There’s a reason why Fort Collins was named one of the best places to live in the country - its location at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains make it visually stunning and also allows for some terrific recreational activities. It’s also where Poudre Valley Air, the West Region’s winner of The NEWS’ Best Contractor To Work For contest, conducts business.
Nine companies have been named as the winners of the eighth annual AHR Expo Innovation Awards. All nine companies will be recognized at the awards ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. in the New Product Technology Theater A at the show. In addition, one will be selected as the overall winner of the 2010 AHR Expo Product of the Year Award.
A splashy opening celebration at Chase Field kicked off the 8th annual Greenbuild conference and expo hosted in Phoenix by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The ceremony featured a keynote address by former Vice President and noted environmental advocate Al Gore.
Manufacturers who have incorporated communicating technology into their new residential heating and cooling products have seen a huge demand for these smart systems. Contractors benefit because the systems speed installation and troubleshooting. The increasing demand is the main reason why the ClimateTalk™ Alliance was formed earlier this year.
Central heating and cooling systems have been around for a long time, yet over the decades not much has changed in the way homeowners interact with their HVAC equipment. That is slowly changing as equipment manufacturers continue to introduce smarter, more sophisticated controls.
Commercial building owners and property managers have been able to remotely access their facilities over the Internet for many years. Now that same kind of remote control technology is coming to the residential market, as manufacturers are beginning to offer thermostats that can be accessed via the Internet.
Customer awareness of the industry transition to R-410A still seems to be on the low side, so contractors need to be prepared to spend time educating consumers about the new refrigerant. One estimate is that only 30 to 40 percent of the public knows about the phaseout of R-22.
Every day, dealers must discuss the phaseout of R-22 with customers. This can be a confusing topic for customers to comprehend, which is why manufacturers have provided dealers with all kinds of educational materials to help explain the phaseout of R-22 and the benefits of moving to R-410A.
Topp provides portable air conditioning and heating solutions from offices around the country. So it was a challenge in training the company’s many technicians in the use of R-410A. In 2008, the decision was made to bring all company technicians to the Philadelphia-area office for one- or two-day training sessions.
Not that long ago the good-better-best gas furnace options that were presented to homeowners often consisted of 90 percent, 92 percent, and 95 percent AFUE equipment, respectively. That’s all changed thanks to the federal tax credit that went into effect earlier this year.