Rooftop units and their components present interesting challenges to the commercial contractors who install and maintain these systems. After talking to some contractors, The NEWS found that new refrigerants and the replacement market are two concerns populating a commercial contractor’s weekly checklist.

As 13 SEER came down the pike in 2006, contractors and distributors, operating on scattered timetables, took multiple approaches to preparing for the new industry requirements. Faced with yet another transitional challenge, the industry is making new efforts to prepare for 2010, the next step in R-22 phaseout.

Every consumer has their price and value limit. According to an industry survey, 52 percent would replace their system when repairs reach $1,500; 78 percent would replace when repairs reach $3,000; and 88 percent would replace when repairs reach $5,000. Information about such consumer preferences from a recent survey will be helpful to contractors looking for a competitive edge.

The green cloud hovering over Washington, D.C. is keeping activist groups, lobbyists, and associations on their toes as legislators endeavor to define green, legislate efficiency, and reduce the environmental crisis scientists are reporting as inevitable.

In the midst of Chapter 11 proceedings and company reorganization, Fedders Corp. of Liberty Corners, N.J., has sold its residential HVAC business - including the Fedders, Air Temp, and Emerson Quiet Kool brands - to Airwell Air Conditioning BV of Guyancourt, France, for approximately $13.25 million.

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less,” said Gen. Eric Shinseki, the former U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Today’s HVAC contractors are finding themselves facing the questions of relevancy and effectiveness.

Measuring true profit and loss often proves challenging. The diverse factors and pieces of information from the back office and the field office create a large and diverse pool of facts. These facts can be an overwhelming source of unusable information or an orderly report that helps drive profitability. It all depends on how the information is filtered.

As times change, contractors have begun to implement a new piece of hardware that has helped revolutionize the way business is done - a computer. This hardware, however, is useless without the software applications designed to meet the specific needs of the HVAC industry.

Rooftop manufacturers brought big changes to rooftop units this year at the 2008 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo).

Hardware without software is useless, and this year’s software offerings at the 2008 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) concentrated on accuracy and versatility.