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Thanks, Mike Murphy, for the recent column on thermostats [“Technology Went Too Far This Time,” Nov. 1, 2010]. You have just touched my hot button. But in the editorial, the wrong question is being asked. I think it should be rephrased as: “Who in their right mind would want something as boring as a thermostat on the wall?”

Of all the things the industry can do to goose the new construction market, maybe the most significant to date has been the emphasis on home efficiency. Between the National Model Energy Code, residential energy standard, green building standard, and DOE’s Home Energy Score pilot program, it seems that multiple forces are working toward a common goal.

No longer satisfied with consumption of traditional media alone, the sight and sound consumer is now looking to simultaneously be educated and entertained, with an emphasis on entertainment. Thus, video marketing has emerged. As an HVACR contractor, you should be working on a video strategy right now.

Creating works of art out of old refrigerators is one way to keep inefficient refrigerators that could be safety hazards out of circulation without having to send them to the junk heap. That seems to be one reason why a public utility commissioned artists to use old refrigerators as artistic statements.

Everyone’s heard the old saying that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. But now the big uncertainty is what kind of taxes you could end up paying after you die. That’s because the estate tax was repealed for 2010 but is slated to come back in a big way in 2011.

Recent reports indicate that unemployment, though easing somewhat, will continue to be at relatively high levels, with some projections ranging from 8.3 to 9.6 percent by the end of 2011. Sorry to start off with what may appear to be such dire statistics, but there really is a bright side.

A hot topic around HVAC blogs has to do with the issue of “Rules for Cell Phone Use” and by extension, the use of regular land line phones as well. In the first place, isn’t it a shame that we need to have a set of rules for the use of cell phones? Whatever happened to common courtesy and etiquette?

In addition to regular meetings, Peaden Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing in Panama City and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., communicates weekly through a company enewsletter called As the Fan Turns. If I were an employee, everything I could ever want to know about the company’s activities is in that weekly communication.

There are several things to consider when making a determination as to services to add to your offerings. Does the new product/service fit within the culture of your company? What are the start-up cost risks in performing that new service? Are there any significant potential future risks or liabilities that you may be incurring?

I just finished reporting on the winners of this year’s Best Instructor contest, so I’ve recently been reminded about the power and influence of good teachers. For the second year in a row, our overall winner was a high school teacher. So I planned a trip to visit Jeff Sweda, check out his school, and meet his students.