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Census Bureau data for the 1992-96 period show that 81% of the new single-family homes constructed were equipped with central air conditioning, and 70% were equipped with warm-air furnaces. In the South, 98% of new homes have central cooling, and 42% of new homes have heat pumps. Hydronic heating is strongest in the Northeast, where about a third of new homes have a hydronic system., Completed single-family housing, which is a key market for heating-cooling systems, last year totaled 1,129,000 units, a gain of of 15%, according to preliminary data from the Census Bureau. Shown [...]

Unusually cool May and June weather could result in poor 1997 air conditioner sales. Sears' May sales of seasonal products, including air conditioners, fell 1.2%, according to CEO Arthur Martinez. It is uncertain whether air conditioner sales will pick up later in the season, even if temperatures rise. First-quarter 1997 shipments of unitary air conditioners exceeded those of the year-earlier quarter by 1%, but the cool weather could slow manufacturers' output., About 60 precious selling days have been lost from the 1997 air conditioning season for much of the northern United States, thanks to an unusually cool May and June. How [...]

Contractors who sell their operation to a national consolidator face a psychological shock as they complete the transition from owner to employer. Over 100 heating, ventilating and air conditioning contractors have sold their businesses since late 1996 to the consolidators that have recently been established. Some contractors retired after they sold their business and others have remained to manage their former businesses.

Consolidation and increased competition in 1997 threatens to change business conditions for heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) contractors, according to HVAC consolidator Jim Abrams of Service Experts. At a two-day seminar for HVAC professionals, Abrams forecast changes in the HVAC market, including large consolidations of contractors within the $3 million to $5 million production range, which will dominate the market, leaving smaller contractors struggling. Consolidators will choose contractors based on what skills they can offer the company., DALLAS -- The brave new world of billion-dollar, consolidated, hvac contractors will reshape the residential air conditioning market into a vastly different form, one with a few big winners and [...]

The decision to sell S.M. Lawrence Co. to Comfort Systems USA Inc. was difficult because the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (hvac) contractor was a family enterprise founded in 1917, said Bo Lawrence, head of the business. The company generated $17 million in business annually, turned a profit for 17 of the last 18 years and had no debt. However, Lawrence and his brother Frank eventually decided to sell to Comfort, one of four consolidating groups acquiring hvac contractors throughout the US., DALLAS -- 'We are a very cautious, family-oriented business. We're slow and cautious about making any business decision, especially one of this magnitude.' Speaking quietly and haltingly, Bo Lawrence told [...]

General Electric Co., Hart and Cooley Inc. and Chevron Chemical Co. are being sued by five furnace manufacturers and two affiliates for manufacturing allegedly defective high-temperature plastic vent (HTPV) pipe. The HTPV piping has been used in approximately 300,000 mid-efficiency furnaces in the US. The furnace manufacturers claim the piping is subject to cracking and separating when used for horizontal venting. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has launched its own investigation into the quality of HTPV piping., BOSTON -- Five furnace manufacturers and two affiliates are suing General Electric Co., Chevron Chemical Co., and Hart & Cooley in Massachusetts state court. The defendents are charged with misrepresenting [...]

James P. Norris has announced his resignation as executive vice president of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and his appointment as board chairman of Group Maintenance America Corp. (GroupMAC). Under the leadership of Norris, the ACCA grew four-fold from 1,000 members to almost 4,000. Norris also challenged Energy Department policies, equipment managers, and utility companies during his term. GroupMAC has already acquired contractors with $150 million in sales volume and expects to reach $250 million in sales volume by the time it goes public in August 1997., WASHINGTON -- In a surprise move James P. Norris announced that he will leave his position as executive vice president of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, to become board [...]

Houston, TX-based Comfort Systems USA Inc. will acquire 12 commercial sector heating, ventilating and air conditioning contractors located in seven states. Comfort Systems will have an initial public offering in May 1997 to pay approximately 50% of the acquisition price. The contractors have a combined revenue of $167.5 million., HOUSTON -- The acquisitions of hvac contractors, which began last fall, continued last week with the announcement that a fourth consolidator -- the third to be traded on Wall Street [...]

Residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors can make use of a new financing program for homeowners who invest in energy-saving equipment. The Energy Star program is conducted through the Environmental Protection Agency and offers homeowners low-interest loans, and the cost of equipment is carried over a period of time, with a no down-payment option. The program is helping contractors market their products., LOS ANGELES -- Residential hvac contractors have another new weapon in their marketing arsenal: the 'Energy Star' program, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. This low-interest (13.3%) financing program is [...]

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) took steps at its 1997 convention to accommodate the 'consolidators' buying up ACCA members, redefine its membership, and fight back against allegedly unfair competition from utilities. The association expelled two Philadelphia, PA-area contractors, John Cameron and Dennis Haley, for letting utility Delmarva Power & Light buy their businesses., BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The Air Conditioning Contractors of America, in one of its most pivotal national conventions, moved to redefine its membership, accommodate the growing number of consolidators, that [...]

Heating, air conditioning and ventilation contractors who fear losing customers to utilities, which will be able to sell equipment as deregulation of the industry continues, are banning together to influence legislators. Summaries of regulatory activity which might affect contractors is given for each state., The following hypothetical case shows why hvac contractors fear competition by gas and electric utilities. In 1985, ABC Contracting sold a combination gas furnace and central air conditioning system to [...]

The Pennsylvania Power and Light Co settled a six-year-old lawsuit by 18 local fuel dealers who sought $13 million from the utility in payment for its alleged antitrust violations. Utilities have traditionally been exempt from such suits as protected monopolies, but with deregulation of the industry and changing laws and attitudes, other cases of a similar nature may crop up in the US. The dealers filed the suit in 1991 charging the utility used advertising subsidies and cash grants to entice customers to change to electric heating., ALLENTOWN, Pa.--In an unprecedented action, Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. (PP&L) has agreed to pay a multi-million-dollar settlement to 18 local fuel dealers for allegedly trying to squeeze them out [...]

A group of 10 hvac contractors accounting for total sales of over $300 mil have acquired an ownership position in FMES Inc., an energy service provider. A spokesman for the consortium says that as a result of the acquisition, FMES will be independent from utilities and power equipment manufacturers in designing integrated energy services to best fit customer needs. The ten contractors will allow FMES to provide a broader array of services and serve customers in a greater number of locations than before., HACKENSACK, N.J.--Ten major hvac design-build-service contractors, with combined sales of more than $300 million, have acquired an ownership position in a three-year-old energy service provider, FMES Inc. The result is [...]

Charles Warren Joseph further implicated himself as an alleged co- conspirator in a scheme to sell fraudulent refrigerant certifications on behalf of Refrigerant Certification Services (RCS) in a jail telephone conversation he had with accomplice turned informer Herman E. Brodzenski. Joseph's unintentional confession to wrongdoing is the latest piece of evidence to emerge in the Environmental Protection Agency's case against against Brodzenki, Joseph and RCS part-owner Ralph Rubar for violations against the Clean Air Act., CLEVELAND -- 'You don't have to worry about me, I'm worrying about you ....' Charles Warren Joseph may have been concerned, but he still incriminated himself and his employer during [...]

Industry representatives unveiled a national training and certification program for heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition in Feb 1997. The North American Technicians Excellence program will begin offering certification in air distribution, air conditioning, air-to-air heat pumps and oil and gas furnaces in 1997., AT THE SHOW -- A consortium of manufacturers, utilities, trade associations, unions, and educators unveiled an ambitious national training and certification program for hvacr technicians at last week's IAHR Exposition. [...]

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (hvac) contractors expect robust business to continue through 1997, according to a survey conducted by Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News. Nearly 75% of survey respondents reported increased sales in 1996, with 60% indicating that results for the year were better than expected. Seventy percent of surveyed contracts expect 1997 business to exceed figures from the previous year., Hvacr contractors did well last year -- better than expected -- and they look forward to a robust 1997, too. That's the message that emerges from News contractor-subscribers who responded [...]

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) board of directors, voted in Jan. 1997 to roll out its technician certification program in Mar. 1997. The program will cover servicing, and will be administered by Ferris State University. An installation program will be rolled out later in 1997. The vote came after the ACCA board examined the results of a pilot program that had been working on a certification program for several years. About 650 of the approximately 1,000 technicians who participated in the pilot program will receive temporary certification., WASHINGTON - After several years in the making, a national hvacr technician certification program is ready for a March rollout, by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. Earlier this month, [...]

