Contractors can get more productivity from staff by letting software take care of the small things.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is now able to handle many of an HVAC contractor’s administrative tasks, and also help employees perform their own tasks better.

With modern technology, HVAC contractors can leave paperwork behind, and instead share information in real-time.

The advent of smartphones has made life both simpler and more complicated for people around the world.

Each service vehicle is a technician's roaming office. It can be a source of added expense and risk, or it can be managed with resourse like GPS and data-based solutions for the safest and most profitable use. Here's a bird's-eye view of what one fleet management software company sees in its customers.

This article lists four ways contractors can stock their trucks to guarantee they keep rollin’ in the dough (pun intended).

With the scheduling map in the current system, customers can track the real-time location of vehicles.

GPS Insight, a provider of fleet software for organizations, announced the acquisition of ServiceBridge.

Fleet tracking software solutions offer contractors far more than a simple interface to track their vans.

As cold weather approaches, van drivers and fleet owners become increasingly aware of the caution needed to drive safely.

It’s been said that technology takes longer to arrive than expected, but once it does, adoption occurs more quickly than expected as well.

HVAC contractors can incorporate a variety of best practices to ensure fleet vehicles are kept running as much as possible.

Add “increased risk of theft” to the growing list of concerns HVAC contractors face as they grapple with a shortage of supplies and equipment. Both HVAC equipment and service vehicles prove prime targets for thieves.

It goes without saying that HVAC work shifts with the seasons. But did you know that the same mentality can apply to your company vehicles?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck nearly three years ago, automobile manufacturers have had trouble getting many of the parts — computer chips especially — required to assemble the vans and trucks that field-service businesses use daily.

Having the right fleet management solution can increase employee accountability, efficiency, safety, and grow an HVAC company.

Used in new construction and retrofit applications, the product is small, light, and customizable.

The first phase took effect on January 1, 2018, and increased the minimum efficiency of commercial rooftop units (RTUs) by about 13 percent.

“Obviously, energy conservation and energy efficiency are two huge trends in the market.”

With each passing year, rooftop system developers find new ways to improve this staple piece of HVAC commercial equipment.

This phasedown has been expected for a while, which is why OEMs have been working diligently to identify alternative refrigerants that are safe and efficient.

For many manufacturers, higher efficiency systems have been in the works for a while, but the 2023 DOE standards, pandemic, and current supply chain issues have added pressure.

Big-picture economic factors, such as inflation and rising interest rates, haven’t had much impact on RTU sales.

The speedway’s original HVAC equipment, installed nearly 30 years ago, was outdated, and with one HVAC unit per suite, the cost to run and maintain the equipment was significant.

John Milligan, who had been an equipment operator and a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, was left paralyzed from the waist down by a car accident in 2022.

RectorSeal will add the PF WaterWorks product line to its plumbing wholesale channel, building on its brand-preferred retail presence, the press release said.

Daniel Truxillo, the general manager of the Dayton, Ohio, branch of Thomas & Galbraith Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, has a long history of success in the home-services industry and got his start as an HVACR technician nearly two decades ago.

At the core of the BACnetIP solution is the QuickServer gateway, developed by a third-party integrator. This BTL (BACnet Testing Laboratories) certified gateway serves as a communications bridge between the Gen X System and a customer’s building management system.

Bacharach has been in acquisition mode lately, and the company was showing off the new products and relationships that resulted from that at this year’s AHR Expo in Atlanta.

Available for commercial and industrial applications, this product supports safety compliance inside of machinery rooms, mechanical equipment rooms, chiller plants, cold storage facilities, and walk-in freezers by monitoring for refrigerant leaks for numerous gases including HFCs, HFOs, HCFCs, CO2, and ammonia (NH3)).

This product detects all CFC, HFC, and HCFC refrigerants as low as 0.006 oz/yr, including R-410a and R-507.

Key functions include centralized alarming for MVR-300 VRF leak detectors; network set-up and MVR-300 Modbus ID assignment; and system monitoring.

Refrigerant leaks in HVACR equipment – particularly commercial refrigeration systems -- are a significant problem.

Before you can fix a leak, you need to find it. That’s where leak detectors come in.

Since A2L refrigerants are designated as mildly flammable, safety features like refrigerant detection systems (RDSs) are being incorporated into new residential/light commercial ducted split systems that contain more than 4 pounds of A2L refrigerant. Here’s what HVAC technicians need to know about installing those RDS in the field.

Supermarkets and grocery stores are facing challenging times as the $1.2 trillion annual sector strives to maintain its relevancy in a sea of change.

Many end users, as well as refrigeration engineers and contractors, attended Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI’s) 2018 Energy & Store Development Conference in Atlanta, looking for advice on how to respond to these trends.

How do refrigeration products continue to spread through everyday life, and what could be in store for the grocery sector in particular?

When installing or repairing a refrigeration system, technicians should look for opportunities to slightly modify the system (without changing its design) to make it more serviceable.

Store owners and managers are always looking for ways to lower operating expenses, and their refrigeration systems can be a good place to start.

Target and Amazon have both recently announced plans to construct new stores that contain CO2 refrigeration systems, which will help the retailers significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy use.

Portable cooling products used to be considered “temporary” solutions, but consumers are now looking to portables to solve more of their residential and commercial needs.

In the latest episode of The NEWSMakers podcast, Kyle Gargaro, editorial director for The ACHR NEWS, talks to Michael Kane, president of UEi Test Instruments.

Preventive maintenance and proper setbacks can save a business money while keeping staff and customers comfortable.

Companies that deal in surplus HVAC equipment are seeing business opportunities in the new U.S. DOE energy efficiency minimums for single-phase residential air-conditioners.

Portable cooling systems work well as temporary solutions and can also serve as long-term options for unconditioned spaces like factories and warehouses.

Andy Kelso was named COO; Shane Lawrence, CFO; Brinnon Williams, vice president of residential business; and David Archer, vice president of commercial business.

Installing air conditioning in prisons is different than a regular commercial install, and it’s important to know the difference.

Don Kuhl, a U.S. Air Force veteran and civil servant, secured the most public votes and won an a/c unit in the giveaway, which honors the sacrifices of local veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.

Increased cooling capacities, remote monitoring technology, and the need for backup units are all part of the mix in the portable a/c market, experts say.