Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News articles from May 2008

Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News archives from May 2008

Johnson Controls Inc.(Price Increases)
May 5, 2008... Johnson Controls Inc. (York, Pa.) increased prices 3 to 7 percent on York[R] Engineered Systems products, including chillers and air-handling units, effective immediately.

Phoenix Manufacturing Inc.(Price Increases)
May 5, 2008... Phoenix Manufacturing Inc. (Phoenix) increased prices 4.5 percent on its commercial and residential line of evaporative coolers, effective June 1.

Worthington Cylinders.(Price Increases)
May 5, 2008... Worthington Cylinders (Columbus, Ohio) increased prices 5 percent on all steel DOT 39, non-refillable refrigerant cylinders, effective immediately. This is in addition to the 5.5 percent that was previously announced. The company also increased...

DiversiTech Corp. (Atlanta) acquired Devco Enterprises Inc. (Silver Spring, Md.).(Manufacturers)
May 5, 2008... DiversiTech Corp. (Atlanta) acquired Devco Enterprises Inc. (Silver Spring, Md.). Its operations will be relocated to a DiversiTech facility in Conyers, Ga.

AirAdvice Inc. (Portland, Ore.) established Tom Foley.(Manufacturers)
May 5, 2008... AirAdvice Inc. (Portland, Ore.) established Tom Foley, former president and chairman of the board for the Energy Trust of Oregon, as a member of its Energy Team.

Thermaflex.(Manufacturers)
May 5, 2008... Thermaflex's (Abbeville, S.C.) Ever-Clean[TM] residential flexible duct earned an Energy Star[R] Partnership.

Navman Wireless North America.(Manufacturers)
May 5, 2008... Navman Wireless North America (Glenview, Ill.) hired Gregg Steliga as its director of sales and marketing.

Hill Phoenix (Conyers, Ga.) added Advanced Refrigeration and Air Inc. (Orlando, Fla.) to its national dealer network.(Manufacturers)
May 5, 2008... Hill Phoenix (Conyers, Ga.) added Advanced Refrigeration and Air Inc. (Orlando, Fla.) to its national dealer network.

Survey reveals preferences: homeowners want federal HVAC standards.(NEWS)
May 5, 2008... Every consumer has their price and value limit. According to an industry survey, 52 percent would replace their system when repairs reach $1,500; 78 percent would replace when repairs reach $3,000; and 88 percent would replace when repairs...

Private labeling offers exclusive brand control.(NEWS)
May 5, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HVAC and refrigeration contractors have been telling themselves that in order to be truly successful and provide quality installations for their customers, the brand they need to sell is really their own company, not...

Length of hair might split hairs.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2008... In regard to Mark Skaer's editorial ["Hairy Today, Gone Tomorrow? Observations From NYC"] in the Feb. 4 NEWS, it seems pretty evident that Florida is not having as much of a shortage of HVAC techs like the Northeast is. No facial hair, no...

Taking photographs is forbidden.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2008... Mike Murphy wrote an editorial in the Feb. 25 issue about photos at the [AHR] expo. I feel we should enforce the rules already in effect. I am a distributor of building automation controls and get great value in photographing exhibits and...

Destruction, not reclamation.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2008... Thank you Peter Powell, for covering the Refrigerant Management Canada (RMC) program in your [March 31] article titled "Canadian Reclaim Sets Standard." I am writing this to clarify some of the content so that readers better understand the...

Thanks for the information.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 5, 2008... Thanks to Mike Murphy for his article in the April 7, 2008, edition of The NEWS. I didn't know that there was a Women in HVACR organization! I purchased a membership as soon as I finished the article, and then I passed the Website along to the...

Project files: noise reduction.(the NEWS)(E. Jarrell Contracting Co. Inc.)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... COMPANY: Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Co. Inc., Earth City, Mo. INSTALLATION: 45,000 square feet of CertainTeed[R] ToughGard[TM] R Duct Liner COMPLETION: Summer 2008 "I found out a long time ago that if we use ToughGard R Duct...

New Energy Star program for water heaters to start in 2009.(newsline)
May 5, 2008... ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) commended the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for launching a new Energy Star[R] program for residential water heaters. The program, which goes into effect...

