At Brothers Air, Heat & Plumbing Inc., its generous vacation policy, profit sharing, an open-book approach to how the company is doing, and a goal to be a place “where people like to work,” has earned Brothers recognition as the Best Contractor to Work For in the South.
Fire & Ice Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical's focus on training and company communication - between management and staff as well as between company employees and customers - are among the cornerstones of The NEWS 2010 Best Contractor to Work For in the North Central region.
Housing starts declined 4.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 529,000 units in the final month of 2010, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. However, the year-end data indicate that production of new homes improved 6.1 percent in 2010 over 2009. On another positive note, permit issuance for construction of new homes and apartments rose 16.7 percent in December.
There have been two approaches to capturing the sun’s energy: photovoltaics, to turn sunlight into electricity, or solar thermal systems, to concentrate the sun’s heat to boil water to turn a turbine, or use it directly for hot water or heating. But there’s another approach that was sidelined because nobody found a way to harness it in a practical, economical way.
This summer Brian Bovio got an invitation he couldn’t turn down - a chance to meet the president of the United States and talk business with him over lunch. Bovio is the operations manager of his third-generation family business, Bovio Advanced Comfort & Energy
Those looking to escape to sunnier destinations this winter might be wise to check out the 2011 Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating (AHR) Expo in Las Vegas. A primary focus will be solar energy, with numerous new solar products on display, more than a dozen seminars focused on solar topics, as well as demonstrations of solar technology.
Highlighting the importance of finding balance in design, this year’s American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ (ASHRAE) Winter Conference will focus on zero-energy design and greening the industry. The program will include paper-related sessions, application-oriented, non-paper seminars, and open discussion forums.
The HVAC industry got a Christmas gift from the federal government in late 2010, when those energy efficiency tax credits were approved for one more year - although at the lower level of $500. Contractors have been using the credits to help give replacements and upgrades a quicker payback.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is predicting continued recovery for 2011. So is Ben Bernanke, chairman of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, and so are many of the contractors with whom The NEWS discussed 2011 predictions late last year. These contractors offer economic and industry predictions, as well as business tips for first quarter 2011.
One of the most interesting and talked about topics in the HVAC trade is technician selling. The question is: Should an HVAC technician be trained to sell HVAC equipment and supplies? That question has sparked debate among the trade for many years. The result is that there is no definitive right or wrong answer to the question.