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Refrigerant Tracking and Compliance Software: An Overview. Refrigerant management is the efficient, safe and cost-effective operation of your refrigeration equipment.

 

What Contractors Should Know About HVAC Surety Bonds. Construction contractors whose work involves repairing, maintaining, or installing heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems need to understand their bonding and licensing requirements.

How to be the Sherlock Holmes of HVAC
You don’t need to wear a deerstalker hat, smoke a calabash pipe or even carry a magnifying glass to be an HVAC Sherlock Holmes like sleuth.

How to Pass Load Calc Requirements for a Permit
There is nothing more frustrating in the HVAC trade than not knowing permit fees, expectations, or even code requirements that seem to be rarely enforced unilaterally across municipalities.

 

6 Signs Your Field Sales Operations Process is Broken.
When sales slumps, pointing fingers at the sales team is a common practice. Working with hundreds of sales professionals has made us learn one thing—if your sales have tanked, most times the problem may not be in your team or resources or product but in the process. The problem worsens when you don’t know what part of the field sales operations process is killing the sales.


Am I Priced Right for Covid-19?
Ever find yourself wondering, “Am I priced right?”
As my attorneys like to say about everything that I ask them, “Well, that depends,” as I roll my eyes and say, “Will somebody give me a straight answer please?”
 

The Post-Coronavirus HVAC World
The Coronavirus impacted the world with a force and suddenness that touched almost everything we know. No one really knows how deep or long the impact will be, but there is a consensus that many of the ways we have operated and acted in the past will have to change moving forward.

Why HVAC/R is a great career.
Young students are graduating around the USA right now and making decisions toward their career choices. This was the perfect time for the North Park Innovations team to ask technicians and business owners to tell us why HVAC/R is a great career choice.

5 Creative Ways To Motivate your HVAC Team to Perform Better.
You already know that your HVAC techs are your most valuable asset when it comes to keeping your customers happy. Without them, your business would grind to a halt.

Outsourcing Lets Owners Focus on What They Do Best
In a perfect world, your trained, experienced office employees would never quit. When they go on vacation, someone else would seamlessly step into their job and handle it effectively and efficiently. When you want to outdo the competition, your customer service reps would be ready at the phones at night, on weekends and on holidays.

Is your Distribution Software Package Driving You Crazy?
A rather cynical friend once told me, “expectations are nothing more than pre-meditated resentments.” In my business, I encounter a lot frustration and resentment around software and technology in general.

 

Green Solutions Means More Greenbacks for HVAC/R Contractors
Everyone in the industry loves to hate the EPA and the increasing number of state agencies that churn out regulation after regulation dictating how HVAC contractors can do their work and what products they can use. The recent extension of Section 608 regulations to phase out HFC-based refrigerants and restrict sales only to licensed technicians has set off a fresh wave of grumbling from contractors.
 

Can You Get Sued For Marking Up Freight Charges?
One of the most common questions people ask me is about the legalities of marking up freight on their customer invoices. Charging an extra amount on an invoice for freight is very common and companies rely on the extra revenue it produces so it's not surprising that this concern is so frequently brought up.

 

Tips for a Successful Annual Inventory Count
It’s that time of year again. The leaves have turned. The NFL is in full swing. The political season has come to a close. And, the dreaded annual inventory count is on the horizon. During my distribution career, I was involved in no less than twenty of these events. Let me tell you, they were not something to look forward to.

The Importance of UV in HVAC Systems.

Ultraviolet light is used for a wide variety of processes across the fields of science, medicine, and even home improvement. While the application of UV lighting in HVAC systems is not as widespread as its use in laboratories and hospitals, the science behind it remains the same: ultraviolet light has the potential to eliminate the spread of bacteria and mildew.
 

Centrotherm Eco Systems (CES) "Proudly Made in the U.S.A."

These days it is special and shows confidence when producing a product featuring the label that states 'Proudly Made in the USA.'

Most of the vent pipes, chimney kits, couplers, adaptors and other polypropylene vent components and accessories are manufactured by Centrotherm Eco Systems (CES) right here in Albany, just a short distance from the New York State Capital buildings.
 

Password Headaches? Some Simple Advice to Ease the Pain.

Cloud applications are like banks: Your money is much safer under lock and key at the bank than it is under your mattress because anyone can “hack your house.” Bank security is as good as it gets, but like a bank, your data is only as secure as the keys to the vault; your password(s).

