In the 1990s, consolidation swept across the HVAC industry. Contractors were rolled up into large publicly traded companies like American Residential Services, Group Maintenance America Corp., Service Experts, and the utility-owned Blue Dot.
An HVAC solution was the headliner for an event on Feb. 19 at a 121-year-old building in the nation’s capital named after one of America’s greatest composer-musicians. The event at Duke Ellington School of the Arts demonstrated how stepping beyond traditional non-inverter HVAC systems can preserve a building’s historical architecture, enhance energy efficiencies, minimize noise, and earn design-award accolades.
Regal Beloit Corp. has become an expert in FER compliance by redesigning its products to meet the new standards, including the Genteq® Ensite® motor, DEC Star® blower assemblies, and a new electronically commutated motor (ECM) to provide FER compliance for entry-level fans. These products were on display at the 2019 AHR Expo.
Location isn’t everything, but it helps. Just ask homeowners selling their property, or restaurant owners. In the HVAC world, it also rings true for some motors and drives and the professionals who work with them. That includes contractors, even if maybe not in the way that one would expect. Some current and next-gen drives will make location matter in a new way: Contractors can spend more time further away from the equipment itself.
For HVAC pros interested in motors and drives, Tuesday afternoon at this year’s AHR Expo in Atlanta featured a good chance to give the feet a rest and focus on the mind for a while. Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) presented a three-phase session called VFDs: Method of Laboratory Test and a Case Study.
Is it possible that buildings of the future will be a strategic asset — that they will operate in an intelligent way to be productive facility managers and monetizable for real estate owners? Is it possible that the traditionally conservative and risk-averse building and construction industry would leverage the latest technologies, such as the IoT, big data, cloud computing, data analytics, deep learning, and artificial intelligence, for the benefits of saving energy, reducing operational expenditures, increasing occupancy comfort, and — most importantly — meeting increasingly stringent global regulations and sustainability standards?
Judging by the emphasis in the AHR booth, Panasonic is working to differentiate itself by putting considerable emphasis on health and IAQ. Even though it is not scheduled to reach the U.S. market until early 2020, the offering getting the most attention this year was nanoe™X.
A tour through METUS’ booth at AHR with Smith included multiple examples of how the company has looked for ways to make small adjustments, accommodations, and improvements through product lines to live up to that mission for contractors and their customers.