Johnson Controls announced that it closed an agreement to purchase the EasyIO Building and Energy Management System (BEMS) product line.

Honeywell announced the launch of Honeywell Forge Energy Optimization, a cloud-based, closed-loop, machine learning solution.

When it comes to smart thermostats, USACD walks the walk and talks the talk.

Hamid Sarshar will lead the 50-year-old company into the next strategic phase of growth and innovation within the UFT platform.

New Champion LX Series packaged units heat and cool residential and light commercial buildings. 

Nortek Global HVAC has introduced a new three-phase electric/electric packaged cooling solution. The company said the Model P8SE delivers 14 SEER cooling in capacity ranges from 3 to 5 tons in even tonnages, making it an energy-efficient choice for strip malls, restaurants, and retail stores.

The units feature an exact-fit replacement design that matches the units to footprints of other manufacturers’ units and eliminates the need for a curb adapter.

Fujitsu’s Technical Service Advisors event was held to strengthen manufacturer-distributor relationships and empower in-field technical support staff.

There’s no doubt the connectivity of mobile devices has made our personal lives more convenient, but now they’re also helping make technicians more efficient, thanks to tool manufacturers developing wireless-enabled devices and test and measurement apps for download.

We asked our contractor advisory panel to weigh in on their most useful and effective tools used in the field. Here’s what they had to say.

Fluke Corp.’s Fluke Connect received the gold award in the Testing & Monitoring category of the 2015 Dealer Design Awards.

Summer cooling season is in full gear, which means that both technicians and their tools are being kept extremely busy.

Contractors are seeking tools that are equipped to handle A2L refrigerants, offer Bluetooth and wireless compatibility, operate efficiently, save the user time, and are safe to utilize.

Posted by John via Snort-sigs on Oct 29

Selling products online is a whole new ball game. So, contractors will want to learn about their consumers buying journeys, and thoughtfully consider how to launch the online store, what products to sell, and how to market it.

Grocers are looking to their refrigeration contractor partners to be the experts and make suggestions about how they can transition smoothly to the new low-GWP refrigeration technologies.

A visit to an ASHRAE event 30-plus years ago introduced David Heckler to VRF technology, and the distributor was won over. VRF systems now make up about half of his company’s business.

Homeowners likely won’t choose to replace unless it’s cheaper than the repair.

Contractors who are embracing the technological advancements say ignoring a new neighborhood of home automation products could be a big mistake.

BIM technology has proven to be highly expedient for several HVAC plans, especially in terms of cost efficiency, time optimization, and effective planning.

Controls-Con, presented by Cochrane Supply on May 5-7, 2021, discussed the impact of smart controls on the building industry.

Daikin Applied’s recently introduced SiteLine Building Controls gives building owners and operators the tools and insights needed to optimize performance, improve IAQ, and trim energy use and carbon emissions.

Johnson Controls acquired zero trust cybersecurity provider, Tempered Networks, based in Seattle, Washington.

Trends at this year’s AHR Expo within commercial controls and building automation were improving energy efficiency, making buildings more adaptable, streamlining workflow to make things easier for HVACR contractors, and a greater emphasis on cybersecurity and digitization.

While a controls upgrade may be costly, the reality is, the longer you wait, the more expensive a replacement can be.

IEC Systems is a provider of turnkey proprietary and nonproprietary building automation systems (BASs) and a Distech Controls authorized system integrator.

This series of zone controls manages circulators and boilers in residential hydronic heating systems. The non-networked devices control up to six heating zones and can be coupled together in various configurations to accommodate any application. 

The ESP-400 by Jackson Systems LLC has earned gold in the Residential Controls category of The NEWS’ 2017 Dealer Design Awards.

Over a year of research and design went into the 2018 Dealer Design Awards gold-winning product in the Residential Controls category. After listening to feedback from both contractors and consumers for a more basic, easy-to-use, and cost-effective thermostat, Nest created the Nest Thermostat E.

The expected surge in smart thermostat sales will have equipment manufacturers, many of whom have their own proprietary controls, competing with the well-known universal thermostat brands, such as Nest, Honeywell, and ecobee.

This climate control solution ensures balanced, room-by-room comfort throughout the home.

Customer comfort is the top sales driver in the HVAC industry, or at least it should be.

This enables users to control their hydronic radiant panel, baseboard, or radiator to heat to the exact temperature and from wherever they may be.

How many of standard HVAC sales include add-ons like a humidifier, air cleaner, HRV/ERV, UV lights, or zoning?

Products are emerging that help simplify homeownership.

What is the best approach to providing a holistic smart home experience for consumers?

Contractors and HVAC technicians can create a wealth of opportunities by adding residential HVAC zoning to their list of services.

For more HVAC contractors to sell zoning systems, they have to understand the benefits, challenges, know how to approach customers to even be able to sell it, and then comes the install.

His jacket was emblazoned with the logo of a manufacturer of high-performing heat pumps, but when I mentioned that we were thinking of getting one, the tech shot down the idea.

Variable-speed heat pumps, which dominate the heat pump market in many countries, are getting more attention in the U.S. The NEWS asked several manufacturers about the benefits of the technology.

All-electric options have come a long way since their inception, and there’s never been a better time to get on board.

If contractors in colder climates focus on educating their customers on what new higher-efficiency furnaces bring to the table, often times the furnaces will sell themselves.

Residential gas furnaces must all have a minimum AFUE of 95% beginning in five years. Some in the HVAC industry say the new Department of Energy rule will ultimately hurt homeowners.

Due to a lack of training, time constraints, and numerous other reasons, many HVAC contracting companies are not performing combustion testing, potentially compromising customers’ safety.

Taking a look at the major concerns around replacing an 80% furnace with a high-efficiency one such as venting requirements, drilling extra holes, and financial costs.

There are plenty of reasons to shut down a potentially dangerous furnace, just make sure the facts back up that decision. 

If contractors don’t have a plan in place to handle red tag furnace second opinions, they can expect some mistakes.

Posted by Ciro Santilli OurBigBook via dev on Sep 17

Posted by Harrison Neal on Oct 11

Posted by Harrison Neal on Oct 11