w w w . r s e s j o u r n a l . c o m24 RSES Journal DECEMBER 2013

Despite years of discussing

the issue, HVACR industry

professionals continue to

retire, leaving a gap in

the workforce that will

continue to plague the

industry unless

something is done.

Looking Back

for the Future

2013 was tumultuous for the HVACR industry. Despite starting the year with hopes of a slow industry recovery from the still-occurring recession that began in 2008,

many industry professionals—manufacturers, industry asso-ciations and contractors, technicians and facility managers, alike—are predicting a similar outcome for 2014. One recur-ring topic affecting all areas of the industry has been an issue for years and will continue to plague the industry for years to come, that is bringing in the next generation of HVACR professional to fill in the workforce gap being created by those retiring from the field.

As 2013 closes with unemployment rates stagnant, but

still high, consumer confidence follows suit. After all, without jobs, there is no spending, without spending, there is no pro-duction…in any market. Like dominoes, each of these com-ponents affects the other and together impact the industry more than one could imagine. One area where employment opportunities abound is in HVACR, but getting the word to those who are un- or under-employed and properly training them continues to be a problem.

Where it startsAccording to Michael Noonan, CM, Associate Professor, Applied Sciences and Building Technologies Division, SUNY Delhi,

B y L o R i K A s A L L i s

2014 outlook:

?

DECEMBER 2013 RSES Journal 25w w w . r s e s j o u r n a l . c o m

The industry needs to do more about advertising to our youth, in the high schools, and communicate

an average technician’s starting wage.“

“One of the contributing factors is that a lot of the trades are not advertised enough. I was recently listening to NPR where they were reporting that several thousand jobs are available to technicians with two-year degrees. The problem is that the option of working as an HVACR technician is not pushed in the high schools. Counselors still talk about a liberal arts de-gree. That doesn’t pay the bills or get you a job. The industry

needs to do more about advertising to our youth in the high schools and communicate an average technician’s starting wage. That speaks to high school students when they’re choosing a career. If you can use your hands and your head, you can write your own contract in this industry. At SUNY Delhi, our best marketing is the program’s reputation. We have sons, nephews and even neighbors of graduates who attend because they learned about the program’s success.”

A Charter Member of the RSES Student Chapter at SUNY Delhi, Noonan adds that of the 75%–80% of students who finish the program, they see a 100% hire rate. Students range between the ages of 18 and 30 but the school also sees returning veterans, which Noonan attributes to the certifi-cate programs available to them.

For those already in the field, continuing education is also a hot topic, maybe now more than ever. As new equip-ment continues to roll out onto the marketplace, contractors and technicians need to keep up on the options for their customers. Similarly, as the government continues to incen-tivize upgrades and replacements and instill regulations and standards on the HVACR community, keeping a finger on the ever-changing pulse of this industry becomes more and more relevant.

When asked about the possible trends that will be seen in the field in 2014, Mark Lowry, Executive Vice President, RSES, said “I think there are various industry-wide trends that will affect technicians in their daily activities. For exam-ple, in the refrigeration sector, the move to naturally occur-ring refrigerants continues to heat up. Building on last year’s EPA approval of hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants in small charge sizes for specific self-contained applications, through the SNAP program, the EPA will continue to encourage adoption of refrigerants like CO2 instead of HFCs, which have higher GWP. This means technicians will start seeing

Attendees of the RsEs Town Hall Meeting at the 76th Annual RsEs Conference and HVACR Technology Expo learn about new training/certification initiatives being worked on in 2014.

2014 outlook:

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requests for and need to seek training on how rack systems can be designed that use these refrigerants.

“In the HVAC sector, performance contracting will con-tinue to grow as a business model for the industry to offer equipment owners. Using whole building concepts and quan-tifying system performance in terms of energy efficiency are

increasingly in demand—so technicians need to be able to communicate and operate in those terms. Gone are the days of troubleshooting the root cause of component failure—now you’ve got to know how changes you’re recommending im-pact the entire energy-efficiency (and therefore cost) factors for your customers,” he explains.

