Business Bits

AHRI Joins Green Building Consortium to Guide Department of Energy

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and nine HVAC and building-related organizations have formed a consortium to advice the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on high-performance building issues. The High Performance Commercial Green Building Partnership (HPCGBP) will provide guidance and technical expertise on key sustainability issues to DOE's Building Technologies Program.

Stephen Yurek, AHRI president, AHRI members will now have an opportunity to bring their HVACR experience to bear on the DOE's energy policies.

“Our members, who manufacture residential and commercial heating and cooling and commercial refrigeration systems, can provide critical technical guidance to the DOE on developing high-performance buildings that help achieve the nation's energy and environmental goals,” Yurek says.

In a statement to Contracting Business.com, Yurek adds that industry-government partnerships are the most effective ways to bring about realistic and lasting change, new technologies, and energy-saving solutions.

“We hope the recognition that our industry's expertise is a critical component to developing sound energy-saving solutions will continue to grow, and that these types of effective relationships will eventually become the recognized standard for developing good energy policy,” Yurek says.

Additional members of the partnership's steering committee include the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Carrier Green HVAC System Installed in Community Center

Members in the partnership reflect the disciplines necessary to design and build high-performance commercial buildings. These disciplines include: indoor air quality (IAQ) and environmental factors; intelligent buildings and integrated building information systems; utility energy efficiency programs; and HVACR equipment manufacturing. hpcgbp.org

A Carrier 100-ton air-cooled Puron^® chiller system is providing the comfort for the $23 million Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Atlanta, GA. The 53,000 sq.ft. center was dedicated in late October. The center has earned a Leaders in Energy Efficient Design (LEED^®) silver certification.

Johnson Controls ProficienTECH Training Available to York^® Liberties^™ Plus Dealers

Carrier technicians installed seven rooftop-mounted units, five fan coils, and three indoor handlers. LEED certification items include indoor environmental quality; efficient water use; sustainable construction sites; materials and resources; energy-efficiency and atmosphere; and innovation and design process. carrier.com

Johnson Controls now provides York^® Liberties^™ Plus dealers with online access to the entire library of ProficienTECH training materials.

ProficienTECH online training is a self-paced learning system accessible to registered York Liberties dealers 24/7, enabling them to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. Each session in the interactive tool is narrated with full audio and user-controlled features. Dealers are able to check their skills as they advance through a course and are required to take an online exam at the conclusion of each program.

“Now, dealers can access all of the training video previously released as DVDs and the accompanying software for Windows by visiting the Media Center on the Johnson Controls Unitary Products Technical Training site,” explains Scott Nelmark, training services manager for Johnson Controls. “For dealers who use mobile devices, iDevice Central provides the ProficienTECH library in a mobile-friendly format designed for the iPod Classic, Touch, and Nano. Technicians can carry an entire library of video training in their pockets,” Nelmark says.

Johnson Controls has offered media-based training programs for York air conditioners, 40-in. modulating gas furnaces, heat pumps, 33-in. single-stage gas furnaces and 33-in. modulating gas furnaces. Each training set includes materials to support independent HVAC contractors, distributors,and technicians.

The Liberties Program provides other cost-effective services designed to help participating dealers manage their businesses. Features include special leasing options, financial programs, professionally designed sales and marketing tools, training programs, and employee benefits

Taco, Inc. Acquires Innovex Technologies

In other news, nine York territory managers (TMs) graduated from Johnson Controls' Special Ops Boot Camp held near the company's Unitary Products headquarters in Norman, OK in late 2008. The training provides TMs with the information they need to help dealers plan for and achieve business success. To qualify for the training, TMs must graduate from York's Basic Training Boot Camp with a score of at least 85% and spend the following six months in the field. yorkupg.com; johnsoncontrols.com.

Continue to Page 2