Luxaire and Coleman offer spring promos.(newsline)
May 5, 2008... NORMAN, Okla. -- Luxaire and Coleman are both offering spring promotions this year. By purchasing qualifying Luxaire[R] equipment this spring, consumers can receive up to a $1,500 cash-back rebate or a free, 10-year extended parts and labor...

Emerson conference addresses multiple industries.(newsline)(Conference news)
May 5, 2008... ST. LOUIS -- Emerson Climate Technologies' annual Technology in Action Conference (TAC), held April 14-16, presented topics covering store design, energy efficiency, and refrigerant issues in an effort to offer operational and energy-saving...

Jackson Systems adds Braeburn thermostats.(newsline)
May 5, 2008... INDIANAPOLIS -- Jackson Systems LLC, Indianapolis, has added Braeburn thermostats to its product offering. The company will stock, imprint, and sell the full Braeburn thermostat line. "The products we manufacture and distribute are among the...

Johnson Controls receives award.(newsline)
May 5, 2008... MILWAUKEE -- Johnson Controls received the U.S. Department of Commerce's Export Achievement Award. The company, a member of the International District Energy Association (IDEA), was honored with the award at the association's annual Campus...

Archie Eschborn.(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... JANESVILLE, Wis. -- Achim (Archie) Eschborn, 56, died at his home April 19, 2008, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was VP of sales and marketing for Revcor Inc., and worked in the air movement industry since 1984. In...

Chill out with new commercial equipment.(cooling showcase: NEW PRODUCTS TO KEEP THIS SUMMER COOL)
May 5, 2008... In addition to the product grid on page 9, The NEWS is featuring the industry's latest commercial cooling products in the following photo feature. The manufacturers provided The NEWS with the brief descriptions of features included with each...

The conquest of breakdowns.(service & maintenance)(Viewpoint essay)
May 5, 2008... I always start my preventative maintenance training with a quote from Henry Petroski, civil engineer, who said: "Success is foreseeing failure." It's only four words, but it defines what every preventative maintenance (PM) program should...

Speaker gives attendees straight talk.(meeting update)
May 5, 2008... LAS VEGAS -- No one can accuse Mark Breslin of holding back. On more than one occasion during the 2008 Partners in Progress Conference at Caesars Palace, the CEO of the Engineering and Utility Contractors Association (EUCA) let those in...

Regional sessions address issues, solutions.
May 5, 2008... LAS VEGAS -- Believe it or not, they gave the stage to Mark Breslin more than once. Even though the CEO of Engineering and Utility Contractors Association was not necessarily kind in his remarks concerning unions, contractors, labor, and...

New bills designed to slow copper theft.(legislation update)
May 5, 2008... Byron Thelander knows the pain of copper thievery. The owner of Thelander Heating & Cooling Specialists, Onawa, Iowa, lost his father, Earl, to a gas explosion last September, a direct result of a copper theft from a rental home that Earl...

First costs to come in second?(symposium update)(energy-efficient technologies)
May 5, 2008... When the first costs of a basic, no-frills HVACR system is compared with the costs for a more efficient and environmentally correct system, the basic will oft en still be picked. But at last that may be changing. More than 30...

Customized comfort wins the day and sale.(sales call)
May 5, 2008... [Editor's note: This is the fourth article in an eight-part series on understanding Baby Boomers and how to sell to them.] Thanks to the introduction of the Model T, the car that put America on wheels, Ford Motor Company controlled 60...

Biodegradable cleaning.(REFRIGERATION zone)(Applied Technical Services Inc.)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... In an industry that deals with lots of chemicals, words like biodegradable, nontoxic, and nonflammable are not all that common--especially when the product is supposed to remove oil, moisture, and acid from a system. But the company...

Servicing special systems.(REFRIGERATION ZONE: ice breaker)
May 5, 2008... Our industry has many different types of specialized refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Servicing and maintaining these systems normally requires a higher level of expertise than generic systems. Depending on the application, these...

Diagnosing air conditioning systems.(REFRIGERATION ZONE: the professor)
May 5, 2008... This is the first of three columns on systematic air conditioning troubleshooting and diagnostics. It will deal with airside and the evaporator. Part 2 will deal with condensers, subcooling, liquid and suction line restrictions, and...

Refrigeration regulations tighten.(REFRIGERATION ZONE: legislation)
May 5, 2008... When refrigeration contractors hear a lot of promoting of technologies like scroll compressors, electronic-commutated motors, antisweat heaters, and high-efficiency wall insulation, there may be more than just hype to the talk. It may be the...

