Small and medium commercial buildings (SMCBs) — up to 100,000 square feet — have not seen the same penetration of energy-efficiency technologies as larger facilities due to lower expenditures on energy management, lack of customer education, perceived high risk of retrofit financing, and split incentives between the building owner and tenant, noted Navigant Research. 

The global market for air conditioning systems was valued at $104.4 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach $167 billion by the end of 2024, expanding at a 5.1 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2016 to 2024.

Pricing is definitely a moving target. Make sure the systems you have in place allow you to be flexible and grant you the ability to make changes when equipment, overhead, or any other items change price. 

Industry figures are estimates that are derived from the best available figures supplied by a sample of AHRI member companies. 

It takes a village to keep data safe, with manufacturers, contractors, and consumers all playing a role. But there is no question that manufacturers will continue to take the lead in cybersecurity, designing products that help keep customers safe and secure.

There is a lot of buzz these days about the Internet of Things (IoT) and how it will continue to influence — some say take over — our lives in the near future. But what does the IoT mean for HVAC contractors, and, more importantly, how can they profit from its proliferation?

The Internet of Things (IoT) market is expected to explode in the coming years, according to a recent report that predicts it will grow from an installed base of 15.4 billion devices in 2015 to 30.7 billion devices in 2020 and 75.4 billion in 2025. In response to this trend, many HVAC manufacturers are introducing IoT-enabled products designed to benefit consumers and contractors alike.

VRF systems can achieve up to 30 percent HVAC energy cost savings relative to minimally code-conventional-compliant systems or older inefficient systems across a range of building types, according to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In addition to energy savings, VRF systems offer flexibility, cost-effective installation, and greater comfort for end users.

While there are pros and cons to offering extended warranties, most contractors agree offering this added assurance differentiates themselves from their competition and makes them that much more valuable to customers.

Some manufacturers with foreign names are producing products in the U.S., some companies that were founded in this country are making products overseas, and a big chunk of the industry is doing both. It is the job of the contractor to figure out if this is important to the customer.