ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute

Okay kiddo, have you ever noticed that sometimes it gets really hot outside and sometimes it gets really cold? Well, sometimes it's nice to have something that can make the air inside your house or car just the right temperature. That's where air conditioning and heating comes in!

The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI for short) is a group of companies that make things like air conditioning units, heaters, and refrigerators. They work together to make sure that these things are safe and work the way they're supposed to.

When it's hot outside, an air conditioner can make the air inside your house or car nice and cool. It does this by blowing air over something called an "evaporator coil" that has a special liquid in it that absorbs heat. That heat gets sent outside through something called a "condenser coil."

When it's cold outside, a heater can make the air inside your house or car nice and warm. It does this by blowing air over something called a "heat exchanger" that gets really hot. The air gets warmed up as it passes over the heat exchanger and gets sent into your house or car.

Refrigerators work a bit differently than air conditioners and heaters. They use something called a "compressor" to cool down the inside of the fridge so your food doesn't spoil. The compressor squeezes a special gas called refrigerant, which makes it really cold. The refrigerant then gets sent through something called an "evaporator," which cools down the air inside the fridge.

So, the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute is a group of companies that work together to make sure that things that cool down or warm up air (like air conditioners and heaters) and things that keep our food cold (like refrigerators) work the way they're supposed to and are safe to use.