Ineos is latest to join GreenChill.(Utility Rebates: New waves of regulations and utility rebates are major issues in the refrigeration sector)
May 5, 2008... Refrigerant manufacturer Ineos Fluor has announced it has become a member of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership. GreenChill is an EPA cooperative alliance set up to work with the...

Take it personally.(money talks)(marketing)
May 5, 2008... How many e-mails did you get today? More and more communication in our world is happening via e-mail. It's getting to the point that actually talking to people is becoming obsolete. Rather than going to a car dealership to buy your next car,...

When Mom returns from war.(field solutions)(Sergeant Sue Preiss)
May 5, 2008... After 22 years in the United States Air Force, Staff Sergeant Sue Preiss learned that she would soon leave her home and family near Honolulu, Hawaii to spend six months in Iraq. She was scheduled to leave in December 2005 and return in May...

Keeping a wary watch on the refrigerant global warming front.(opinions: VIEWS AND INSIGHTS FROM THE EDITORIAL STAFF AND GUEST COLUMNISTS)
May 5, 2008... "EPA Can't Give Date for Responding to Ruling on Greenhouse Gases." That was the headline over a news item from the Associated Press that appeared in a newspaper in early March. Here are a couple of pertinent paragraphs: "Nearly a year...

Murphy's law: the perfect storm is brewing.(editors' blogs)(Editorial)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... Depending upon your point of view, you might see clouds on that horizon or you might see the winds of change. WEATHER BULLETIN: Today, the add-on replacement is the most consistent thing going on in the HVAC industry. Every year the...

Taking care of business: it's sunny and 72[degrees]--where are your profits?(editors' blogs)(Brief article)
May 5, 2008... For most people, sunny and 72[degrees]F are the perfect weather conditions. But then again, HVACR contractors are not like most people. They prefer temperature extremes and why not? If I'm inside my home under these conditions, I have the...

Taco Inc.(Price Increases)
May 12, 2008... Taco Inc. (Cranston, R.I.) increased prices an average of 5.9 percent on its line of commercial products, effective May 27.

Trane.(Price Increases)
May 12, 2008... Trane (Piscataway, N.J.) increased prices 3 percent for its large commercial rooftops and 4 percent for its commercial self-contained units, effective immediately for new quotes.

Emcor Group Inc.(Contractors)
May 12, 2008... Emcor Group Inc. (Norwalk, Conn.) was ranked 407 on Fortune Magazine's Fortune 500 list. This is its ninth consecutive year on the list.

Vermont Heating and Ventilating Inc. (Winooski, Vt.) acquired Pennock Refrigeration Inc.(Contractors)
May 12, 2008... Vermont Heating and Ventilating Inc. (Winooski, Vt.) acquired Pennock Refrigeration Inc. (Littleton, N.H.).

ITW Red Head (Addison, Ill.) named Amy Kolczak.(Manufacturers)
May 12, 2008... ITW Red Head (Addison, Ill.) named Amy Kolczak, as research and code approvals manager.

Simpson Mechanical (Tampa, Fla.) appointed Brian LeMay as project manager.(Distributors)
May 12, 2008... Simpson Mechanical (Tampa, Fla.) appointed Brian LeMay as project manager of its new retail division, Simpson Air.

ABB.(Financial Reports)
May 12, 2008... ABB's (Zurich, Switzerland) first-quarter net income reached $1 billion, an increase of 87 percent compared to the same quarter in 2007.

Denso Corp.(Financial Reports)
May 12, 2008... Denso Corp. (Kariya, Japan) increased consolidated net sales by 11.5 percent from the previous year.

Moisture Control Services, a division of Munters AB's (Stockholm, Sweden), account manager, Brian Hickey, has been certified.(Services)
May 12, 2008... Moisture Control Services, a division of Munters AB's (Stockholm, Sweden), account manager, Brian Hickey, has been certified as a LEED Accredited Professional (AP).

Refrigerant deadline pushes the HVACR Industry to prepare.(industry news)
May 12, 2008... As 13 SEER came down the pike in 2006, contractors and distributors, operating on scattered timetables, took multiple approaches to preparing for the new industry requirements. The only commonality was the inevitability of the shift , and on...

