This is the second in a series of white papers to assist and promote the initial progress of building national and local coalitions to address the tremendous need for building a workforce for the construction industry of America.

“I don’t think anybody who was on that [scroll technology development] team 20 years ago would have forecasted that we would have nearly 60 million pieces in the field today, 10 plants around the world, and scroll models from one to 30 horsepower... nobody would have envisioned that,” assured Ed Purvis.

Sit down with those deeply involved in the development and ultimate production of scroll technology, and the words “challenge” and “hurdle” are likely to surface quite a bit, as they did when The NEWS spoke with Emerson executives of the 1970s and 1980s, who played key roles in taking Copeland Scroll to market.

Generally speaking, the HVACR trade takes its good ol’ time in adopting - and then adapting to - new technologies, be they large or small, bigger or better.

On behalf of The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration NEWS, please enjoy a mix of nostalgia with the future, as you celebrate with Emerson Climate Technologies, the 20th Anniversary of Copeland Scroll. 

Everyone at Emerson Climate Technologies is proud of how far Copeland Scroll has come in its first 20 years. But as we reflect on scroll’s launch, its market acceptance and global expansion, we’re much prouder of what this technology evolution has meant to our customers and the industry as a whole.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory have been honored with an R&D 100 Award for developing Access Grid 3.0. With the Access Grid, remote collaborators can see and talk with each other and share materials, while avoiding unnecessary travel.

Housing starts fell 2.6 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.331 million units as the downswing in the housing market continued, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Starts were down 19.1 percent from a year earlier, falling to the lowest level in 12 years.

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) partners have collaborated on the first-of-its-kind Mold Safe Model Home, which incorporates mold-resistant building practices and building materials. Construction is now being completed on the 3,000-square-foot two-story showcase home located in Chesterfield, N.H.

In June, the Senate passed an energy bill. This month, the House of Representatives followed with its own energy legislation. This points to a conference committee in order to hammer out differences. We'd all be better off, however, if Congress just dropped the matter altogether.