Every year The NEWS introduces the latest air conditioning units available for the upcoming summer season. This photo feature provides our 2012 Residential Cooling Showcase.

After facing a slow winter where much of the nation saw above-average temperatures and mild weather, contractors are gearing up for a busy summer season. To help them prepare, The NEWS introduces the latest cooling equipment available for the upcoming summer season.

Designed for any room without ductwork, such as in hotels and classrooms, the Envision™ Series Low Sill Console geothermal/water-source heat pump has large face, rifled copper tubes, and enhanced corrugated lanced aluminum fins, which provide high efficiencies at low face velocities.

The ORB heat pump controller is a patent-pending fully integrated equipment intelligence system offering complete operating, monitoring, control, and diagnostics capabilities. It performs the functionality of a total system management and reporting platform that provides real-time data trending and analysis.

Demand in the United States for HVAC equipment is projected to increase 5.1 percent annually to $16.8 billion in 2015, according to a study that came out in November titled HVAC Equipment from The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

The NEWS reports on new products found by our editors at the recent AHR Expo in Chicago. Products are listed in alphabetical order within each category.

The goal of Energy Star is to help consumers save money and protect the environment through the use of energy-efficient products. The HVAC products shown here have earned the Energy Star label by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines, which Energy Star states will enhance the comfort of a home while saving energy.

This year will bring plenty of changes to the Energy Star program, including implementation of Version 3 of its New Homes program. Most of the new guidelines became mandatory on Jan. 1. The rest kick in after July 1.

The features and benefits of high-tech HVAC equipment can often be lost on the end users — homeowners and building owners. What may seem to HVAC contractors like the greatest invention since sliced bread can result in blank stares from customers. But there is a way to make tech trends understandable to customers.

No, the U.S. military hasn’t abandoned its oh-so-familiar Army Jeep green. Though, these days, the words silver, gold, and platinum have forcefully worked their way into Army vocabulary and color scheme.