There have long been cries from the business community that excessive federal regulation can strangle a company’s ability to compete and thrive in the market. But lately lawmakers actually seem to be paying attention. HVAC is a heavily regulated industry, and each facet of the industry is engaging with government in different ways to alleviate the effects of regulation.

You may be familiar with the Energy Star® label on energy efficient heating and cooling equipment, but did you know there are also Quality Installation (QI) guidelines to help ensure that heating and cooling equipment is installed properly? Nearly half of all heating and cooling equipment in U.S. homes never performs to the advertised capacity and efficiency due to installation problems.

The 2011 SkillsUSA Ohio Regional Challenge was held March 26 at the W.R. Timken Center, Stark State College of Technology. The Akron Canton Area Chapter of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has sponsored the regional competition for high school students since about 2002.

On April 14, President Obama signed into law House Resolution 4 (H.R. 4), which repealed an unpopular provision of the new health care law that would have created a paperwork burden for many small businesses. The passage of H.R. 4, which repealed the 1099 reporting requirement, was the culmination of months of effort by small businesses across many industries.

Zoning systems can be beneficial to both homeowners and the HVAC contractors who install them. However, their complexity can sometimes lead to confusion, and perhaps avoidance among contractors. A new standard developed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America aims to help with zoning design to improve the installation and operation of zoned systems.

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the nation’s largest association of indoor environmental systems professionals, announced the winners of the Residential and Commercial Contractor of the Year awards during the ACCA’s 43rd Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo, held in San Antonio.

The 43rd Annual ACCA Conference and Indoor Air Expo of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) attracted a record number of people to the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. Attendees were considerably upbeat about the recovery from the recent recession, which had redefined the way organizations have approached business in the last two years.

The economic conditions of the last few years have been tough for HVAC contractors. While some economic indicators point to a modest recovery underway, contractors may need a little more convincing, as evidenced by the Contractor Comfort Index (CCI), which decreased in the months of December and January before rising a bit in February.

On Jan. 28, the Building Performance Institute (BPI) released a proposed new standard (BSR/BPI 101-201x, Home Energy Auditing Standard) for public comment. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) reviewed BPI’s proposed standard and believes that a number of significant flaws need to be addressed and a number of passages need to be improved.

Contractors attending this year’s Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) conference had a lot of burning issues on their minds concerning the HVAC industry. Thanks to the much-anticipated CEO Forum that is held at the conference every year, attendees had the opportunity to ask manufacturing leaders about those issues that directly affect their livelihoods.