The website describes The Unified Group as “a National Network of Quality Independent HVACR Service Contractors … an alliance of independently owned mechanical contractors.”
Wayne Whittamore has been teaching at the Great Oaks Institute of Technology in Cincinnati, OH, for the past 16 years. He says that his program has always been successful, especially when working with contractors and placing graduating students into jobs. But since Great Oaks earned accreditation through the Partnership for Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA), Whittamore says he has seen even more success.
Nate and Ace are replacing another condensing unit during the cooling season. The equipment they are installing has been uncrated and installed according to the manufacturer’s installation instructions. They are about to charge the system.
In this Fort Worth suburb, Birdville High School is a large and impressive structure. But a big school can mean big heating and cooling bills. So instead of digging deep into taxpayer pockets, this public school dug deep into the ground, installing a geothermal heating and cooling system, to cut almost by half annual operating costs compared to a conventional HVAC system.
The use of geothermal energy actually has a long history in the United States. And that history stretches from ordinary people to our nation’s leaders. Two of our past presidents enjoyed geothermal resources on holiday and, today, President George W. Bush is using geothermal heating and cooling at his Texas ranch.
At the forum on “Water-to-Water Heat Pump Operating Problems,” held at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), one of the problems, it was acknowledged, is that they need a volume of water flowing at all times.
People in Texas have a reputation for doing everything in a big way. Right now there’s a home under construction in The Woodlands, TX, that puts most others to shame. The 33,000-square-foot custom home will cost upwards of $7 million when it’s finished this fall. Obviously, a comprehensive HVAC system is needed for a house this size in order to keep its occupants comfortable. Designing and installing that system are Wayne E. Jones, CEO, and Robert L. Sparks, CFO, Geothermal Air Conditioning, Humble, TX.
On August 9, the HVACR industry produced its 130 millionth central air conditioner and celebrated the milestone at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Executives for several HVACR companies listed on the NYSE rang the closing bell to mark production of the unit.
The popular notion is that many HVACR programs are slowly heading towards extinction at a number of educational institutions. Many have heard of programs that are either shutting down due to lack of enrollment or struggling to stay afloat and recruit students. But Vatterott College, with 16 campuses in the Midwest, is starting to see a trend that runs contrary to the idea that HVACR training programs are dropping off the radar screen.