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If I seem to be looking a little green lately, it is because I find myself paying more and more attention to environmental matters. Such talk, especially the regulatory aspect, has been a part of our industry for more than 25 years going back to the days of the Montreal Protocol. But over the years, green has become a larger part of our industry.

During my impressionable youth, I noticed that my mother had a bizarre sense of humor. She would often utter axioms (no doubt gained from living in the swamps of Louisiana) that made absolutely no sense, such as: “You couldn’t pour %^&* out of a bucket if it had a hole in it.”  The use of buckets, for one reason or another, seems to occupy an interesting place in our lexicon.

Do you hear statements like the following on a regular basis? “What’s wrong with that lady? Her furnace is 25 years old and she won’t even consider replacement.” If your service technicians and sales team are frustrated, it’s time for a new philosophy when it comes to communicating with homeowners.

These days, the political pundits are all saying that the new scene in Washington, D.C., will be a constant tug o’ war. Everyone anticipates a battle between the newly elected, Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate and Obama administration.

From the government to the Disney Channel, an overall message of energy efficiency is being pounded through the airwaves and television sets of the standard American consumer. It has reached a level that echoes the greenwashing epidemic from which Americans have yet to recover.

A while back we requested that you search the stacks of old NEWS issues in your offices and elsewhere, so we could find the oldest issue among our readers. We’ve heard from some folks with pretty old issues of The Electric Refrigeration News (our magazine’s first title).

I’m starting to think that what I am about to write about will become an annual column. It concerns the latest global environmental conference that didn’t seem to produce any results. But now I’m starting to wonder if there might be some good should such events start to show some results.

I have quoted Earl several times over the years. He was one of the most challenging customers I ever met, while masquerading as a territory manager at Lennox Industries in the Dallas market. Earl said, “Murphy, always look for the job that no one else wants to do. Those are the ones you make money on.”

I just received notice from another manufacturer that they will be offering the “dry charge” condensing units in the first quarter of 2011. They are the latest of many manufacturers who have decided to take advantage of what I can only say is a loophole in the federal regulations and the Montreal Protocol.

What do Allied Air Enterprises, American Standard, Armacell, Baltimore Air Coil, Carrier, Guntner, Johnson Controls, Lennox, Nordyne, Rheem, Trane, WaterFurnace, and a slew of other companies have in common? They are all celebrating the coming New Year with gifts to the industry - price increases!