Residential HVAC - Editor's Note

Teenage students at Greenfield-Central High School in Indiana are learning about the installation, operation and maintenance of air-handling systems. The career and technical education class is giving them a head start toward a decent-paying career in HVAC, including the opportunity to earn multiple certifications. “You’ll get a job if someone else doesn’t have the certifications you do, so [there are] more job opportunities,” one student told the Greenfield Daily Report...

The HVAC market in Europe is expected to show sustained growth in the upcoming years, but with variation among product segments. The decarbonisation strategies in Europe stimulate a strong demand for energy-efficient heating and cooling solutions. The heat pump market in particular has done exceptionally well, with double-digit growth for several years in a row. That’s the outlook from Eurovent, Europe’s Industry Association for Indoor Climate (HVAC), Process Cooling, and Food Cold...

There is a gap between how buildings are designed and how they operate. For one thing, designers may not be focused on operability during the design process. Secondly, technology is playing a greater role in more complex buildings today, but it may not perform to expectations. These were among the observations by Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng. ASHRAE’s 2019-2020 President, at a luncheon address at the 2019 Annual Conference. Importance of data security “Technology is not evil,” Boy...

Record hot temperatures in Europe last summer contrasted sharply with the region’s traditional aversion to air conditioning. Unlike the United States, where some 90% of homes are air conditioned, only around 5% of European buildings are equipped for the hottest temperatures. I can’t help but think that days and days of summer temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) must have motivated some building owners to reconsider the issue. Increasing Opportunity For Th...

Interfacing with customers is a fundamental skill in the HVAC market, whether it is the person answering the phone at a small business, a technician visiting a homeowner’s residence, or an engineer working on a large system at a customer site. How well employees interact and communicate with customers helps determine the success (or failure) of any HVAC organization. One important skill is the ability to “think on your feet.” A survey by the commercial subsidiary of Royal Acad...

If the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is ratified in the United States, the HVAC industry could benefit for years to come. Overall, the amendment could provide an additional 33,000 jobs and $12.5 billion in annual economic output. Those numbers are from a study by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy. It’s one quantifiable estimate of the economic impact of the Kigali Amendment, which promises to...

There is an enormous labor shortage in the skilled trades, and women have stepped up to assume many positions beyond office work alone. Throughout the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) industry, women are proving to be excellent technicians, service managers, sales people, marketers and more. Networking, mentoring, and education The increasing role of women in the HVACR industry is reflected in the rapid growth of Women in HVACR, a non-profit organization dedicat...

A growing group of HVAC contractors have been discovering the advantages of Advanced RTU (Rooftop Unit) Controls, especially as they relate to energy savings. These controls can be installed and programmed by a contractor’s own technicians (without the need for a temperature controls subcontractor). Advanced RTU Controls are a new selling opportunity for commercial customers with rooftop units, says Matt Huffman, Senior Program Manager for Resource Innovations. And customers that have inst...

Advanced, connected technologies will drive the evolution of smart buildings and improve operation of various systems including HVAC. Johnson Controls’ 2018 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey examines the current and planned investments and key drivers to improve energy efficiency and building systems integration in facilities. Systems integration was identified in the survey as one of the top technologies expected to have the biggest impact on the implementation in smart buildings...

The primary goal of HVAC systems is to ensure the comfort of people in a building, but often “comfort” isn’t at the center of conversations with customers. HVAC solutions provider Emerson advocates more emphasis on comfort in the HVAC marketplace. Discomfort due to access heating or cooling 70% survey respondents say their performance at school or work has been affected by heating or cooling discomfort A consumer survey by Emerson shows that issues such as humidity, zoning,...