HOUSTON, TX — Comfort Systems USA, Inc., recently announced organizational changes that the company hopes will help to capitalize on energy efficiency and energy management trends in the mechanical contracting market.

Marty Applebaum and Chuck Sherman, the senior leadership responsible for two strategic initiatives, facility automation services and integrated energy services, now report directly to chairman and chief executive officer William F. Murdy.

“The Comfort Systems USA family of companies has always been positioned to provide a wide array of mechanical and automation products, services, and solutions to commercial and industrial markets,” said Murdy. “These organizational changes will allow us to build on that strong position by better leveraging our distinctive capabilities in automation and energy services to take full advantage of the opportunities that exist in today’s energy market.”

Applebaum will coordinate automation engineering practice, national account management, manufacturer alliances, and FAS business development strategies across Comfort Systems USA’s operating locations with automation capabilities.

According to the company, this change places greater focus on its integrated energy services initiative, headed by Sherman. Comfort Systems USA defines its integrated energy services initiative as “a bundled service offering including energy master planning, in-depth facility evaluation, energy efficiency measure design and implementation, and supply side (commodity and infrastructure) consulting.”

Automation Trends

The company has cited several trends that have prompted its enhanced emphasis on facilities automation and integrated energy service.

Energy deregulation — Comfort Systems USA says that deregulation has caused building owners and managers to seek benefits and, in some cases, protect themselves from an open energy market. As a result, there is greater demand for mechanical and building automation contractors that can provide energy-based solutions integrating energy auditing, energy management, energy master planning, supply-side consulting, and real-time pricing and usage data.

Demand for unified building systems — The company also says that open protocols now allow for varying automation systems to interface with one another creating opportunities for building owners and managers to integrate the best available technology in facility management systems including hvac, refrigeration, lighting, and security.

Internet-based technologies — In the same way open protocols have allowed automation systems to be better integrated, Comfort Systems USA says that the Internet now allows systems to interface from multiple buildings, in multiple locations, over wide area networks. These same systems are also beginning to be used for energy arbitrage, where owners can reduce load and sell back capacity to the market or sell on-site generation capacity to the market.

“Comfort Systems USA’s facilities automation and integrated energy services expertise positions the company to respond to these emerging trends in the market,” said Murdy. “This company’s promise is to provide total business solutions for commercial and industrial customers.”

For more information, visit www.comfort systemsusa.com (website).

Publication date: 07/09/2001