"Personally," wrote Contractor A in an e-mail conversation, "one of the things I most hate about the current business world we live in is the business survival necessities that drive wedges between companies that have supported and helped each other for years."

Now that new efficiency standards for air conditioning are in place, the Department of Energy (DOE) is zeroing in on the heating side of the HVACR industry. The DOE recently issued its first official document in the current round of review of its energy-efficiency regulations for residential furnaces and boilers.

Business financial matters are private to many of you. It is one reason why it is difficult for us to round up our annual residential all-star team.

Play ball! The infield dust has settled. The News has selected 18 major league residential contractors, nine each from the new construction and replacement/add-on camps, as its 2004 News All-Stars. As the nominations and financial figures rolled in, one thing became clear: The 2004 teams were not going to be duplicates of last year.

Beutler Corp. is one of the major residential HVAC contracting, engineering, and sheet metal fabricating companies in the U.S. Is it any wonder that the Sacramento, Calif.-based company placed among The News' roster of major league residential new construction contractors for 2004?

When The News began searching for its 2004 Residential Replacement/Add-On All-Stars, it knew it had to investigate Lorton, Va., home base for United Air Temp (UAT). President Gabe Ivanescu always has his troops competing in the residential replacement/add-on market.

Readers write in on the topics of certification and contractors hiring HVACR-trained ex-felons.

A recent letter sent to The News is, to say the least, thought provoking. The writer asks for help in clearing up the "certification jungle."

The story you are about to read is true. The name has been changed to protect the innocent. This "northern California Betty" is just one of many frustrated women, trying to get respect from HVACR contractors and salespeople. What do you think?

If you ever wanted proof that contractors appreciate products that can be conveniently installed, maintained, and serviced, the overall scores and comments from the judges in The News' Dealer Design Awards Program would provide ample verification. And, if there was an underlying theme in the comments from the contractor-judges, it could be summed up this way: The simpler, the better.