“The design of refrigeration systems in supermarkets is going through a state of flux not seen since the conception of man-made refrigeration some 130 years ago.” That statement by piping manufacturer Georg Fischer, an exhibitor at FMI 2010, was reinforced throughout the Mandalay Bay Convention Center show floor.
According to financial services firm J.P. Morgan, the outlook for the North American HVAC market is one of solid growth. The firm released its 2010 HVAC Review and Outlook report in early July with predictions that both the residential and commercial sectors will improve. However, some in the industry have expressed concern that the outlook is too optimistic.
Source: Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Industry figures are estimates that are derived from the best available figures supplied by a sample of AHRI member companies.
If the HVACR industry is going to embrace refrigerants beyond fluorine gases, in many cases it is going to have to do so with new compressor technology. That formed the basis of a presentation of papers under the general title “Alternative Refrigerant Compressors” at the 20th International Compressor Conference.
Is it possible to have a building that produces as much power as it uses - in effect, a “net zero” building? Yes, said Andreas Athienitis of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, who reviewed the realities of a zero energy building during the 1st International High Performance Buildings Conference.
If an industry with HCFCs, HFCs, HFOs, and HCs wasn’t complex enough, consider the oil aspect. There are mineral oils, POEs, ABs, and the latest entry, PVEs. The issue then becomes - what refrigerants with what oils? That was a topic covered at the 13th International Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Conference.
While talk continues about the possibility of a government-mandated phase down in production of HFCs, the question among those who plan to be in the North American HVACR industry for many years to come is, “What’s next?” The current answer is “nothing for sure yet.” But a number of options are being explored.
It’s been a sizzling summer, especially along the Northeast coast, where many cities experienced a warmer-than-usual June and an even hotter July. According to Alex Sosnowski, an expert senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, “New York City averaged around 5.5 degrees above normal for July.” And, he added, it was a similar story for many other cities along the Eastern coast.
In the ever-evolving world of fleet monitoring and maintenance, it’s not just vehicles that are being watched. As the ability to track data improves, and the tools for analyzing that data become more sophisticated, smart companies are doing all they can to not only pay closer attention to their vehicles, but also focus on drivers’ patterns and habits.
“Nonconformist” is a word that perfectly describes Steve Berger, a 30-year-veteran HVACR service technician and president of Berger HVAC LLC. Products that other techs might consider as nonconforming become part of Berger’s service arsenal as long as they perform up to manufacturer claims, save time or money, and exhibit efficiency gains.
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