According to financial services firm J.P. Morgan, the outlook for the North American HVAC market is one of solid growth. The firm released its 2010 HVAC Review and Outlook report in early July with predictions that both the residential and commercial sectors will improve. However, some in the industry have expressed concern that the outlook is too optimistic.

I feel sorry for my fellow editors on The NEWS this week. Unfortunately for them, I’ve caught a late summer cold.

It’s been a sizzling summer, especially along the Northeast coast, where many cities experienced a warmer-than-usual June and an even hotter July. According to Alex Sosnowski, an expert senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, “New York City averaged around 5.5 degrees above normal for July.” And, he added, it was a similar story for many other cities along the Eastern coast.

In the ever-evolving world of fleet monitoring and maintenance, it’s not just vehicles that are being watched. As the ability to track data improves, and the tools for analyzing that data become more sophisticated, smart companies are doing all they can to not only pay closer attention to their vehicles, but also focus on drivers’ patterns and habits.

No matter how cluttered your toolbox or truck gets, it seems that you can never have enough tools. The following roundup includes hand tools that fulfill a variety of needs for HVAC contractors. Read on and see what’s missing from your toolbox that you just might need to get your hands on.

Subway’s $5 Footlong® has been one of the company’s most successful promotions, and I admit that its commercial jingle used to get stuck in my head every time I heard it. But even more impressive than the catchy jingle is the story of how the $5 Footlong came to be.

In Modesto, Calif., a new technical school has opened its doors to students seeking an education in HVACR, plumbing, and electrical maintenance. The first class of the DeHart Technical School began on March 1, 2010 - and made founder Rod DeHart’s dream a reality.

If you haven’t been promoting whole-house humidification and dehumidification systems to your customers, you’ve been missing out on a huge source of potential profits. “There is no better sales opportunity than reacting to consumers who have problems with too dry or too humid air,” said Mike Rimrodt of Aprilaire.

Contractors have traditionally focused on selling humidity control systems to customers based on their location and climate. Yet the new trends to build tighter homes and weatherize existing structures are resulting in an across-the-board, across-the-country need for humidity control.

The Home Star bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives back in May, has been sitting around gathering dust in the Senate. But late last week, Senate leaders announced it may be included in a new energy bill, and suddenly Home Star is hot again.