The NEWS interviewed contractors around the country who are taking steps to handle unexpected weather and extreme conditions that may compromise safety. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have provided safety tips for businesses and consumers who can be adversely affected by this year’s strange weather patterns.

Crockett Facilities Services Inc. (CFSI), a provider of building operations and maintenance, mechanical contracting, and HVAC services to government and commercial clients, was recently awarded a contract by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Social media presents two primary choices: get involved or be left behind. Contractors have heatedly debated that statement, along with many other social media topics, for some time. More often than not, however, the argument circles back to social media relevance. With social media being so new, industry relevance is more a matter of opinion that could be argued from both sides.

The heating and cooling trade was not immune to the woes of the recent economic recession. The HVAC trade had to learn to deal with the reality of possible loss of profits from falling revenues, a shift in the market from replacement to repair, and an influx of new business owners bent on lowering prices and lowering credibility of the trade.

Does it make a lot of sense for a commercial HVAC contractor, who specializes in rooftop unit service and replacement, to market his wares on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter? If you had suggested this to Jon Lazarus a few years ago, he might have wanted to find a straitjacket for you. But not now.

The tough economy has led many contractors to hunker down, conserving resources and cutting expenses. Other contractors are taking the opposite approach, investing in their companies and expanding operations to include additional profit centers. While there are different ways an HVAC contractor can go, most look to plumbing or electrical as natural extensions.

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the nation’s largest association of indoor environmental systems professionals, announced the winners of the Residential and Commercial Contractor of the Year awards during the ACCA’s 43rd Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo, held in San Antonio.

In a survey of more than 1,500 homeowners conducted by Emerson Climate Technologies Inc. late last year, a high percentage of consumers showed continued interest in potential energy savings as a major purchase criterion when replacing an existing HVAC system.

Gas prices across the nation have been on a steep upward trend, and the end of price hikes is not yet in sight. From mid-February to the first week in March, national average gas prices rose $0.33. By the middle of March, AAA reported that the national average price for a gallon of regular gas was approximately $3.553 and diesel was $3.93.