Building the futureA recent Data Driven Newsletter distributed by Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) opened with the headline “HVAC Outlook Dims with Consumer Confidence,” in which one comment read, “HVAC service is considered a fairly inelastic market. Like a car, when it breaks it is going to be fixed or replaced. The timing of the replacement decision can be influenced by the consumer’s opinion of their economic prospects.”

In short order, if a home or business owner does not have enough money to replace a unit, they will throw enough money at the problem to keep the system running; a small bandage on a gaping wound. Government (and many HVACR business owner) incentives to replace these ailing units with the promise of tax rebates is a wonderful way to remove problem units from the field, increase manufacturers’ bottom lines and help the global-warming crisis, but if the person installing the unit and the agency qualifying it (if required),

HVACR students from the Pittsburgh area attend an RsEs student Training session during the RsEs Annual RsEs Conference.

Gone are the days of trouble-shooting the root cause of

component failure—now you’ve got to know how changes you’re recommending impact the entire energy-efficiency (and therefore cost) factors for your customers.

“

DECEMBER 2013 RSES Journal 27w w w . r s e s j o u r n a l . c o m

If they understand how to build it, they’ll understand how to repair it.“

does not fully understand what he or she is doing, then it is all for naught.

The long-term cost of improperly installing and repairing HVACR equipment affects manufacturers, service companies and home/business-owners, alike. Training is booming around the industry, but one can find as much incorrect information as there is correct information circulating around the indus-try. Going to credible sources, such as RSES, AHRI, ACCA, NAFA, etc., is one way contractors/technicians can better position themselves for success.

“We teach RSES basics with a hands-on tradition. Our students build units from scratch, even bending and cutting the copper coil themselves. If they understand how to build it, they’ll understand how to repair it. We teach basic con-trols in the first year, which leaves the second year for a stu-dent to focus on a specialty within the trade. Students can pursue their interests in the building trades even further through our Bachelor of Technology,” said Noonan

On the continuing education front, Lowry notes that “RSES will continue to expand its training programs with regard to refrigerant alternatives. Professionals who install, service and maintain HVACR equipment need to be able to offer their customers with the best options when consid-ering new equipment or retrofitting existing systems. They need to understand which refrigerants (HFCs, HCs, naturals, etc.) are going to provide the best choices—not just in terms of first cost, but entire system life-cycle costs. So RSES needs to keep feeding the information necessary to have that understanding.

“RSES will continue to support efforts to require mini-mum levels of technician competency in order to ‘carry the tools,’” Lowry added. “For example, California will hear rec-ommendations soon from the Western HVAC Performance Alliance (WHPA) that technicians should be ‘certified’ or somehow prove they know what they’re doing in order to

work on systems. RSES is a member of the WHPA and sup-ports such recommendations.

in the end…Be it in school or already in the field, working together to feed the pipeline of the HVACR industry—those who install and keep the units running—is of the utmost importance. In addition to pushing vocational-technical schools at the high-school level, or earlier, reaching the next generation and stay-ing on top of current outlets being used by this group of indi-viduals is one way to keep this group engaged.

“In addition to continuing to develop training and cre-dentialing programs—for example, our Sustainability Series will see its third title released on electronically commutated motors—RSES will continue to expand our electronic, Web-based delivery of programs like our Technical Webinar series introduced last April, as President Joe Marchese, CMS, indi-cated during his acceptance speech,” said Lowry. “While we seek ways to continue supporting local Chapter efforts, we’ve got to also expand options for Members who desire a differ-ent delivery channel for training and education.”

“And working with other associations is critical in both the development and delivery aspects of RSES mission fulfill-ment. Projects with RETA and IIAR in the natural refrig-erant arena provide a swifter means to developing necessary training materials, and collaboration with groups like NAFA provide the means to introduce more HVAC professionals to the nuances and realities of proper air filtration.”

No matter the topic, the vehicle or the destination, the hope is to better educate industry professionals in order to make them more efficiency conscious and better qualified to install and repair systems in the field today and those that replace them in the future. Watch for upcoming developments on this topic in RSES Journal in 2014.