 


5 Tips for Contractors Offering Newer Energy Efficient HVACs
The newer and more energy efficient HVACs can be tough sell for contractors, despite the many benefits these systems offer. These newer machines obviously provide energy savings, but they do cost a lot of money compared to their less efficient and older siblings. With this in mind, we’ve listed some tips that should help you as an HVAC contractor.

 

These Solutions Will Hook Insane Mobile Traffic, Part 1.
The growing popularity of mobile devices is affecting numerous industries, including hvac contractor services. According to RKG Digital, more than 42% of organic search visits come from mobile devices.
 
5 Reasons to Go Mobile.
1. Kick Your Professionalism Up a Notch
You own or work at a professional, credible company so make sure you show it! Paper is a thing of the past. More than 60% of Americans own a smartphone, don't you think you should keep up?
 
When Good Guys Take a Bad Turn
I had high hopes for Wayne*. He is young and ambitious. He aced his Trade Tech schooling and was becoming a sales and technical leader at his company. Prior to last night, I would have described him as an example of the brightest and best of our industry.
Zurich Advises Risk Managers on Solar Panel Safety
As businesses across the world increasingly are turning to green technology for lowering energy costs and reducing their own carbon footprints, Zurich is working to help risk managers understand the risks associated with photovoltaic (PV)solar panel systems and how they can protect themselves from those risks.
 
Educating Homeowners to the Benefits of Air Sealing
Air sealing can have numerous benefits for a home, but it can be difficult to convince a homeowner of that fact. In order to help customers discover the benefits of air sealing, it is often necessary to provide information and resources to back up facts.
 
Running a 24 Hour HVAC Operation All By Yourself.
So all of your competitors offer 24 hour emergency service and you’re a one or two-man HVAC company with limited resources, how do you compete?
 
The Big 4 - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google – Social Media Marketing for Plumbing/HVAC.
The great thing about the about The Big 4 is that almost everyone with a pulse is familiar with them and uses one if not all of them. Chances are you already have personal accounts with some of them. If you haven’t started using social media for plumbing/HVAC marketing you could be missing out.

 

 
EVALUATING COMFORT COOLING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
As we all know, the “beer can cold” suction line test went by the wayside long ago, and refrigeration and air flow system performance analysis requires a more sophisticated approach. The illustration in Figure One shows the data collection points I’ll be discussing.
 
“Five Success Factors for Growing Commercial Service”

 
Are YOU ready to grow the commercial service portion of your contracting business or have you determined that there is an opportunity to develop a commercial service area?
Something to think about ........
A leak search is conducted , but no leak is found. So the technician assumes  that the new system was not properly charged initially. He then adjusts the charge and leaves.

Improve the Energy Efficiency of an Existing Building in just 1 DAY.

Many of the new building these days are equipped with an Energy Management System (EMS) to withstand government energy efficient laws. By controlling and monitoring air condition and lights it is ensured buildings are run at most optimum condition with minimum waste of energy resulting in lower electric bills.
 
If Your Books are a Mess and You Have a Bookkeeper - Watch Out!
March was the month of embezzlement. I learned of three companies whose bookkeepers stole money from them.
All of them left tell-tale signs. And sadly, all could have been caught quickly (or bookkeepers would have never embezzled at all) by the owners doing one simple thing - having their bank statements sent home.
 
So I need this “Manual J” Report – What does a Manual-J Load Calculation report really tell me?
Manual J design is a subtle art. And that’s why it’s important to have professionals perform the HVAC load calculation. We at Savoy Engineering Group are just such a company. We have years of experience providing quality load calculation service. We utilize ACCA Manual J software which results in accurate calculations every time!

How To Have A Building That Hums, Is Healthy and Saves Money.
Do You Know If Your Building Is Healthy, Fire Safe and Energy-Efficient?  If you are a building owner or property manager, you want to attract long-term tenants and realize building operating cost efficiencies, but can you make that claim presently?
After all, buildings don’t necessarily operate as designed, especially after a number of years.

The #1 Contractor Marketing Mistake

 
55% of customers leave because their contractor showed no interest in them staying. Keeping customers by remaining in contact year-round should be a no-brainer. However, most contractors still struggle to stay in touch after the initial service.
To Pay or Not To Pay a Salesperson?
Salesperson desires a salary either at hire, ongoing, or after being commission only for a period of time or facing going on commission only after the initial training salary expires. The other more likely scenario is that the salesperson is in a slump and not making sales. What should you do? 
 
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