Joanna Turpin is a Senior Editor at The ACHR NEWS. She can be contacted at 248-786-1707 or joannaturpin@achrnews.com. Joanna has been with BNP Media since 1991, first heading up the company’s technical book division before moving over to The ACHR NEWS, where she frequently writes about refrigerants and commercial refrigeration. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and worked on her master’s degree in technical communication at Eastern Michigan University.
Some are calling for the Uber dynamic pricing model to be used in the HVACR contracting world, especially during peak times like summer, when demand for technicians often outstrips supply.
The three-day event featured educational sessions and panel discussions that covered everything from technology and market trends to regulatory updates to what the future of the refrigeration industry may look like.
Refrigerant regulations are another reason why change is coming, as HCFCs will be phased out by 2020, and given their high global warming potential (GWP), HFCs will likely be phased down in the near future as well. At some point, supermarkets will need to start considering low GWP alternatives such as HFO blends, as well as so-called “future-proof” refrigerants such as ammonia, CO2, or propane.
It took more than 17 months for Jackson Systems to research and build the Virtual Technician app, which won gold in the Contractor Services and Software category of the 2018 Dealer Design Awards.
Lennox’s SL280NV Ultra Low NOX gas furnace was built to address a market need in the South Coast and San Joaquin air quality districts in California, which require the reduction of emissions to 14 nanograms of NOX per joule.
Emerson spent more than three years researching and designing its 2018 Dealer Design Award gold-winning product in the Refrigeration and Ice Machines category.
As more states — and possibly the federal government — move to restrict the use of HFCs, it is likely that end users will soon start moving over to these alternative refrigerants, which means contractors should be prepared for that transition.
Refrigeration contractors who have not yet attended the annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) show really need to put it on their bucket lists. For four days each year, McCormick Place convention center is filled to the rafters with vendors exhibiting everything from gluten-free pasta to pizza ovens to high-tech ice machines.
In contrast to many other countries around the world, Americans consume a lot of ice. That’s probably why ice machines are found virtually everywhere here, from convenience stores and supermarkets to hotels and hospitals. It doesn’t really matter what shape it takes — cubes, flakes, nuggets, chips, etc. — but it does have to look and taste good.