It should come as no surprise that the issue of 13 SEER, the new energy efficiency standard taking effect in late January 2006, is the biggest thing on the minds of contractors these days. It's hard to pick up any HVAC trade magazine and not see an article about 13 SEER. But there must be other things that contractors have seen as big news in 2005, right?

That's what The NEWS' Contractor Consultants were asked recently. Although most agreed that 13 SEER is the big topic, other concerns facing the trade made their way to the surface, too. According to a recent survey of contractors by The NEWS, other topics include rising insurance costs, controlling overhead, and increased competition. The Contractor Consultants also discussed those subjects.

"It is making contractors really think about how they are going to market now," DiFilippo added.