A majority of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment (hvac) manufacturers appeared to disapprove of extended warranties programs for hvac equipment following a debate on the subject featured at the Northamerican Heating, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Wholesalers Assoc. meeting in Orlando, FL. Proponents claimed extended warranties fend off competition from utilities and private consumer demanded services. Opponents denounced warranties as unnecessary expenses and opportunities for customers to seek free services., ORLANDO, Fla. -- Extended warranties for hvac equipment and parts are either: A curse on the industry, stealing service-work profits from contractors, robbing wholesalers of profits on in-warranty parts, and [...]

The first national warranty-service agreement program for residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning (hvac) equipment is firmly established and continues to expand. Spurred by accelerating utility deregulation, the program has about 1,000 contracts and handles just under 5,000 claims per month. Utility downsizing is expected to grow the program, which is administered by Utility General Inc., DALLAS - A national program of warranty and service agreements for residential hvac equipment, backed by utility companies, is firmly in place and expanding. Already, participating contractors file nearly 5,000 [...]

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) are both planning certification programs for technicians, but have yet to reach an agreement to combine their plans. ACCA has already tested 1,000 technicians in its pilot program, which will be combined with its contractor certification program. The ARI plan, Industry Technician Educational Testing, will begin in early 1997., WASHINGTON - Hvacr contractors soon may be offered a choice of two programs to test and certify their technicians. Techs will be evaluated on their understanding of the installation and [...]

A relatively cool summer, 1996 permitted automotive air conditioning shops from exhausting the reserve of virgin 80-120 million pounds of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-12). How much of the reserve is available for future refrigeration use is uncertain, how many pounds of used CFC-12 can be reclaimed and recycled for future use for older cars has caused the price to ump from $285 for 30 pounds in February, 1996 to $600 or more by June, 1996., The 1996 auto cooling season has ended for much of the U.S., although parts of the South continue to do a brisk business in keeping customers, cars cooled. How did [...]

The proposed ASHRAE standard for indoor air quality that was formulated during 1996 is quite different from the previous indoor air quality standard. The new standard has been under development since 1991 and will attempt to ensure that heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems provide better indoor air quality. Ventilation rates include additional components, besides human beings, which occupy a space. Outdoor ventilation rates include general supply rates of indoor air and a minimum filtration level., ATLANTA -- Proposed ASHRAE Standard 62-1989R, 'Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality,' now out for public review, is significantly different than the standard it seeks to replace -- just as [...]

St. Louis, MO's local electric utility, Union Electric Co. (EU), has proposed its UE On-Call Appliance Plan that has hvac contractors worried. The plan would offer warranty service to UE's 800,000 customers, a move which some contractors feel would cut into their business. A convention attended by 150 contractors sought to counter the UE's proposal, although EU had sent out flyers assuring contractors they would not be doing any selling or servicing of hvac equipment. UE plans to hire independent contractors; local contractors say such a move will cost them business., ST. LOUIS -- Some hvac contractors are opposing a plan by Union Electric Co. (UE), the local electric utility, to offer warranty service on residential air conditioners, heat pumps, and [...]

Service Experts Inc has been established to acquire other heating, ventilating and air conditioning contractors and increase its share of the residential and light commercial markets of the US. Service Experts plans to acquire St. Louis, MO-based Contractor Success Group, a consulting company that offers services to 270 independent contractors, and to acquire these independent contractors. Houston, TX-based American Residential services was established for the same reasons that Service Experts was., MURFREESBORO, Tenn. --A second, potentially larger national hvac contacting business is being formed, and will be traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. Called Service Experts, Inc. (SERX), it parallels the [...]

American Residential Services Inc. (ARS) is buying out independent contractors to build a national heating, ventilation, air condition and refrigeration (hvacr)/plumbing contracting company. ARS promises the service technicians technical and non-technical training and a 401(K) retirement plan. Investment banking services for the company will be handled by Smith Barney Inc., HOUSTON -- American Residential Services, Inc. (ARS), which is in the process of building a national hvacr plumbing contracting company, is approaching independent contractors around the country with an offer [...]

Consumers Power Co. will begin selling, leasing and financing heating and air conditioning equipment to its customers on Oct. 1, 1996. The utility is targeting homes with inefficient equipment and homes without central air conditioning. The products will be marked with the utility's brand name. The program extends Consumer Power's business in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry., JACKSON, Mich.--Michigan's largest utility, Consumers Power, will sell, lease, and finance residential and light commercial heating and cooling equipment to its 1.4 million-plus customers. The program will begin Oct. 1, [...]

