It’s well recognized that your car or truck needs regular maintenance. HVAC contractors and technicians likewise emphasize to their residential customers that their HVAC system needs a regular tune-up to keep the unit up and running and provide optimum performance. Here are 15 essentials of a residential HVAC tune-up.

Educational sessions at the 35th World Energy Engineering Congress, held Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, covered a broad range of energy-related topics. Two of particular interest to the HVAC industry included energy management and building commissioning.

“Energy is what keeps the United States, and the world, going,” said Colin Powell, retired four-star general, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and secretary of state for President George W. Bush. “And what I see is demand for energy is getting greater and greater and greater.”

Upgrading “the most famous office building in the world” is no small task, and Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, owner of the Empire State Building, has tackled it head on. It’s important to know “what will matter and what will not,” he stated, as he detailed progress to date at the 23rd annual North American Energy Efficiency Forum, sponsored by Johnson Controls and the United States Energy Association.

The 2011 Idea Show House, located in the Creekside Village community in Shelby Township, Mich., is a stylish 4,000-square-foot home that features innovative design and green, sustainable living. One of its primary green features is a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The theme of the 22nd annual North American Energy Efficiency Forum was “Energy Efficiency: The Smart Path to Energy Security and Economic Growth” and speakers addressed the importance of pursuing energy efficiency and alternative energy sources not only to reduce energy costs but also enhance national security.

It’s another year and it will soon be time again for more of the hustle and bustle of contractor shows. It’s time to shake hands, meet new business prospects and - most importantly - sell, sell, sell. If you’re a contractor who plans on going to a local or regional home and garden show in order to round up some new business, be sure to take maximum advantage of your time at the show.

It’s important to find out quickly if you’re doing anything wrong out in the field. A tech who doesn’t use his booties and dirties a customer’s rug can cost you future business. It’s also important to find out what you’re doing right. A tech who is always polite and professional, even when it’s an urgent emergency job, is golden. That’s why it’s essential to always request customer feedback.

The 21st annual Energy Efficiency Forum featured keynote speaker Gary Locke, secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Locke emphasized the need for the U.S. to aggressively pursue, and become a leader, in clean energy development.

HVAC contractors can take a cue from Orville Redenbacher, one of the most popular popcorn brands in the United States. In the marketing of your company’s brand, you might consider stepping front and center and let consumers know that you personally stand behind your company’s products and services.