Fire & Ice Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical's focus on training and company communication - between management and staff as well as between company employees and customers - are among the cornerstones of The NEWS 2010 Best Contractor to Work For in the North Central region.
The weak economy has spurred interest in energy efficiency and green technologies. One of the “new” technologies - that is, relatively new to the American and Canadian markets - being considered by building owners and homeowners is the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system.
Champion AC hasn’t been around for generations like some HVACR contracting companies, but that may be in the company’s favor because it is bringing some fresh thinking to the industry. The owners have embraced new ways while establishing a corporate culture of community service.
There are Energy Star programs for the work an HVAC contractor executes. In order to thrive doing work under an Energy Star program, it takes a new attitude, training, dedication, and spending money on the part of the contractor to make sure the end result of the work is a home that is more energy efficient.
Sales of goods in the United States are still inching their way back up to prerecession numbers, including many HVACR products. In contrast, geothermal unit sales have jumped in recent years. Manufacturers of geothermal products have growing public awareness and tax incentives to thank for this windfall.
The winners in The NEWS’ Dealer Design Awards residential controls category include the ecobee Smart Thermostat (gold), icomfort Touch™ Communicating Touchscreen Thermostat by Lennox Industries (silver), and BalancePro from Arzel Zoning Technology (bronze).
The seventh annual Dealer Design Awards champs in the Tools category highlight the best of what an HVACR tool can be: a device that aids greatly a technician in resolving an HVACR problem of some sort.
Dealer Design Award winners in the Refrigeration & Ice Machines category are Hoshizaki America Inc.’s Professional Series reach-in refrigerators - gold; Heatcraft Refrigeration Products’ E Solutions ½ to 6 HP Air-Cooled Condensing Unit - silver; and ebm-papst Inc.’s diagonal flow fan module with handheld programmer - bronze.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, good IAQ is a blessing to him who gives it, the contractor, and him who receives it, the end user. The right products can be even more of a good thing to contractors when they are easy to install and service. Such were found three Dealer Design Award winners in the IAQ category.
Waterfurnace International’s Versatec Ultra Series, Lennox Industries’ Energence™ rooftop unit, and Trane’s high-efficiency packaged gas/electric and cooling units took the gold, silver, and bronze, respectively, in the Light Commercial category of The NEWS’ seventh annual Dealer Design Awards.