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.
Congress is back in session and the HVACR industry is waiting to see what the Senate has to say about the Waxman-Markey bill, H.R. 2454 - the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES). The bill, which already passed in the House, contains sweeping environmental reform that will change the way this industry and America does business.
Much of the focus lately has been about how the phaseout of HCFCs will affect a/c equipment; however, commercial refrigeration will also be significantly affected by the phaseout. Consider all the supermarket food cases, walk-in refrigerators/coolers/freezers, ice cream machines, etc., that currently utilize R-22, and you’ll get an idea of the magnitude of that market.
A huge portion of the commercial refrigeration market is still utilizing R-22 equipment. In fact, Grady McAdams of Heatcraft Refrigeration Products noted that research and analysis of the 1997 to 2007 installed base showed the retrofit market for HCFC condensing units for commercial refrigeration applications could be as high as 2.5 million units.
When CFCs were phased out, commercial building owners and managers had to decide whether to keep existing chillers that used refrigerant such as R-11 or invest in equipment containing HCFCs such as R-22. Now that HCFCs are being phased out, owners and managers are faced with the same decision: keep current equipment or move to chillers using HFC refrigerants.
Unfortunately, some customers can be a pain in the neck to deal with, becoming a serious drain on resources and a potential liability for word-of-mouth referrals. At what point do you let these never-satisfied customers go?
When changes occur in the HVACR industry, contractors routinely look to their trade associations for information. That has been the case with the impending phaseout of R-22 and the adoption of R-410A. Contractors have asked their associations for training on how to use the new refrigerant, as well as updates on government regulations.
Many manufacturers have had R-410A equipment available for years, and they’ve also offered training opportunities. In just a few short months, equipment containing R-22 will no longer be produced, and manufacturers want industry personnel to know that they are still providing training opportunities on R-410A.
The winds of change are blowing across the U.S., and nowhere is that more evident than in the commercial boiler market. Manufacturers have spent considerable time researching and developing new technologies in order to be able to offer cutting edge commercial boilers that feature high-efficiency performance, increased fuel savings, superior control, and low emissions.
Some heating and cooling contractors don’t buy into the current green trend, which frequently promises clear skies and verdant plains to anyone who buys the right products. But the truth is, many contractors are already a little green, even if they don’t want to admit it.
Every contractor loves the routine maintenance call that ends in a significant sale. It recently happened to Chad and Randall Scott, owners, Scott Brothers Heating and Air, Fleetwood, N.C. The difference in their situation is that comfort consultant Chris Young first sat down and explained several different heating and cooling options.