HVAC Residential Market

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The so-called shoulder season is often a difficult time for HVAC contractors. The waning weeks of March and the first days of April, as well as parts of fall, often result in slow business for contractors as consumers don’t have to deal with the immediate repairs and replacements brought on by extreme cold or scorching heat.

The ongoing phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), such as R-22, holds many unknowns for the HVACR industry as 2020 approaches, but at least one sector of the industry anticipates tremendous opportunity: the reclamation sector. 

Recovering refrigerant from HVAC and refrigeration systems is an important day-to-day task for HVACR technicians. Here’s a look at some of the latest tools that help make this important job easy, along with tips from the recovery equipment manufacturers on how to efficiently and safely recover refrigerant.

As contractors, if we’ve done a proper job of selling, we’ve convinced the homeowner — regardless of the brand of equipment they are buying from us — that we are the experts. That means, when a problem occurs, in the customer’s mind, we have to take responsibility.

Success Group Intl. lit the path to HVAC contracting prosperity at its Spring 2015 Expo. The March event, held in Atlanta, featured vendor breakouts, general sessions, breakout groups on a variety of business management topics, and a vendor showcase.

The National Comfort Institute (NCI) kicked off its 12th annual Summit last month with a distinct gold-mining theme, having fun with its San Diego venue. The event drew about 115 attendees, including record attendance from NCI’s California members, according to Dominick Guarino, chairman, NCI.

The need for more HVACR technicians was one of the issues that took center stage at the recent 2015 HVACR & Mechanical Conference for Education Professionals, where industry educators attended three days of seminars, classes, and networking events designed to foster collaboration within the industry.

After completing a historic geothermal project in 2009 for a net-zero residential development in New York, Lloyd Hamilton was ready for a new challenge. That’s exactly what he got when he was asked to devise a geothermal solution to heat and cool nine net-zero-ready homes.

Measuring supply plenum temperature is a process that can become second nature to experienced HVAC contractors, but, for those first attempting or learning the trade, the action offers many pratfalls and potential obstacles.

Industry figures are estimates that are derived from the best available figures supplied by a sample of AHRI member companies.