Tools of the HVAC trade help technicians and installers perform at increased efficiency and accuracy levels. Some tools even provide the ability to accomplish a task that couldn’t be done otherwise. The winners of The NEWS’ Dealer Design Awards’ Tools category represent equipment from both sides of the toolbox.
This year’s winners in the residential controls (including zoning) category of The NEWS’ fifth annual Dealer Design Awards are providing contractors with new ideas to make every zone in the house accurately controlled and comfortable.
As contractors endeavor to implement new and alternative rooftop technologies, questions often arise as to what the best choice is for each customer. What many of them have found, however, is that no one solution can be effective for every customer.
There is more to consider than refrigerants, ducting, and utility hookups when installing rooftop equipment. Safety procedures should also be a concern as rooftop installers confront falling risks, large heavy equipment, and the operation of ladders, lifts, and cranes.
Rooftop units and their components present interesting challenges to the commercial contractors who install and maintain these systems. After talking to some contractors, The NEWS found that new refrigerants and the replacement market are two concerns populating a commercial contractor’s weekly checklist.
As 13 SEER came down the pike in 2006, contractors and distributors, operating on scattered timetables, took multiple approaches to preparing for the new industry requirements. Faced with yet another transitional challenge, the industry is making new efforts to prepare for 2010, the next step in R-22 phaseout.
Every consumer has their price and value limit. According to an industry survey, 52 percent would replace their system when repairs reach $1,500; 78 percent would replace when repairs reach $3,000; and 88 percent would replace when repairs reach $5,000. Information about such consumer preferences from a recent survey will be helpful to contractors looking for a competitive edge.
The green cloud hovering over Washington, D.C. is keeping activist groups, lobbyists, and associations on their toes as legislators endeavor to define green, legislate efficiency, and reduce the environmental crisis scientists are reporting as inevitable.
In the midst of Chapter 11 proceedings and company reorganization, Fedders Corp. of Liberty Corners, N.J., has sold its residential HVAC business - including the Fedders, Air Temp, and Emerson Quiet Kool brands - to Airwell Air Conditioning BV of Guyancourt, France, for approximately $13.25 million.
“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less,” said Gen. Eric Shinseki, the former U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Today’s HVAC contractors are finding themselves facing the questions of relevancy and effectiveness.
