The 2008 election year is quite different than in the recent past, as this is the first time since the 1928 election in which there is neither an incumbent president nor an incumbent vice president running for their party’s nomination in the presidential election.

Solar power companies from the 1970s are getting back in the picture and some have even resurrected old manufacturing facilities. As oil prices are hovering around the $100/bbl mark, investment in solar power is surging.

The complications of the marketplace never cease, but they always seem to change from one year to the next. This first in a special series of supplements from The NEWS addresses those changes and begins to explore two constants that every market in the coming years will share in common - conservation and comfort.

In the coming months, five more special supplements to The NEWS will be published that delve further into the worlds of conservation and comfort. Here is a sneak peak at some of what you can expect.

The AHR Expo in New York City is a blur in the rearview mirror now, but an after-taste is in the mouths of a few. The NEWS received several letters from attendees who suggested that the rule of “no photography on show floor” should be more strictly enforced. I agree.

Having worked for a prominent geothermal manufacturer while competing with Earth Linked Technologies (formerly ECR Technologies), here is a tip of the hat to the boys in Lakeland, Fla. I spent part of a day at the company’s annual sales meeting.

The HVAC industry in the United States has very few barriers to entry. Nearly anyone with a pickup truck and a knack for installation or service can become a contractor.

Everyone seems intent on comparing the saving of building more efficient cars, of building more efficient toasters, of building more efficient heat pumps, and yes, the more efficient use of anything to - saving trees.

A big part of the attraction for this 60th Annual AHR Expo is the city. It is a show in itself. But if you’ve never been to NYC, let me reassure you - it is a fantastic city. New York, the largest city in the United States, has a little bit of everything for everybody. And this week, it has a lot for people with an interest in all things HVAC.

It appears that the further up the chain one goes, the more options exist for selling directly to a variety of buyers. Contractors, who reside nearer the bottom of the chain, only have one buyer. Contractors don’t sell product back to wholesalers, distributors, or manufacturers. They only sell one step down the chain - to end users.