Value added, smart, dramatically improves, bigger, bolder, better. These were some of the terms tossed about at the booths of exhibitors with refrigeration-related products at the 2007 International, Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo).
The auto at the booth of Honeywell International Genetron Refrigerants had a new refrigerant that the company said was an example of its efforts to respond to constant change in the refrigerant sector. In the long term, that refrigerant could have an impact on stationary a/c.
Those involved in the HVACR industry can point to the pitfalls of online third-party buying - the biggest being no guarantees and no warranties. But the thrill of being the successful bidder is capturing the attention of those seeking big-ticket refrigeration equipment just as much as it attracts those seeking a rare antique or an actual bottle of Elvis’ sweat.
For a while a ‘good and bad’ issue has lodged in the back of my mind. It concerns carbon dioxide (CO2). It is being touted as a viable refrigerant in HVACR. At the same time, it is also a greenhouse gas.
Contractors actively involved in promoting R-410A equipment are reporting customer acceptance along with few installation problems if such installations are done properly. Other contractors see the trend to R-410A units growing, but say price-driven customers still opt for new units using R-22.
You might call Gary Weeks of Weeks Service Co. ‘old school’ - and he’d be proud to accept the label. The company's demanding standards for employees may cause some to wonder what makes Weeks Service the winner of The NEWS’ “Best Contractor to Work for” contest for the South region.
After first gaining a presence in conjunction with ammonia in industrial refrigeration, it gained further ground this past summer in a commercial refrigeration system in a Georgia supermarket. Shortly after that it was given a good deal of attention at the 27th Annual Food Marketing Institute Energy & Technical Services Conference when presenters spent more than an hour looking at the refrigerant’s potential in supermarkets.
I know some of our readers work on automotive air conditioning. But there are developments in that sector of air conditioning that might someday have an impact on the stationary sector, which all our readers are involved with in some way.
No large sign, high in the sky, lures shoppers to one of the most sophisticated and technologically superior supermarkets in the world. There is no massive parking lot. Fact of the matter is, the supermarket is not meant for customers. It is for engineers to develop advanced controls and components.