Contracting Business/Kelly Faloon
Contracting Business/Kelly Faloon
Endeavor Business Media
Contracting Business/Kelly FAloon
Contracting Business/Kelly Faloon
Kelly L. Falloon
65bd0e5f08ad97001e2ce65b Ahr State Of Industry Panel Poster

2024 AHR Expo: HVACR State of the Industry

Jan. 24, 2024
The Jan. 23 panel discussion touched on heat pumps, AI, refrigerants, and technician recruitment.

Industry leaders discussed heat pumps, artificial intelligence (AI), refrigerants, and technician recruitment during a panel discussion Jan. 23 at the 2024 AHR Expo in Chicago: Ginger Scoggins, president of ASHRAE; Talbot Gee, CEO of HARDI; Steve Yurek, president of AHRI; Dominick Guarino, CEO, National Comfort Institute; Gregg Walker, CEO of ASHB; and moderator Bryan Orr, founder/president of HVAC School and Kalos Services.

Gee noted there was still hesitation in the market regarding heat pumps: "Contractors need to be the authority on the technology; they'll be heroes if they take that on."

Orr added that heat pumps require a different skill set, making heat pumps a "big lift" for some contractors.

Moving to AI, Guarino said that contractors "blindly rely" on building controls. Training is crucial in this area to ensure that building controls with AI use good information; verification is critical to this process.

"Engineers design complicated systems with building controls," noted Scoggins. "Commissioning agents should be documenting these systems so contractors don't scrap the design and install what they want."

Talbot told attendees that the date for the U.S. transition to mildly flammable A2L refrigerants was extended for a year. Yurek noted that the need to reclaim today's refrigerant was needed even more to ensure customers are not left hanging at the end of the year when R410a is no longer to be used.

"Refrigerant reclamation is important to serve your customers and the environment; there is value in that refrigerant."

On the topic of workforce development, Guarino noted the industry needs more nontraditional training and "fast-track" programs to get more HVAC technicians into the industry to help customers. He also noted that many HVAC schools have old equipment; they should have new equipment, donated by manufacturers, so students are learning with the latest technology before starting their careers.

About the Author

Kelly L. Faloon | Freelance Writer/Editor

Kelly L. Faloon is a contributing editor and writer to Contracting Business magazine, Contractor and HPAC Engineering. The former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine, Faloon has more than 20 years experience in the plumbing and heating industry. She started a freelance writing and editing business in 2017, where she has a varied clientele.

Faloon spent 3 1/2 years at Supply House Times before joining the Plumbing & Mechanical staff in 2001. Previously, she spent nearly 10 years at CCH/Wolters Kluwer, a publishing firm specializing in business and tax law, where she wore many hats — proofreader, writer/editor for a daily tax publication, and Internal Revenue Code editor.

A native of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Faloon is a journalism graduate of Michigan State University. You can reach her at [email protected].