No matter how state-of-the-art the heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment is, more than likely it is running on coal-generated power. So, what is being done to offset coal-generated power with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind? And can those sources create enough power to run HVACR equipment?

This year, we are happy to name a well-deserved repeat winner in the Northeast region. Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning first won The NEWS’ Best Contractor to Work For contest in 2003. The essentials haven’t changed: It’s still a family business for more than one family.

Committed. Caring. Trustworthy. Family. These are the words that Donley Service Center employees use to describe the company. Taking that trust and respect to the next level of uncompromising integrity, however, sets the firm apart as The NEWS’ 2010 Best Contractor to Work For winner in the Western region.

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.