Pursue efficiency first: congressional group urges industry leaders.(legislative actions)
May 12, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WASHINGTON -- With a lineup of speakers made up of two senators and three representatives as well as various government and business leaders, the Great Energy Efficiency Day event, put on by the Alliance to Save...

Ingersoll-Rand brings new management.(newsline)
May 12, 2008... HAMILTON, Bermuda -- Ingersoll-Rand Co. Ltd. announced the business sector leadership team for the company, effective upon the completion of the acquisition of Trane Inc. Michael W. Lamach, current president of Ingersoll-Rand Security...

Producer price index slow to respond.(newsline)
May 12, 2008... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Materials pricing for March is making a dent in construction numbers. "Red-hot steel prices, combined with record diesel fuel costs, are making construction unaffordable," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the...

EcoLogic seal launched.(newsline)
May 12, 2008... ST. LOUIS -- In an effort to meet the green needs of its customers, Nordyne has launched a new tool that assists in the green market sales process. Each of its brands--Frigidaire, Maytag, NuTone, Tappan, and Westinghouse--are offering a line of...

Rheem begins promotion.(newsline)
May 12, 2008... FORT SMITH, Ark. -- Rheem's 2008 Spring Contractor Financing Promotion offers Rheem and Ruud HVAC contractors a menu of business-building choices, and homeowners an opportunity to take advantage of financing and extended warranty programs. ...

Lewis James Clements Jr.(OBITUARIES)
May 12, 2008... OKEECHOBEE, Fla. -- Lewis James Clements Jr. (right), 52, passed away on March 15, 2008, following a battle with cancer. He served the HVAC industry for 30 years, most recently working as a service technician in the Lake Okeechobee area. ...

William W. (Bill) Seaton.(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... SUWANEE, Ga. -- Bill Seaton, 72, passed suddenly in late 2007. He served on the staff of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) from 1981 until his retirement in 2002 as the manager of research....

New partners in certification.(newsline)
May 12, 2008... ARLINGTON, Va. -- A new agreement between the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the China Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association (CRAA) to encourage Chinese HVACR equipment manufacturers to...

Dues program launched.(newsline)(North America, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers)(World Bank)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008... ATLANTA -- To encourage membership outside of North America, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) launched a program that provides a decreased dues structure option for individuals residing in...

Outdoor airflow measurement system.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The OAFE-1500 is an Air Movement and Control Association International-(AMCA-) certified outdoor airflow measurement system with [+ or -] 0.5 percent accuracy through the velocity range of 200-1,200 fpm and[+ or -] 5...

Combustible gas sniffer.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Micro CG-100[TM] combustible gas sniffer quickly and accurately detects gas leakage such as low levels of methane (including natural gas), propane, butane, ammonia, and other combustible gases. With the Tri-Mode...

Building controller, expansion module.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... The Mach-ProSys[TM] new building controller is a 32-bit based BACnet[R] device. It provides high-speed communications, 12 inputs and eight outputs, and multiprotocol support. The controller database allows users to define up to 160 universal...

Relative humidity-temp. instruments.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... The THWD-3, a relative humidity-temperature reader, uses a precision capacitance sensor to deliver accurate performance with long-term stability. This high-accuracy instrument measures the full range of relative humidity from 0 percent to 100...

In-duct humidifier.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The JetSpray in-duct humidifier has been enhanced. This energy-efficient, cold-water spray humidifier can be used in air-handling systems or to directly humidify an area. It uses 90 percent less energy than an...

HVAC duct corners.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... The Dyn-A-Matic[TM] HVAC ductwork corners offer compatibility with most flanges. They can also be used with the company's four-bolt flange as well as most competitive bolt-on flanges. They are designed to fit most automatic corner machines....

LED flashlights.(what's new: PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTRACTORS IN THEIR BUSINESSES)
May 12, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] New versions of eight products feature power LED technology, resulting in flashlights with a more powerful, intense beam and double the brightness of earlier models, says the company. The enhanced models include the...

Chillers install goes modular.(FOCUS: CHILLER PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS)
May 12, 2008... The ability to meet a fast-track, multi-phased construction schedule and energy-efficiency goals were critical factors in the selection of a modular central plant to air condition Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. Beating the desert...

Group marches on the power of people.(FOCUS: CHILLER PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS)
May 12, 2008... IRVINE, Calif. -- In the spring of 1994, two men witnessed their shared vision take root in the inaugural assembly of many of the most dedicated commercial HVAC service companies. The occasion was the first of 28 consecutive semiannual meetings...

