According to Energy Star®, energy costs have been increasing at a rate of 6 to 8 percent per year, which is why numerous building owners are getting serious about making their facilities more efficient. Energy audits provide a way for contractors to thoroughly evaluate existing systems and make recommendations that will ultimately lower the energy costs of a building.

For contractors, offering a wide range of IAQ products only makes sense because they want to make sure they address all their customers’ indoor comfort and health concerns. They know that happy, comfortable customers translate into repeat business as well as referrals, both of which are necessary for the growth and success of any HVAC contractor.

Over the last three decades, Dean Newberry of Talbott Solar and Radiant Homes, Davis, Calif., has thought long and hard about radiant cooling systems. His goal has been to figure out how radiant cooling - which has long been used in commercial buildings - can be applied effectively in residential and other low-rise, light frame buildings.

Move over traditional boilers and water heaters - there’s a new kid in town that can do both your jobs in a much smaller space. Who is this wunderkind? The tankless water heater, which is now being paired with hydronic air handlers in order to provide space heating and endless domestic hot water (DHW) in residential applications.

In the last few years, sales of high-efficiency boilers have increased dramatically, compounding the need for highly trained technicians who have an excellent understanding of hydronics, electrical systems, and electronics. That’s because today’s high-efficiency boilers require more complex piping and a need to understand advanced controls, so ongoing training is more important than ever.

The Department of Energy estimates that most energy recovery ventilation systems can recover about 70 to 80 percent of the energy in the exiting air of a home or business and deliver that energy to the incoming air, thus reducing the cost of ventilation.

Today’s advanced thermostats include numerous benefits and are also significantly more expensive than the round thermostats of yore, which make them a profitable add-on to any system sale. However, contractors should be aware that there are many different types of communicating thermostats on the market.

One of the best ways to add a few more dollars to each sale, according to many contractors, is to offer zoning to customers whenever it makes sense. Houses with two or more floors are prime candidates, as are homes in which customers complain that certain rooms are too hot or too cold.

Hard-wired building automation systems (BAS) have long been used to optimize the performance of mechanical systems in commercial and industrial facilities. However, they can be somewhat inflexible. Enter the wireless BAS, which experts say can be installed easily and cost-effectively during new construction or even after a building is completed.

Offering solar energy systems to customers is a natural progression for HVAC contractors, said Greg Gill, president and CEO, Action Air Conditioning, Heating, and Solar, San Marcos, Calif. “Unlike a solar-only contractor who sells equipment based on existing demand, we’re able to take the whole-house approach.”