Seven prominent mechanical contractors have formed American Residential Services (ARS) to cater to the residential and commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (hvac) markets. ARS, which is planning to make an initial public offering of 4.2 mil shares, eventually hopes to acquire hvac contractors in other markets. The contracting companies that founded ARS include A-ABC Appliance and Air Conditioning, Climatic Heating and Cooling, Crown Services, Dial-One Meridian, Dial-One Hoosier, Florida Heating and Air Conditioning and General Heating., HOUSTON -- A new conglomerate contracting company, formed by seven prominent contractors, will create a national presence to serve residential and light commercial hvac markets. American Residential Services (ARS) said [...]

Insurance consultant Stephen Barry is sifting through heating and cooling equipment claims on the defunct Triad Warranty to determine which ones are insured. The late owner of the company, Harold Scott, had sold approximately 100,000 warranties before 1995, many of which were activated only with the installing contractor. Barry has found that only about 20,000 of the 100,000 warranties are insured through Energy Mutual. He performs the search for free, and will complete research all of a dealer's purchased warranties for a fee., DALLAS -- Every day, Stephen Barry gets mail -- from state attorneys general, state insurance commissions, anxious homeowners, angry contractors, and Better Business Bureaus. To each, Barry must provide an [...]

Extended, all-parts warranties could devastate heating/air-conditioning equipment distributors by forcing them to tie up their cash reserves in parts, according to consultant Scott McKinnon. He explained that 5- or 10-year warranties will make it impossible for distributors to use profits generated from out-of-warranty parts sales to offset the costs of supplying warranty parts., WILMINGTON, N.C.--Extended, all-parts warranties on hvac equipment can have a 'devastating' effect on distributors, says consultant Scott McKinnon. The problem is that such warranties eat up the distributor's cash reserves. [...]

The effect of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant production cutoffs on owners of refrigerant and air conditioning equipment will vary according to the type of CFC used, according to an analysis by Harold Lamb. For example, owners of equipment using CFC-11 should have no problem in adjusting to the cutoffs, which are mandated by the 1987 Montreal Protocols. However, production stoppage of the refrigerants CFC-12 and R-502 could result in supply shortages in the future. CFC-12 and R-502 are used primarily in supermarket refrigeration systems and automotive cooling., How will users of CFC refrigerants survive the production cut-off that took effect last January? The industry has had nearly a decade to prepare for the shortfall, since the original [...]

Shipments amounting to 5 million units appear to be the standard for air conditioning equipment manufacturers. The 11% annual improvement in shipments since 1991 has been driven by factors such as an increased replacement market and falling interest rates. Much of the shipments are attributed to demand for heat pumps, which resulted in over 1 million unit shipments in 1995. Room units reciprocating chillers and absorption chillers were among the unitary products that also posted strong shipment results in 1995., Last year's record-setting shipments of 5 million unitary products appears to be a point on the continuum of ever-increasing shipments of these products. For the foreseeable future, 5 million shipments [...]

Many contractors feel that manufacturers' extended warranties on heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment are too much trouble and too expensive to service properly. Contractors must keep parts in stock so that customers are not inconvenienced, but this inventory requires cash outlays and are at-risk of being made obsolete by upgrades., Listen to the voice of contractors who live daily with warranty calls, both on equipment they originally sold and on equipment they didn't Their complements have been edited. A pain [...]

The air conditioning and refrigeration industry faces strong challenges starting in 1996 because no more chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant can be produced for industrial nations, including the US. This planned elimination of CFC will mean alternative refrigerants and reclaimed CFC will play a greater market role in the future. Additionally, smuggling activity is expected to increase as a result of the CFC production ban. This ban has already resulted in 10-year production declines of 65% for CFC-12 and 81% for CFC-11., In the old Roadrunner cartoons, the coyote dashed off the edge of the cliff with his wheels spinning for a second, suspended in mid-air until gravity kicked in and he [...]

