Nonresidential construction will experience wide variance in demand, materials cost, and labor availability, according to a Construction Inflation Alert released by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
If you’re down in the dumps over the latest news and views regarding the near term state of the economy, then don’t look at the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) latest projections to brighten things up for the long run. But let’s first grasp a little history.
As noted in a Newsline story in the Jan. 14, 2008 issue of The NEWS, Johnson Controls announced that four students of Carnegie Mellon University are the first-place winners in its open letter-writing competition - Tomorrow’s Energy Ambassadors, Managers, and Scholars (TEAMS). Here is a copy of the winning letter.
Each year the HVAC industry proves to be diverse, resilient, and ever
changing. The year 2007 was no different as multiple events spurred
change and helped establish new trends.
Two of the industry’s most influential manufacturing associations reached a historic merger that creates a powerful advocacy for the trade. The boards of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) approved the merger and sent the proposal for a vote that successfully passed.
Diversity became an increasingly common topic as 2007 progressed. The number of Hispanic workers in the construction trades steadily rose and it is predicted that those numbers will continue to do so in 2008.
Al Gore was not the only one talking tough on the issue of global warming in 2007. DuPont Fluoroproducts made bold statements recognizing many current HFCs as contributors to the global warming situation.
In 2007, sustainability was a major buzzword in the industry. According to many involved in HVACR, including contractors and manufacturers, sustainability should soon become what energy conservation was during the 1970s, recovery-recycling in the 80s, brownouts-blackouts in the 90s, and 13 SEER in recent years.
In 2007, contractors had a full plate of new affairs to handle.
“As an industry, we faced technology changes, political changes, manpower shortages, and the list goes on,” summed up Ken Bodwell, CFO and partner, Innovative Service Solutions, Orlando, Fla.
The last of the room air conditioner manufacturing facilities left the United States in 2007. Friedrich Air Conditioning Co., based in San Antonio, moved production of room air conditioners from its San Antonio plant to the company’s facility in Monterrey, Mexico.
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