This article is the third of three in a series about home performance contracting. In this final article of the series, we examine those criteria that require critical investigation in the selection of a home performance contracting partner.

Manufacturers appear to be very optimistic about the economic outlook for the HVACR industry. According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 AHR Expo exhibitors, nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of the total respondents expect a better year (59 percent) or a much better year (13 percent) in 2012 compared to 2011.

During good economic times, it isn’t unusual to see a lot of time and money spent on meetings, training, employee benefits, and marketing. But when business is slow and things have to be trimmed back or eliminated, it is usually these same items that disappear from the operating budget.

MechanicalXchange is an exclusive, invitation-only executive summit co-sponsored by The NEWS. The 2011 event was attended by more than 100 hand-selected people representing 23 mechanical contracting firms and 24 vendors. The purpose of the event is to bring buyers and sellers together.

As an industry, whether an HVACR contracting firm is doing service and maintenance or installations, employees need to go to the jobsite to perform their work. Because installers and service technicians have to be on the road for their job, some going to several jobsites in a day, they need vehicles to drive.

Technicians use a variety of tools in their jobs, from the ones they hold in their hands to fabricate or install or service equipment, to the ones they use to move from one location to the next. This product roundup includes GPS, hand tools, instruments, and vehicles that technicians use to perform their jobs daily.

Whether it’s getting the system ready to use for the very first time or figuring out what’s wrong before fixing it, these detectors, monitors, sensors, and tools make it possible to get the job done.

From giving turn-by-turn directions for a technician to drive from one jobsite to the next, to figuring out who is closest to a particular jobsite with the right equipment to make a service call, a GPS can provide contracting companies with more information that they can utilize to run their operation more efficiently.

It’s a tough crowd of consumers out there. According to distributors, consumer behavior is leading to a drop-off in the replacement market, as well as a drop-off in the high-end market. Yet despite these worrisome trends, distributors are still seeing areas of growth and employing smart tactics to keep their businesses in good shape.

Most small business owners around the country do not plan to hire due to the uncertain economic outlook. Parts of the HVAC industry seem to be trending in the opposite direction, however, as many contractors say they are planning to hire over the next 12 months.