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The New York Geothermal Organization (NY-GEO) hosted its annual conference April 19-20 in Albany, New York. The event, which registered as the largest in the organization’s history, allowed elected officials, government agencies, and industry professionals from around the world to share the progress being made toward implementation of geothermal heating and cooling technologies.

An investment in a new chiller is not one that building owners make lightly. Owners typically need and appreciate the guidance of a knowledgeable HVAC contractor when making this purchase as there are a number of factors that go into the selection process, and not all of them are necessarily related to the actual chiller itself.

Commercial building owners and managers count on HVAC contractors to take care of their buildings in many ways. They’re expected to keep their facilities cool and comfortable, ensure their processes and procedures continue to hum along, provide quality IAQ, and, of course, maintain their equipment. On this last point, the proper maintenance of chillers takes top billing.

EGIA works closely with utility companies and the government on their energy-efficiency and renewable energy programs and manages one of the largest energy-efficiency financing programs in the country. In fact, EGIA has facilitated the financing of more than 200,000 residential and business projects valued in excess of $2.5 billion and administered over $750 million in rebate payments.

The NEWS recently sat down with Mark Handzel, vice president, product regulatory affairs, and director, HVAC commercial buildings, Xylem, to discuss the state of the pump industry and what prospective employees should know before they enter the industry.

Where do contractors even begin when they are deciphering the options available to them in the high-efficiency arena? Are there certain types of products that are essential? Or, is each situation truly unique? To try and tackle these questions head-on, members of The NEWS’ advisory board were presented with a simple prompt: If you were to design a high-efficiency movement/ventilation equipment system, what products would you choose for the job and why?

In March, Trump released his preliminary 2018 budget proposal detailing several changes to the way the federal government spends money. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one of many government departments being targeted.

OEMs are striving to improve efficiencies at all costs and seeking ways to offer better options and improved solutions to consumers. However, in the blower marketplace, tightening global regulations are forcing manufacturers to create products that cater to highly-specific consumer needs based upon different requirements in different regions.

Manufacturers of all sizes are introducing energy recovery ventilators (ERVs); heat recovery ventilators (HRVs); blowers; air curtains; high-velocity systems; and high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans that push the industry forward in response to a demand for more efficient ventilation systems.

In 2008, my wife, Dorian, and I moved to Albuquerque from Colorado to establish Outlaw Mechanical. Colorado taught me a few things about the need for tough, durable HVAC systems, so, today, about 40 percent of Outlaw’s work is hydronic.