The North American Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Wholesalers Association (NHRAW) voted unanimously to merge with the Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Wholesalers (ARW). Details of the merger will be worked out when boards of the two trade associations meet in Feb 1996. The NHRAW and ARW when combined will have over 500 members representing over 3,000 outlets in many countries. Differences between the two associations have been eclipsed by the need to form a common strategy to face new changes., ATLANTA - The merger of the two hvacr wholesaler associations came a step closer last week with the approval of the Northamerican Heating, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Wholesalers Association (NHRAW) to [...]

Energy service companies (ESCO) are making service calls that heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractors consulting engineers would normally make, and this type of service is growing more popular. ESCOs make recommendations for equipment and oversee the installation. ESCOs view the work they do as part of an overall energy-efficiency strategy that is far more complex than the simpler systems and energy needs of the past., Here is a tale of two buildings. The first is a 30-year-old building, 40 stories high and built in the energy-cheap, pre-OPEC oil embargo days. It is a mixed-occupant structure [...]

Survey results indicate that heating/air-conditioning (hvac) contractors' low service rates make it hard for them to generate enough revenue to pay competitive salaries to service technicians. One respondent said that contractors should base their prices on their overhead and their profit goals instead of on their competitors' prices. Statistical information on hvac industry salaries is included.

A Canadian government order to Mortgage Insurance Company of Canada (MICC) will result in the sale of the company's large stake in heating/air-conditioning equipment maker Inter-City Products. The government ordered MICC to divest approximately half of its holdings. Those holdings include a one-third stake in Inter-City, whose chairman, Robert Graham, pledged to act to maintain shareholder value., NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A large block of shares in Inter-City Products, the Canadian-based hvac equipment manufacturer, will be sold at the direction of a regulatory agency, according to board chairman [...]

Some claims resulting from extended warranties provided by Triad Warranty Co, which has gone out of business, are being honored. Insurance consultant Stephen Barry, representing Energy Mutual, said that he expects to pay off over 1,000 claims by yearend 1995. The deceased Harold Scott, Triad's founder, had retained Energy Mutual, which has since become Wasatch Mutual Insurance Co, and Old Republic Minnehoma to insure its warranties., DALLAS -- Some hvac contractors and wholesalers can stop holding their breath. Several claims arising from the estimated 100,000 extended warranties written by the now-defunct Triad Warranty Company are being [...]

The US Environmental Protection Agency will investigate its official, Eugene Tucker, for possible improper actions regarding a $200,000 federal grant for revising American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62. The grant was recommended by the ASHRAE committee on which Tucker, a new society member, served as chairman. The investigation was initiated by Congressional House Commerce Committee on Oversight Chmn Joe Barton., SANDIEGO--A congressional probe of a $200,000 federal grant to ASHRAE became public during the society's annual summer meeting here. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is [...]

Manufacturers and distributors of unitary air conditioners are saddled with high inventories because of an unseasonably cool spring in the northern states. Their combined inventories are 1.8 million, 24% more than in Jun 1994. With shipments in April dropping to 464,866, it is unlikely the record 4.9 million units of 1994 will be matched in 1995. A market-by-market analysis is provided., If distributors aren't choking yet on the fast-growing inventory of unitary products on their shelves, they're at least trying to clear their throat, especially in the northern markets. That's the [...]

Gas desiccant dehumidification is being promoted by the gas industry as an efficient, affordable means of removing moisture from the air in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The process involves desiccants on a wheel that attract moisture before a gas-heated part of the wheel removes the moisture to the outside. The gas industry expects the market to increase from 1992 levels of 180,000 tons per year to 800,000 tons in 2000. The systems are in use in supermarket refrigerators, homes and commercial buildings., With all of the talk of CFCs and-their use in the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, another technology - gas desiccant cooling - is now a fairly small speck on the horizon. [...]

Product liability reform legislation has the support of the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industries. The Common Sense Legal Standards Reform Act would only penalize companies for the actual damage caused up to $250,000. The Securities Litigation Reform Act would restrict securities mismanagement litigation. Finally, the Attorney Accountability Act would require the losing party to pay all legal fees if the trial produces less in compensation than an out-of-court settlement would have., WASHINGTON - Is it too easy to collect exorbitant damages in civil law-suits? Yes, according to many in Congress and in the hvacr industry, and action is underway to change [...]

