The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided that U.S. industry is being materially injured by imports of refrigerant R-134a from China that are being “dumped” in the U.S. The USITC’s affirmative determination paves the way for the U.S Department of Commerce to issue an anti-dumping duty order.

Is it time to remake the image of the refrigeration technician? Could a new title for the role help the hardest-working men and women in the HVACR industry get more of the respect they so richly deserve? And, more importantly, could a new image help attract more young people to our industry? If so, maybe it’s time to introduce the newest member of the HVACR industry: the thermodynamic energy specialist.

The Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) has released its latest benchmarking snapshot, “Commercial Refrigeration.” The snapshot which utilizes information from the latest PRSM Benchmarking Report, “Energy Benchmarking Initiative Study,” the 2016 IBISWorld report, “Walk-in Refrigerator in the U.S. – Procurement Report,” and the new U.S. Department of Energy Updated Rule to Energy Policy Act.

With the proper understanding of equipment and methods, refrigerant recovery can be faster and easier (not to mention much more legal) than venting.

The case can be made that recovery and reclamation begins with keeping refrigerants in the system where they belong; refrigerant that leaks out into the atmosphere is never going to be recovered or reclaimed.

Thomas Watson, a former ASHRAE president and retired chief engineer at Daikin Applied, recently received the Institute of Refrigeration’s (IOR) J&E Hall Gold Medal Award for his ground-breaking work to improve the efficiency of chillers and industrial heat pumps.