In an effort to take North American Technician Excellence (NATE) to a higher level, Don Frendberg, NATE chairman, announced a restructuring of NATE personnel and an Administrative Services Agreement with the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) chose the Gulf Coast of Florida as the backdrop for its 2011 Annual Meeting. The meeting provides a forum for industry leadership to review issues that face the organization and review accomplishments.

At the recent Danfoss EnVisioneering Symposium, senior HVACR industry executives and government and industry officials explored the broad potential of the smart grid. At the symposium, speakers discussed the impact of the smart grid on the challenges faced by U.S. buildings and building systems.

Over 1,700 companies have reserved more than 414,500 square feet of exhibit space at McCormick Place for the 2012 Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration (AHR) Expo on Jan. 23 to 25, making it the largest HVACR exposition of all time.

Attendees at the 2012 ASHRAE Winter Conference will have the chance to discuss and examine the latest topics in the building industry, participate in technical tours, attend ASHRAE Learning Institute courses, earn professional credits, and obtain ASHRAE certifications.

New educational materials and e-learning are forming the basis of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society’s (RSES) efforts to introduce “publications of interest to members and the industry at large on timely topics and recent trends.”

In Indianapolis at the recent 30th annual reunion of the Dwyer Group, which operates several franchises in the service industries, Aire Serv Heating & Air Conditioning franchisees heard ideas of how to overcome the fear of change and steer their businesses into new directions.

The role of air conditioning and heating contractors — as well as those in the refrigeration sector — played a big part in a seminar called “Going Green and Paying for It: Green Tools for Municipalities” presented by the Illinois Chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Three contractors representing a spectrum of business styles and opinions on the use of technology spoke to a standing room only crowd of HVACR contractors during the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Contracting Week™.