Managing equipment is increasingly important to the HVAC industry. Parasense Refrigerant Management Software, gold winner, helps with this.

Manifold Cloud Services Ltd. received the 2020 Gold award in the Contractor Services and Software category for its measureQuick app. The product is a universal Bluetooth application that allow tools from multiple manufacturers to be used on a single platform.

The Gold award for the Contractor Service and Software category went to SmartDiagnostics with SmartTutor™ (SDST) from Smartech Alliance, a division of SmartHVAC LLC.

The Contractor Services & Software category winners include an app that provides access to online product information, an app that helps contractors install and diagnose geothermal equipment, and a computer-based platform for home service businesses.

Paced by continued demand for projects such as new education and health care facilities, public safety, and government buildings, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) increased in June following fluctuations earlier this year.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office has released a request for information seeking stakeholder input on the design and construction of tenant spaces that achieve high levels of energy efficiency in commercial buildings.

Harris Companies, a leading national mechanical contractor with several locations across the country, has announced the appointment of Michel Michno as the company’s new president of construction. Michno has more than 30 years of construction industry experience.

A new, national program from Carrier and Orca Energy, a leading geothermal utility provider, is designed to makes geothermal heating and cooling more accessible in new construction homes. Orca Energy will provide financing for geothermal earth loops in new residential developments with the purchase of a Carrier geothermal system.

Markets in 79 of the approximately 360 metro areas nationwide returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic and housing activity in the third quarter of 2015, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI).

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Autodesk, a leading global 3D design and engineering software company, have announced a strategic partnership to enable construction professionals to work smarter by harnessing digital solutions to increase productivity, reduce redundancy, and eliminate waste.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Confined Spaces in Construction final rule, issued May 4, 2015, created confusion in the HVAC industry. ACCA announced that, after months of negotiations with OSHA, an agreement clarifies that the rule has very limited application in the residential HVAC industry.

Cold Craft Inc., which specializes in mechanical installation for new construction, renovation, and retrofit of commercial, residential luxury, and industrial facilities, announced it has added an Engineering and Planning Department. 

High-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans can mobilize and destratify large volumes of air in any facility.

Beginning July 3, 2019, the Department of Energy is requiring a maximum fan energy rating (FER) for furnace fans.

The 2019 edition of ASHRAE/IES 90.1 will use the new fan energy index (FEI) as the metric for efficiency provisions.

Filter fans perform a critical task of cooling equipment within electrical enclosures while also protecting equipment from harmful materials.

Superseding AMCA Publication 511-21, AMCA Publication 511-21 (Rev. 12-22) outlines technical procedures and the proper presentation of data for the certification of air-control devices through the AMCA Certified Ratings Program (CRP).

Frost on an evaporator coil will prevent the correct amount of airflow across the coil. Anytime the evaporator coil experiences reduced airflow across its face, there will be a reduced heat load on the coil.

Thanks to the prevalent use of online search engines like Google, consumers everywhere are becoming more educated on the products they buy, and HVAC systems are no exception.

Lennox’s SL280NV Ultra Low NO_X gas furnace was built to address a market need in the South Coast and San Joaquin air quality districts in California, which require the reduction of emissions to 14 nanograms of NO_X per joule.

The future of classroom environments just got a little quieter, thanks to the recent certification of Changeair’s Freshman Series Vertical Air Handler by the Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) Intl. Inc.

When your campus is home to 27,000 students, indoor air quality is of the utmost importance.

Heat recovery systems can be divided into two categories based on the thermal parameters of the system: Systems with high and low thermal parameters.

Unico Inc. announced it is making highly efficient EC motors standard for all blower models within its modular air handling units.

Here is the potential problem: A contractor quotes a customer on the compressor replacement, and he agrees to repair the cooler at the quoted price. Then, as the technician is completing the job — or even after he has finished replacing the compressor — he finds out there is another system problem.

Ongoing and evolving U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) regulations have created a complex landscape for supermarket owners.

If a condenser coil is dirty or fouled, its ability to reject heat is severely affected.

This low-profile condensing unit is designed to maintain a building’s aesthetic by hiding the unit within the building and eliminating the need for outdoor installation.

Troubleshooting the high side of a refrigeration system will often give service technicians valuable information. That’s because what happens in the condenser is a direct reflection of what is happening in the rest of the refrigeration system.

This product has a new modular construction scheme with the thermal performance of the company’s patented nuCore Heat Exchanger.

Designed to maximize reliability and uptime, this product allows technicians to stay dry while safely inspecting the basin with an internal walkway.

Demand is changing the landscape of coils and condensers. Efficiency, refrigerant, and market demands are adjusting to a global cooling marketplace.

A look around the world of condensers these days shows three factors driving changes.

Selecting the correct air-cooled condenser for an installation is a vital part of ensuring the system operates properly and at peak efficiency.

Most outdoor units will have survived another winter intact, but nearly all will need some routine (or added) TLC to get into game shape.

Occasionally while servicing refrigeration equipment, technicians may come across a system utilizing a water-cooled condenser instead of an air-cooled condenser.

What happens in the condenser is a direct reflection of what is happening in the rest of the refrigeration system.

Lineage Logistics recently funded renovations to the refrigeration system at a New Jersey facility, including replacement of an evaporative condenser.

The condenser is the most underrated component in an air conditioning or refrigeration system.

There are several reasons why the compressor discharge temperature of a refrigeration system can be high when the condensing temperature is not, and a checklist can help a technician figure out the root problem.

EPA is revisiting a rule that would allow R-410A condensing units to be manufactured indefinitely to service existing equipment.

Homes, restaurants, bars, and businesses rely on clear, clean ice for many applications. Ice is considered a food source, and the water that makes the ice must be of good quality. Good quality water will produce a crystal-clear, hard piece of ice.

Emerson Climate Technologies has filed a patent application for a simulation model of a commercial ice machine to support development of more efficient equipment that can meet upcoming U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) targets.

Hoshizaki America Inc. announced the appointment of James McDowell as president

Like other companies working in the sector, Heatcraft Refrigeration Products faced a new set of DOE Annual Walk-In Energy Factor (AWEF) standards taking effect on Jan. 1 of this year.

In this puzzle, a restaurant manager complains that one of the ice machines in his high-volume establishment isn’t producing enough ice.

The Gold award in the Refrigeration and Ice Machines category goes to the Copeland Digital Outdoor Refrigeration Unit, X-Line Series by Emerson.

The Refrigeration & Ice Machines category winners include a refrigerant charging scale, evaporative control technology, and a condensing unit.

The Gold award in the Refrigeration and Ice Machines category goes to a self-contained refrigeration system for walk-in coolers and freezers that eliminates several of the steps required for a traditional system.

The winner is a kit that is a universal, field-mount refrigeration controller with temperature sensors and pressure transducer kit that can be installed up to 40 feet from an air or electric defrost unit cooler.