Chiller design for low-lift conditions.(FOCUS: CHILLER PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS)
May 12, 2008... Water-cooled centrifugal chillers for comfort-cooling applications are generally designed for a set of standard conditions specified by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)--namely, a leaving chilled-water...

Chilling out sports media.(FOCUS: CHILLER PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS)
May 12, 2008... The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., has been subject of media hype since its opening in 2006 with such events as the Super Bowl, NCAA National Championship, Fiesta Bowl, National Football League games, and its designation as...

High-efficiency and low emissions system designs.(FOCUS: CHILLER PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS)
May 12, 2008... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages use of technologies that drive the highest efficiency and the lowest emissions. Additionally, owners and builders must sustain and document performance over the lifetime of the...

Adding AEER to your acronyms.(industry news)
May 12, 2008... Technicians quite familiar with terms such as EER and SEER may want to make room for yet another in the seemingly endless lists of industry acronyms: AEER. Emerson Climate Technologies is proposing annual energy efficiency ratio (AEER) as "a...

MSCA, MCAA, UA are driving green.(industry news)
May 12, 2008... PALM DESERT, Calif. -- The Mobile Classroom of Sustainable Technologies is a collaborative initiative sponsored by members of the mechanical and construction industries to promote environmental stewardship of building technologies through...

Middle ground not safe for HVACR contractors.(opinions: VIEWS AND INSIGHTS FROM THE EDITORIAL STAFF AND GUEST COLUMNISTS)
May 12, 2008... The current state of the economy has shed some light on interesting dynamics, particularly within the HVACR industry. While our trade is not much different from other service trades, we can at least fall back on variations--sometimes...

Skaer-tactics: more of Tim Taylor or Ty Pennington?(editors' blogs)(Brief article)(Blog entry)
May 12, 2008... I have said it here before and I will say it here again: Since the average child watches 1,680 minutes of TV per week, we need to get an HVACRrelated TV show on the boob tube. The idea here is to capture the attention of young ones to this...

Gargaro's world: that check is how big?(editors' blogs)
May 12, 2008... According to an article by the Associated Press, a Texas man was arrested last week for attempting to cash a check at a Fort Worth bank. The funny part of the story--the check was for $360 billion dollars. I realize everything is bigger in...

Aaon Inc.(Price Increases)
May 26, 2008... Aaon Inc. (Tulsa, Okla.) increased prices 2 to 5 percent on all products, effective June 1.

Lennox Industries Inc.(Price Increases)
May 26, 2008... Lennox Industries Inc. (Dallas) increased prices 4 to 6 percent on residential products, effective June 30.

Allied Air Enterprises.(Prices Increases)
May 26, 2008... Allied Air Enterprises (Columbia, S.C.) increased prices 4 to 6 percent on residential products, effective June 30.

Worthington Cylinders.(Price Increases)
May 26, 2008... Worthington Cylinders(Columbus, Ohio) increased cylinder prices 1 percent on small high pressure; 18 to 22 percent on intermediate high pressure; 18 percent on large high pressure; and 2 to 5 percent on acetylene, effective June 1.

Eurothern USA.(Manufacturers)
May 26, 2008... Eurotherm USA (Leesburg, Va.) appointed Steve Blomquist as its president. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ProTech Systems Inc.(Manufacturers)
May 26, 2008... ProTech System Inc. (Albany, N.Y.) hired Kevin Sponable and Craig Luckfield as new regional sales managers.

Maxitrol Co.(Manufacturers)
May 26, 2008... Maxitrol Co. (Southfield, Mich.) promoted Jeffrey DeWitt to vice president of engineering.

Emerson Climate Technologies.(Manufacturers)
May 26, 2008... Emerson Climate Technologies (St. Louis) named Clyde Verhoff as vice president of Corporate Quality/ Technical Services. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Green Mechanical Council.(Organizations)
May 26, 2008... The Green Mechanical Council (GreenMECH) appointed Ralph Avallone, international president of the Green Energy Council (GEC), to its board of directors.

The National Comfort Institute Inc.(Organizations)
May 26, 2008... The National Comfort Institute Inc. (NCI) appointed Ben DiMarco as general manager of National Balancing Services, NCI's air balancing and diagnostics division.