New this year is the House of Pressure Theater. The display, presented by the Comfort Institute, visually demonstrates pressure and airflow dynamics within a residence.

“The House of Pressure is a model of a single-family home made of a clear, high-strength Lexan,” said Paul Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. “The house features an operable forced-air duct system with adjustable duct leakage and closable interior doors. It also includes a clothes dryer, bathroom fan, fireplace, and water heater. There are smoke generators in the water heater and the fireplace to demonstrate the dangers of back-drafting, and a smoke generator in an exhaust pipe in the garage to show the danger of carbon monoxide infiltration from a garage into conditioned space.

“The interior of the house can be viewed from all four sides and it gives the presenter the ability to create and control air flow with working scale reproductions of the mechanical air distribution systems that are found in most homes.”

Four theater sessions will be presented throughout the event. The “We Still Have Dust” presentation examines dust sources, settling rates, and how duct leakage and closing interior doors create negative pressures that pull in contaminated air from attics and other dirty spaces. The “We Still Have High Utility Bills” program examines why the highest efficiency heating and cooling equipment is affected by preexisting duct leakage and undersized ductwork.

The “Oh Boy, New Toys” showcase explores key test instruments including blower doors, duct airtightness testers, infrared cameras, and airflow/pressure/combustion safety tools. Through the “So, How Do We Make Money in Home Performance” exhibit, contractors learn some of the most effective home performance contracting strategies being followed by ACCA service/replacement contractors around the country.

Manufacturers including Goodman Manufacturing, Honeywell International, Icor International Inc., and others will be on hand displaying new products and technologies.

Aprilaire will be showcasing its Home Comfort Control system. The unit is a comprehensive two-part control system that utilizes a touch screen interface, which connects to an equipment control module with a standard three-wire connection. The system eliminates a need for separate humidifier, dehumidifier, ventilation, and temperature system controls and may be used with any HVAC system configuration.

“The event aligns perfectly with Aprilaire’s core values and initiatives, in that ACCA is a contractor-focused show and organization,” said Tom Ruse, Aprilaire marketing communications manager. “Our focus is working with contractors to grow their business through training and the promotion of indoor air quality services.”

DuPont™ Refrigerants will showcase its Isceon® MO99™ retrofit refrigerant. The refrigerant serves as a replacement for R-22 by mimicking R-22’s characteristics.

“ACCA is a very large event that features a ton of networking and education,” said Tim Snyder, Isceon market development manager. “It’s a great event for a myriad of contractors that service the industry and we cherish this opportunity to work so closely with them.”

IAQA will hold its 15th annual meeting during the ACCA conference. A major theme throughout the program is to clearly cite the science underpinning IAQ practices — or to acknowledge where there are gaps in the science.

“Topics in the program cover a broad range, but all relate to the indoor environment including HVAC, bedbugs, allergens, building science, new ways to measure moisture, sustainable buildings, effects of energy programs on IAQ, as well as new information on assessment of damp buildings and remediation of mold colonized materials,” said W. Elliott Horner, IAQA annual meeting technical program committee chair.

“This is the best technical conference anywhere that is developed for practitioners and focused on the indoor environment.”

After attending last year’s expo, DeWayne Gibson, vice president of sales at Enterprise Selling Solutions, representing ACQuotePro, Jacksonville, Fla., said he’d definitely be back.

“Last year was our first year exhibiting at the conference and Indoor Air Expo, and we had an enormous response,” he said. “We are really looking forward to attending this year’s conference in Las Vegas.”

Roger Grochmal, president of AtlasCare, Toronto, will be attending the event for the fourth time.

“At home I don’t have many opportunities to network with large residential contractors and this is one place where I can do that,” he said. “I go every two to three years and am usually triggered by something that fits with what I am doing in my business. The last time I attended I was looking for a new business software supplier and made a connection that resulted in the decision to partner with Davis Business Systems.”

Ann Kahn, president of Kahn Mechanical Contractors, said she is interested in socializing and hopes to learn at least one new thing to help grow her business.

“I’m interested in the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with contractors who face the same every day challenges that we do,” she said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing old contractor and vendor friends, and making new contacts.”

DiFilippo is guaranteeing atten-
dees will gain something of value to implement in their business.

“I really love attending the ACCA conference each year. It’s like a big family reunion for me. Our speakers are always amazing and entertaining, and it’s quite a production,” she said. “Those that attend one ACCA conference come back year after year because of the value it brings them. And it’s Vegas. Vegas is an amazing city with great shows, good eats, and lots of fun around every corner for all.”

Publication date: 3/5/2012