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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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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.
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Centrotherm Eco Systems (CES) "Proudly Made in the
U.S.A." |
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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.
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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5 Reasons to Go Mobile. |
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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? |
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When Good Guys Take a Bad Turn |
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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 |
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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. |
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Educating Homeowners to the Benefits of Air Sealing |
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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. |
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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. |
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EVALUATING COMFORT COOLING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE |
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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.
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“Five Success Factors for Growing Commercial Service” |
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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?
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Something to think about ........
|
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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. |
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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.
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If Your
Books are a Mess and You Have a Bookkeeper - Watch Out!
|
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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.
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So I need this “Manual J” Report – What does a Manual-J
Load Calculation report really tell me? |
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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. |
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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 |
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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? |
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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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