Carbon monoxide detectors are an important new market for the residential controls industry. The changes in carbon monoxide detector owners' manuals will also create an interest in the market for heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractors. Indoor air quality problems result from the variety of gases that accumulate in buildings or near appliances. Home appliances should be evaluated by contractors each year in order to ensure their safe operation., PITTSBURGH - When you find 60 hvac contractors paying $45 each to gather at 7 p.m. and listen to somebody talking about carbon monoxide poisoning in homes - and they're [...]

Air conditioning equipment manufacturers are concerned about a point-at-a-time rebate program that a consortium of electric utilities is planning. The program, which is designed by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), is for residential and non-residential air conditioning equipment and is based on efficiency thresholds for EERs, SEERs and HSPFs. CEE Dir Larry Alexander says the program could reduce electric air conditioning bills in the US by 30%, but equipment suppliers say the efficiency levels are too demanding for immediate adoption., Washington - Air conditioning manufacturers claim they support more-efficient products, but they are concerned about utility rebates based on one-point-at-a-time SEER intervals. A decade ago, before national minimum efficiency standards [...]

The US Customs Dept indicted two men during the week of Jan 16, 1995, for allegedly smuggling over 100 tons of the refrigerant CFC-12, valued at $2.5 million, into the US. The two men, Adi Dara Dubash and Homi N. Patel, were intercepted in Miami, FL, with the refrigerant, some of which had been diverted to New York for sale there. Officials believe that the men shipped a total of seven containers of CFC-12 on four different ships under the pretext that it was going to Mexico. About 20 to 25 containers of illegally shipped CFC containers have been confiscated in several investigations., MIAMI -- In the biggest case of its kind so far, two men were indicted last week on charges of illegally smuggling more than 100 tons of CFC-12 into the [...]

Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating equipment (hvacr) manufacturers will not be able to maintain their record-breaking 1994 shipment levels in 1995. Most of the reason for this slowdown in shipment activity is attributed to higher-than-normal distributor inventories. For example, 1st qtr 1995 unitary equipment inventory levels are 20% higher than the levels in 1st qtr 1994. Weather could also impact shipping levels. However, the market for hvacr manufacturers should remain strong as a result of continued strength in the construction industry's recovery., As the industry prepares for the upcoming International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition in Chicago later this month, the picture for industry performance in 1995 is confused, at best. The year [...]

The Canadian Gas Association is preventing the use of sidewall high-temperature plastic venting materials in new systems. It is allowing the use in systems that have the plastic venting pipe already in place. The reason is that the venting material can crack and release carbon monoxide. The plastic venting is manufactured by three companies, Hart & Cooley Inc, Chevron Chemical Co and Selkirk Metalbestos., TORONTO -- Sidewall high-temperature plastic (Category III) venting materials may be welcomed back into Canada if they are made with 'new, improved' materials, and comply with a revised and more-stringent [...]

A sampling of polled refrigerant wholesalers say they are coping with new rules that require service technicians to have certification cards in order to buy refrigerant. As of Nov 14, 1994, wholesalers must see technicians' certification cards and runners who are sent to buy refrigerant must have their names on an approved list. There is some confusion among wholesalers as to which refrigerant products require certification to purchase., A week after the technician certification requirement for buying refrigerant kicked in, a sampling of wholesalers contacted by The News said they are coping with the government regulation that adds [...]

Supermarkets are one of the commercial refrigeration industry's main customers. According to the Electric Power Research Institute, about 50% of a supermarket's power consumption is used in refrigerated display cases. Approximately 3% of supermarkets close each year, but the number is balanced by the number of new supermarkets each year, according to the Food Marketing Institute. Almost 8% of all stores are remodeled each year and the median amount spent on remodeling is $350,000. Supermarkets operate in a highly competitive environment and may have very thin profit margins., WASHINGTON -- Manufacturers of commercial refrigeration display cases, and the technicians who keep these units running, are serving customers who operate in a murderously competitive environment. Food (fruits, vegetables, deli [...]

York International Corp. introduced its natural gas heat pumps on August 4, 1994, after a decade of testing and development. York expects to manufacture approximately 25,000 of these new pumps between 1994 to 1997. The 2.5-10-ton capacity pumps will be distributed mainly through gas utility companies to residential and light commercial markets. York believes that its energy efficient heat pumps can reduce energy bills by 50% compared to electric heat pumps or gas furnace units., BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- After a decade of development and field testing, York International Corp.,working with a consortium of gas industry agencies, unveiled its unique natural gas engine-driven heat pump on [...]