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R-134a has a global-warming potential (GWP) of 1,430. This means it traps 1,430 times as much heat per kilogram as carbon dioxide does over a 100-year period. Because R-134a has such a high GWP, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed R-134a as an “unacceptable” refrigerant for certain refrigeration and air conditioning applications under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.

To prevent unnecessary return visits (aka callbacks) for your company or future issues for your customers, here are some helpful items to remember when completing a repair. It can be easy to overlook some of these items, but taking the extra time to complete them before leaving the call can pay off in the long run.

Ductless heat pumps have taken the U.S. by storm with sales increasing by double digits over the last few years. That momentum is expected to continue; however, not every homeowner wants to look at wall-mounted units in their living spaces.

Seasonal marketing offers up an opportunity to increase visibility throughout the community via promotions, sponsorships, special deals, and more.

Today’s heat pumps offer a wide range of advanced features that satisfy consumers’ demands for supreme comfort and energy savings as well as contractors’ desires for easier installation and service. And, with consumers demanding even greater energy savings and comfort control, they are already hard at work on the next generation of heat pumps.

Improper installation of heat pumps may increase household energy use for space heating and cooling on the order of 30 percent over what it should be.

Members of The NEWS’ trainer panel examined compressor valves and determined the best methods for maintaining valves, diagnosing faulty ones, and implementing proper troubleshooting techniques when they go bad.

The National Comfort Institute Inc.’s (NCI) mission is to help its members implement HVAC and home-performance contracting through easy-to-use strategies. That mission was accomplished at its recent annual summit, where the focus was on the best practices involved with selling and installing air upgrades.

Things are changing in the chiller market — especially in regards to air-cooled models, variable frequency drives (VFDs), and refrigerants. Contractors are challenged to stay abreast of these trends in real-time.

There’s nothing consumers love more than a deal. Find a way for them to save money, or even get more for their money, and they’re putty in your hands. This is why rebate programs can be such useful tools for home-performance contractors. Over the past few years, however, contractors have observed that rebate programs are diminishing or disappearing altogether.