems.
• Midea became the first Chinese brand admitted to AHRI’s Central Ducted Systems Unitary Section Leadership Council, reinforcing its leadership in technical innovation and standards co-development.