The significance of a recent two-day conference was not only the extensive presentations regarding natural refrigerants such as CO2, HCs, and ammonia, but where the meeting was held — Washington, D.C.

Even turkeys need comfort in preparation for … well, you know. There is also a need for refrigeration and freezing. And the folks who prep the birds need comfortable working conditions. To make sure conditions are the best for all concerned, an 80,000-square-foot turkey products plant in Jonesboro, Ark., underwent an overhaul.

One of the toughest sells for contractors is the upfront costs of a new HVACR system, regardless of how quick the energy efficiency or environmental preservation paybacks might be. So one has to wonder if authors Mark Jacobson and Cristina Archer had upfront costs in mind when they wrote a study about wind power.

There is usually extreme pressure on high school counselors to get a high percentage of graduating students into college. To tell a student not to go on to college would call for diplomacy. To help in the diplomacy effort, it is important that the vocational tracks offered are shown in a favorable light.

Net zero energy buildings, changes coming in domestic refrigeration, the future of turbo equipment, and trends in energy efficiency. Those were the topics during plenary sessions that started each morning at the every other year Purdue conferences dealing with HVACR.

A hot topic in the world of refrigeration and air conditioning continues to swirl around refrigerants and what refrigerants will take hold and be used now, besides HFCs, and what will supplant HFCs in the future.

The problem of unwanted moisture in HVACR systems has been an industry evil for years. How to deal with it is resulting in a widening range of solutions. To the familiar approaches of using filter driers, nitrogen purges, and multiple evacuations, manufacturers are adding use of sealants as well as dehydrating and activating agents.

The concurrent 21st International Compressor Engineering Conference, 14th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference, and 2nd International High Performance Buildings Conference showed how dramatically the issue of global warming is impacting the refrigerant aspect of the HVACR industry and how complex the issue is.

As the supermarket industry continues to embrace so-called ‘natural refrigerants,’ manufacturers also continue to seek improvements in energy efficiency with what they hope is easy to use equipment for service technicians. The FMI Food Retail Show was a major showcase for these developments at this year’s show in Dallas.

With HFC refrigerants secure for the foreseeable future, it is still interesting to take a look from time to time at phase down talk and how the industry may adjust should that become a reality.