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Are Consumer Protections in the Heating and Cooling Industry Working?

By Charley Cormany | October 31, 2022

When a building owner or homeowner contacts a heating and cooling professional, their primary concerns may not always be in their best interest. The restoration of service and price frequently take priority over quality.

The Heating and Cooling industry has some real issues with quality. Some contractors do high-quality work, and the performance of their installations is impressive. Unfortunately, most of the industry struggles to produce consistent, high-quality results.

Why is installation quality an issue? Can we regulate quality in the HVAC industry? Are there better options?

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Contractors are facing two significant challenges to growth today. Supply chain issues are the first. Can you guess the second?

By Charley Cormany | July 27, 2022

We spend a great deal of time talking to contractors. Understanding their challenges helps us focus our efforts as a trade organization. We continue to hear the same two concerns from contractors. One seems to be slowly improving, and the other is much more difficult.

The first is supply chain issues, which are becoming less of a problem in most cases. The other is the lack of an available workforce, a much more significant and daunting challenge.

Why is it so hard to hire new workers, and what can we, as an industry, do to solve the problem?

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Five Reasons Heat Pumps Are Making the News

By Charley Cormany | June 23, 2022

Heat pumps have been making the headlines recently. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has illustrated the security risks related to dependence on fossil fuels. Heat pumps are being promoted as a means for Europe to reduce its dependency on energy sourced from hostile partners.

President Biden recently invoked the Defense Production Act to encourage the domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies. The Department of Energy (DOE) published a plan in February to build a Clean Energy Sector Industrial Base. These are both significant efforts to bolster the adoption of clean energy technologies. One of the technologies showcased in these plans is heat pumps.

What are heat pumps, and why are they now critical for our national security? Are there other benefits to this technology? Should we all consider installing heat pumps for our homes and business? Why is this technology getting so much attention these days?

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The Latest From The Field – IHACI 2022

By Charley Cormany | December 1, 2022

The Institute of Heating and Air Conditioning Industries (IHACI) is a nonprofit trade organization representing the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry. Once a year, IHACI hosts a tradeshow to showcase the latest products in the industry and provide educational sessions for its members.

I attend the conference to keep current on trends and new products. One of my objectives is to see if manufacturers and suppliers are keeping up with policy changes in the state. The last IHACI conference I attended was in 2019. One of my primary goals then was to see if heat pumps were making headway and what new products were available.

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Why is California Banning Natural Gas Heaters?

By Charley Cormany | September 30, 2022

What’s the deal with California and natural gas in buildings? It started with cities and counties requiring new construction projects to be all-electric. On Sept. 22, 2022, California policymakers voted unanimously to ban the sale of gas furnaces and water heaters after 2030. What’s with all these restrictions, and why now?

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The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a Big Deal

By Charley Cormany | September 1, 2022

The Biden administration has taken a significant step to address climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been signed into legislation. Over half of the $737B in the legislation address mitigating the impacts of climate change.

There is no question that this legislation will significantly impact the clean energy industry and many others. Many in the industry are excited and perhaps overwhelmed at the same time. The goals outlined in the IRA will take some heavy lifting. Are we ready? And what does this mean for the clean energy industry?

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