The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) will be offering seven education tracks during its 43rd Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo, taking place from Feb. 15-17. These tracks include Business Fundamentals; Residential Contracting; Commercial Contracting; Technical Excellence; Contracting Leadership; Refrigeration; and Quality Assurance.

On Jan. 28, the Building Performance Institute (BPI) released a proposed new standard (BSR/BPI 101-201x, Home Energy Auditing Standard) for public comment. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) reviewed BPI’s proposed standard and believes that a number of significant flaws need to be addressed and a number of passages need to be improved.

Contractors attending this year’s Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) conference had a lot of burning issues on their minds concerning the HVAC industry. Thanks to the much-anticipated CEO Forum that is held at the conference every year, attendees had the opportunity to ask manufacturing leaders about those issues that directly affect their livelihoods.

The economic conditions of the last few years have been tough for HVAC contractors. While some economic indicators point to a modest recovery underway, contractors may need a little more convincing, as evidenced by the Contractor Comfort Index (CCI), which decreased in the months of December and January before rising a bit in February.

It’s a new year, and there’s a crowd of newly sworn-in representatives and senators working on Capitol Hill. What Congress does this year will probably have an impact on HVAC businesses, so the industry will keep close tabs on the legislators. A focus on the national deficit and how to cut spending is expected to factor into many legislative actions this year.

Contractors have looked forward to attending the Indoor Air Expo, a collaboration between the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), for several years. This year, a new partner has been added - the Radiant Professionals Alliance (RPA).

The last few years have been challenging for HVACR contractors, the poor economy has resulted in financial stress, and recent federal legislation has caused concern. Even with these recent difficulties, there are numerous reasons to be hopeful, said Paul Stalknecht, president and CEO, Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA).

The HVAC industry got a Christmas gift from the federal government in late 2010, when those energy efficiency tax credits were approved for one more year - although at the lower level of $500. Contractors have been using the credits to help give replacements and upgrades a quicker payback.

You may be familiar with the Energy Star® label on energy efficient heating and cooling equipment, but did you know there are also Quality Installation (QI) guidelines to help ensure that heating and cooling equipment is installed properly? Nearly half of all heating and cooling equipment in U.S. homes never performs to the advertised capacity and efficiency due to installation problems.

The 2011 SkillsUSA Ohio Regional Challenge was held March 26 at the W.R. Timken Center, Stark State College of Technology. The Akron Canton Area Chapter of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has sponsored the regional competition for high school students since about 2002.