Plumbing & Mechanical Contractor

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When I first started working for Plumbing & Mechanical’s sister publication, The ACHR NEWS in 2014, I was often the only woman in the room at industry events. Those first few conferences were just a bit intimidating. In fact, it wasn’t until a HARDI annual conference that I first met other women in the industry — shout out to Colleen Keyworth, director of sales and marketing for Online-Access and immediate past president of Women in HVACR, for her immediate friendship then and for all the years since!

As businesses and homeowners across the nation wrestle with inflation and stretching their dollars for maximum value, one area that can’t be overlooked is the heating system.

With increasing awareness on energy efficiency, natural gas bans, decarbonization and indoor air quality, the world has been undoubtedly changed, and the plumbing and HVACR industries continue to be on the frontlines of these challenges.

I love all the advances taking place in the world of hydronics, but I’m still seeing plenty of steam systems out there in our older cities, so knowing about dry steam will help you if you’re replacing a steam boiler. The dryer the steam is, the better you’re going to look to your customers.

Many legacy hydronic heating systems use a fossil fuel boiler to supply fin-tube baseboard heat emitters in some areas of a building and lower-temperature radiant panels in other areas. 

Given the current prices for fuel oil and propane, and current state and federal incentive programs, many homeowners are asking heating contractors to replace their aging boilers with a geothermal heat pump system.

Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had a chance to sit down with Billy Stevens, founder and CEO of Sera Systems, a subscription software provider for the home service industry, to discuss current trends with contractor software.

Many people look for ways to update their homes to provide a sense of comfort and connection to the outdoors. Outdoor projects are currently flourishing, as people extend their living spaces to feel closer to their natural surroundings.

Over the past decade, society has been evolving. It is constantly rethinking discrimination, with growing social awareness of gender identity, differently-abled individuals and sensory sensitivity. The public restroom is one area that has come under fire during this social evolution.

As the water receded from Lake Mead this past year, all the major news headlines focused on the human remains it revealed. Very rarely did any mention the ecosystem in crisis as trees, fish and other aquatic creatures, birds and other species are dying out as they are left out to dry.