HVAC Contracting

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Good customer service is vital for any HVACR company looking to experience business success. Time management is key, customer-friendly explanations are valued and following up after job completion goes a long way. But what about call handling?

According to a survey of over 200 contractors, the top three fleet concerns for service businesses are labor costs, fuel costs, and vehicle maintenance. Each of these business challenges provides their own unique issues to service businesses with fleets of any size. The common thread between these challenges is a lack of accountability with the drivers. If there’s no system of monitoring behavior and keeping track of certain information, then how do you know what is causing each of these types of pain points?

As the overall economy continues to expand and improve, in virtually every industry employers are finding it increasingly difficult to hire employees. The number of baby boomers reaching retirement age, estimated to be almost 10,000 each day, makes the labor shortage even more acute. In addition to the loss of their services, baby boomers who leave take with them institutional knowledge, operational know-how and informed best practices that may be difficult or even impossible to replace. Such losses are likely to continue for at least several more years if not longer.

Being a contractor isn’t an easy job by any means, there’s no doubt about it. When it comes to renovation projects and whatnot, the process differs a lot from field to field. However, some things always stay the same. Regardless of whether your profession has to do with HVAC, electrical, or plumbing, you’ve most likely noticed that clients tend to have similar concerns.

Georgia Tech has an ongoing commitment to sustainable design and architecture. At their Atlanta campus, the University has invested in advanced Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) systems to provide comfortable and energy efficient indoor environments for more than 23,000 enrolled students.

Bob and Tim arrive at the jobsite of a new customer. The customer is the owner of a shopping center that has a branch post office as one of its tenants. The complaint has been that the system is not controlling the indoor temperature in the postal facility. Tim tells Bob as they are arriving that the service ticket says that they are to service a 20 ton split system that uses a hot water coil for heating and an air conditioning coil and condensing unit for cooling. They are to do routine maintenance on the entire system.

In this troubleshooting situation, the customer is complaining that their comfort cooling system isn’t performing as it should. Their description of the problem is that the house always seems to be too “sticky”. They also say that the problem seems to be especially evident when the outdoor ambient reaches its highest level in mid-afternoon.

When electrical equipment must be maintained or repaired while energized, an arc flash hazard may be present. Affected workers need to know what steps should be taken to stay safe. Arc flash warning labels can provide this information, right where and when it’s needed. As a result, experts in electrical safety recommend using standardized and helpful arc flash labels

Known as the “Green Mountain State,” Vermont generates significant amounts of its electricity from renewable energy sources and boasts the smallest carbon footprint in the country. To make sure it stays green, Vermont's Public Utility Commission in the year 2000 created Efficiency Vermont. The innovative program is an energy resource for all in-state rate payers with the end goal of saving energy and putting money back in their pockets.