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Being accountable for proper airflow delivery causes a tech to examine every portion of an installation differently. Airflow is no longer assumed since test instruments now measure it. Let’s look at some of the most common obstacles to achieving a successful air balance on a residential HVAC system.

In mid-November, 2016, then President-Elect Donald Trump announced a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure over the next 10 years — more than twice the proposed plan of President Barack Obama and more than three times the last congressionally approved infrastructure plan.

There is the old saying about being a jack of all trades, but the sub-heading to that is master of none. I want to be able to tell our customers that we are masters of our trade and that our people are well-trained in the HVAC area, and that is the only area in which we specialize.

WaterFurnace Intl. Inc. recently held its 2017 annual sales meeting in Denver, and as you can imagine, the 30 percent residential and 10 percent commercial federal tax credits for geothermal heat pump systems that expired Dec. 31, 2016, were on everybody’s minds.

It is estimated that HVAC systems account for approximately 40 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings, which is why many building owners and managers are looking for ways to cut these costs. One way to do that may be to utilize evaporative cooling systems, which can be relatively inexpensive to purchase and often require much less energy than other forms of cooling.

While many officials representing several leading HVACR industry associations applaud the Trump administration’s initial efforts on tax reform, they’re still actively lobbying in Washington on the industry’s behalf.

Like last year, this year’s Cooling Showcase is split into two parts — commercial and residential. This issue focuses on the commercial side of the air conditioning industry while the April 17 issue highlighted new offerings in the residential cooling market. Included in this coverage is feature-specific information about each product as submitted by the manufacturers.

When it comes to forced-air zoning, the general consensus among contractors and manufacturers is that the general public is largely unaware of the benefits it provides.

On March 28, Trump issued the Energy Independence executive order, which directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin reviewing — and presumably weaken the provisions of — the Clean Power Plan. The order is also designed to decrease the nation’s dependence on imported fuels, mainly by helping revive the coal industry.

While some contractors are proceeding with caution when it comes to smart home automation products, further training and awareness may force their hands sooner than later.