Solar technology is hardly new, but the ways in which it is being applied to carry smaller portions of the load is new. Lennox Industries, for example, recently unveiled SunSource™, an integrated, solar-assisted residential heating-cooling system. It will be available to the public in 2009.

The technologies that we tend to think of as being new, or nontraditional, probably aren’t all that new. What is new is that these are today’s go-to technologies - things that we already have in hand to deal with the relatively new challenges facing, well, the world.

Just before the start of the Summer Olympics in China, the HVACR industry hosted a different kind of competition when the United Association’s (UA’s) 55th annual Instructor Training Program (ITP) was held recently at Washtenaw Community College’s Great Lakes Training Center.

Higher efficiency and improved comfort are some of the main features of today’s air movement and control systems. Savings can be hard to quantify, because more often than not they depend on changing conditions, such as weather patterns and the cost of fuel.

Performance contracting is changing for the better, at a time when it can do great good for contractors and their commercial customers. In the past, “contractors” needed deep pockets in order to make it work. Today’s methods for delivering performance contracting have been modified to make it a more feasible proposition. Some commercial contractors think it’s ready for a comeback.

Managing risk is necessary among all construction professionals, particularly on the mechanical systems side. Are current trends increasing the need? The answer is a big 10-4, according to a risk management seminar at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Maintenance helps mechanical systems live longer, but how about its effects on system efficiency and sustainability? A seminar at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) offered contractors a way to justify maintenance with efficiency gains.

Whether improving an existing system or installing a new one, the QI Standard details performance levels, approved procedures, and documentation requirements.

Managing risk is necessary among all construction professionals, particularly on the mechanical systems side. Are current trends increasing that need? The answer is yes, according to a risk management seminar at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

When Aprilaire introduced its 1700 and 1720 whole-home dehumidifier models a few years ago, the company already had a system in place to make improvements. Those are now available thanks to an accelerated review process and paying close attention to contractor and end user feedback.