Selecting heating and cooling equipment for high altitudes requires modified procedures to account for lower air density, usually any application at 2,500 feet or higher. This guidance is provided by the OEM and in the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s (ACCA’s) Manual S, Selection of Residential HVAC Equipment, the reference adopted in the 2009 International Code Council Residential Building Code.
The performance of light commercial refrigeration equipment hinges on a number of factors, including its productivity in a specific environment; its maintainability; its reliability in a particular application; indirect costs such as maintenance, cleaning, and noise abatement; and energy consumption.
In today’s economy and competitive landscape, solid, reliable performance is key, whether for HVACR systems, components, or even the service technician’s performance for the customer. The industry has a need for equipment that can diagnose and protect itself from costly failure until a qualified contractor arrives for service.
The internal workings of the refrigeration system involving condensers, compressors, and coils came to the forefront at the 2009 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in Chicago.
“Candid.” “Refreshing.” “Highlight of the conference.” Those were just a few of the comments heard at the end of the highly anticipated CEO Forum at the recent 41st Annual ACCA Conference. NEWS’ editor-in-chief, Mike Murphy, asked the CEOs of Rheem, Carrier, and Lennox tough questions that were submitted by contractors.
Contractors facing the current economy are finding that the new business landscape ahead has familiar terrain and treacherous territory. With 85 percent of Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) estimating at least another year of economic uncertainties, HVACR contractors continue to address the business challenges that have ebbed and flowed in the industry for years.
This is the second article in a five-part economic series offering tools and suggestions to help contractors during changing economic times. The article notes that you may have an untapped resource right under your nose - and it’s too obvious to notice. That untapped resource is your existing customer base.
Today’s contractors are looking for more and more ways to engage the interest of their residential customers. For a lot of these consumers, it takes more than lowered heating bills, it takes comfort improvements, such as those achieved with fully modulating gas furnaces.
The past five years in the HVACR industry have proven to run the gamut. From record highs to a recently identified recession, distributors have studied their environment and adapted to the times facing each of them. As 2009 begins, distributors find themselves employing new tactics to continue operating at peak performance levels.
Considering 2008 and looking ahead through 2009, HVACR manufacturers are riding the same highs and lows that the rest of the nation is riding. Volatile building markets, increasing green trends, new regulations, economic insecurity, and future uncertainties all pose varying situations that will continue to test manufacturer strategies for profitability and success.
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