For those contractors who believe only wealthy customers with large homes are interested in purchasing energy-efficient heating and cooling products and systems … well, that’s a very bad assumption. Successful contractors are finding out that many residential owners are tired of their noisy, inefficient systems and are opting to pull them out and replace them with quiet, high-efficiency equipment and accessories.

Contractors participating in locally sponsored Home Performance with Energy Star programs are finding themselves able to offer homeowners substantial savings, as well as improve home comfort. Better yet, these same contractors are selling more energy-efficient products and systems, which translate into more income.

Money may attract people to the front door, but something else keeps them from going out the exit. Although many people claim they are quitting for a better paying job elsewhere, survey after survey shows that a lack of appreciation and recognition is a primary reason why people quit their jobs.

Indoor waterparks and natatoriums are part of almost every new hotel and resort development today. According to the 2006 Waterpark Resorts Construction Report, the number of indoor waterparks being built is growing more than 30 percent a year. This is good news for the HVACR industry, in more ways than one. Not only do the new hotels need cooling and heating, so do the new indoor pool facilities, which can be quite elaborate.

Stephen Roell said he plans to follow the footsteps of John Barth as CEO of Johnson Controls. That could translate into more acquisitions in the HVAC arena. “We have a balance sheet which allows this growth,” hinted Roell, who introduced himself in a July 26 teleconference as a manager who embraces the “growth culture” that Barth fostered.

Portable air conditioning has become an accepted method for providing temporary and emergency cooling during air conditioning shut downs or failures. Times are changing, though. As the market for portable air conditioners has evolved, so have the applications requirements.

What do you do when you have to take a building’s a/c system offline in order to make repairs? Or worse yet, what do you do when a system breaks down, and you’re going to have to wait a few days for a part? One answer is portable, or temporary, cooling.

When David Kruse was voted in as the 2007 president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), the president of L.J. Kruse Co. of Berkeley, Calif., vowed that he would be pushing association members towards green and sustainable building construction.

Dave Lundberg did not mince words. “Good counter people are definitely hard to find,” admitted the territory manager for Brauer Supply Co. “It takes a certain person to handle all that needs to be handled at the counter."

A few years ago, Robert Stringham read the tragic account of a small child and her mother who died during the night from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Instead of shrugging off the deadly incident, the HVAC instructor at Edison Academy thought it best to educate the public regarding the dangers of CO poisoning.