Bobby Ring didn’t set out to make the news in 2012, but that is exactly what happened. Now, he’s finding himself in the spotlight once again as one of The NEWS’ 2012 NEWSmakers.

The HVACR industry now has a voice in Congress. Republican Randy Weber, owner, Weber’s Air and Heat, Pearland, Texas. The freshman congressman is making headlines nationwide, including here in The NEWS as a 2012 NEWSmaker.

The election has come and gone. And while HVACR contractors held on to hope that November’s ballots would provide a bit of clarity, looming legislative gridlock and unstable economic conditions continue to provide a much murkier forecast.

For the fifth straight year, HVACR professionals met for Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s (ACCA) Service Managers Forum, focusing on streamlining the interaction between management, technician, and the customer.

More than 150 HVACR professionals explored the topic of building performance, the transition to home performance contracting, and more at Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s (ACCA) inaugural Building Performance Forum, Oct. 9-10, in Austin, Texas.

According to a recent AHR Expo survey sent to more than 1,000 HVACR manufacturers worldwide, 70 percent of the respondents expect the economy to be better in 2013 than in 2012. In fact, 15 percent of the manufacturers expect a “much better year.”

Most HVAC contractors selling, installing, and maintaining furnaces are hopeful that this winter will be a lot cooler than last year’s. However, as meteorologists forecast dipping seasonal temperatures, energy experts are projecting rising costs.

Engineers design and contractors build. Fusing the best of both worlds is Jonathan F. Lazarus, founder, owner, and president of Eagle Air Conditioning Inc., a White Plains, N.Y.-based commercial HVAC contractor.

States continue to move strongly in 2012 to advance energy efficiency initiatives regardless of which political party is in control of state legislatures and governors’ offices, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) on the release of its sixth annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard.

Randy Novak, president-elect of SMACNA, has urged his fellow contractors to follow his example and become involved in the home performance contracting market. Novak often works with Home Star Iowa and the firm’s chief building analyst, Rob Novak — who just happens to be his brother.