I admit it. As a previous technician and now a manager, I was skeptical about the use of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems. That may sound counter-intuitive from a guy in charge of service at a California subsidiary of a multinational mechanical service company. Texas may have more road pavement than California, but nobody has a more complicated system of motorways.
Climate change legislation, the role of HFC refrigerants, and the new - and rapidly changing - energy landscape. These were some of the topics as more than 60 HVACR industry professionals convened in Washington, D.C, for the 11th Danfoss EnVisioneering symposium.
Hybrid is a buzzword these days, especially in the automotive sector. But it is also becoming part of HVACR talk as a growing number of vocational technical schools and community colleges are embracing what is being called blended/hybrid instruction.
Numerous studies link newly diagnosed ailments such as pulmonary disease, as well as old enemies like asthma and allergies, to the effects of poor ventilation and exposure to unhealthy indoor air quality (IAQ). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists IAQ as one of the top-five modern day environmental health concerns.
In regard to the various types of duct systems and the evolving technologies impacting these materials, providing acoustical and thermal control, as well as anti-microbial protection in duct systems are essential considerations for establishing healthy, sustainable building interiors.
The worlds of HVAC contractors and duct cleaning services perhaps need not be as disparate as they once were. Due to developments with duct cleaning equipment and technologies being more readily accessible, practical and appealing, HVAC contractors making the foray into this realm are enjoying success.
After surveying more than 1,000 manufacturers, the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) found that 70 percent of the respondents were expecting a stronger economy come the first quarter of 2010. The survey numbers offered a partial explanation to the expected increase. Sixty-nine percent believe customers have been delaying purchases of new products creating pent-up demand.
Much of the focus lately has been about how the phaseout of HCFCs will affect a/c equipment; however, commercial refrigeration will also be significantly affected by the phaseout. Consider all the supermarket food cases, walk-in refrigerators/coolers/freezers, ice cream machines, etc., that currently utilize R-22, and you’ll get an idea of the magnitude of that market.
A huge portion of the commercial refrigeration market is still utilizing R-22 equipment. In fact, Grady McAdams of Heatcraft Refrigeration Products noted that research and analysis of the 1997 to 2007 installed base showed the retrofit market for HCFC condensing units for commercial refrigeration applications could be as high as 2.5 million units.
When CFCs were phased out, commercial building owners and managers had to decide whether to keep existing chillers that used refrigerant such as R-11 or invest in equipment containing HCFCs such as R-22. Now that HCFCs are being phased out, owners and managers are faced with the same decision: keep current equipment or move to chillers using HFC refrigerants.
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