Working hard to Protect, Promote & Educate our Profession
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The Nations First HVAC & Solar Forum
HVAC, Solar, & SMART TechnologiesThe Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the only nationwide non-profit association for HVACR professionals, indoor environment, and building performance systems, has teamed up with Pearl Certification, a national provider of third-party certifications for high-performing homes, to present The Solar Forum - the nation's first-ever event to specifically address the challenges and opportunities that HVAC contractors face from the rapid adoption of solar, storage, and connected home devices. The event takes place, January 24-25, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza, Phoenix, AZ. At The Solar Forum, HVAC contractors will learn strategies to expand into other home services like demand response systems, EV chargers, and home electrical upgrades. Contractors will also learn how homes with solar and batteries can impact the design and sales process and drive adoption of higher-efficiency heating and cooling equipment. New refrigerants and a push to electrify heating will lead to more system changeouts. Increased adoption of variable speed compressors, whole-house ventilation systems, and other IAQ products, along with smart thermostats and other new technologies, add to the complexity of HVAC work - even as designers and technicians are in short supply. Sessions include:
Alternative Business Models for HVAC & Solar Contractors
Are Your Clients Richer When You Leave Their Home?
Are You Taking Advantage of Legislative Dollars that are Available to You for Renewable Energy?
And more!
LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE
The Future of Refrigerants
On October 28th, Andrew Greaves of NAVAC joined Service Nation 101 to share an overview of tools and refrigerants and the future for the HVAC technician. This webinar tackles: • Refrigerant classifications; the designators and what they mean • EPA changes and guidelines for the HVAC industry over the next few years • HFC's and the scheduled phaseouts over the next few years • How these changes will impact the HVAC technician, including service and installation practices and the tools that support them Andrew Greaves is the Director of Education & Customer Experience at Navac. He oversees NAVAC's tools and services education curriculum, which is conducted both online and in-person. As a former Marine, Mr. Greaves is a KY Master Licensed HVAC Mechanic with extensive experience in the HVAC service industry. Learn what the future holds for refrigerants and the technicians who work on them with Service Nation 101 and NAVAC!
January 13, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. in Lansing, MI
Join Attorney Matthew T. Smith, at Clark Hill Law Firm, who will provide you with this educations seminar on Lien Law.
Members $50
Non Members $100
REGISTER NOW!
On October 11th, MIACCA helped host an event at Ferris State University along with our Vice President Michael Cain of Michigan Engineered Comfort Corporation, who organized the hands on activities, and provided the crane, 2 lifts, disk golf and prizes.
The students enjoyed dinner from Buffalo Wild Wings and a raffle drawing with prizes for all.
Keep an eye out for our future events at other colleges and how you can get involved!
MIACCA President Phil Forner with Professor Joseph Pacella
FSU ACCA President Corey Crotser
A Very happy raffle winner!
MIACCA Vice President, Michael Cain addresses the students on the importance of their chosen career path in HVACR by sharing the wide range of positions that their degree provides.
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR MAIN EVENT SPONSOR MICHIGAN ENGINEERED COMFORT CORPORATION!!
Another BIG THANK YOU to Seaman's for contributing towards Food & Beverages!
The OSHA standard for fire extinguishers dictates that employers should
"provide portable fire extinguishers and mount, locate, and identify them so that they are readily accessible to employees without subjecting the employees to possible injury."
OSHA also states that only approved fire extinguishers can be used. They must remain in their designated place unless being used. The employer must ensure they are fully charged, well maintained, and working properly.
Each business should consider the types of fire likely to take place in their workplace and select the extinguishers accordingly. The standard also sets out where to place extinguishers to comply with the maximum distance an employee should travel to deal with a fire using that equipment.
In addition, there are rules relating to how often an employer should test a fire extinguisher, both visually and in more detail, as well as the training that they should offer employees regarding their use and the hazards and risks involved.
According to the Extinguisher Placement and Safety page of OSHA's Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool, there must be at least four inches clearance between the floor and the bottom of a portable extinguisher. The administration tells employers that they must mount them on the wall or place them in wall cabinets to help prevent anyone from moving or damaging them.
There are also rules about the maximum mounting height, based on the gross weight.
These heights reflect the requirement that employees should be able to access a fire extinguisher without risking an injury. It is more manageable for an employee to handle a larger extinguisher if you mount it lower.
READ MORE
MIACCA Attends Service World Expo
MIACCA's Executive Director, M.J. D'Smith was in attendance at this event in Louisville, KY in September. She had the ability to brainstorm with other state associations, sit in on keynote speaker sessions and network with vendors at the Trade Show. You can read her report here.
MIACCA extends its gratitude to Service Nation for allowing her to attend the conference and covering her travel expenses. This was another great event put on by an exceptional organization!
With the success of our newly signed Public Act 68, MIACCA is ready to accomplish another legislative goal for our industry and HVACR contractors.
NOW, we are seeking input from our members on our next topic of focus. We are asking you to provide feedback on which one of these important issues you think we should tackle:
1. Plumbing license exemption for mechanical contractors replacing a residential water heater
2. Electrical license exemption for mechanical contractors installing low voltage HVACR control wiring
3. Allowing for and requiring only a single permit when replacing an existing appliance that involves multiple disciplines (mechanical, electrical, plumbing)
4. Process for initiating a mandatory performance evaluation of an enforcing agency upon receiving multiple written complaints
5. An administrative appeals process to the Board of Boiler Rules for appealing a State Boiler Inspector's notice of violation of a boiler installation.
6. An administrative appeals process for appealing the Bureau of Construction Codes determination that there is insufficient evidence to proceed with a formal complaint of a Skilled Trades Regulation Act violation.
7. Other suggestions you may have.
The Bureau has released the 2020 FY Annual Report of Boards. In regards to our industry, he Board of Boiler Rules had met 2 out of 5 meetings. The Board of Mechanical Rules had met 1 out of 4 meetings.
For license complaints vs enforcement action, the BCC had 1 boiler license complaint that resulted in 0 closures and no enforcement action in 2020. They had 37 Mechanical license complaints of which they investigated 21 of them which resulted in 0 enforcement actions and all cases closed. Out of all licenses, the Bureau had total of 681 complaints, they investigated 617, closed 269 and had a total of 54 enforcement actions.
There were a total of of 200 new mechanical licenses issued and 772 renewals You can read the full report HERE.
SB 60 bill was signed by the Governor on July 29th and is now Public Act 68 . This act is important to the HVAC industry as it will continue the long standing safety practice of having employers attest to an applicant's mechanical work experience; and provide for a reasonable work experience credit for those who go to school to learn a skilled trade and successfully completes a recognized HVAC trade school, community college, or university program.
One important part of this act, for a lot of existing mechanical contractors, is the ability to expand certain license classifications without having to go to work for someone else or hire someone with the desired classification. Click here for a complete, comprehensive list of the new experience requirements.
Please note that there is a new Mechanical Contractor Licensing Exam Application found here.
This is another great accomplishment that MIACCA is proud to see pass into law. You may view Public Act 68 here.
MIACCA extends our gratitude to Senator Roger Victory, and his staff, for their due diligence in making this act come to be.
The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) is seeking nominations for the Service Manager of the Year award, sponsored by XOi Technologies. Each year, ACCA presents the Service Manager of the Year award to one outstanding individual. This year, ACCA will present the award at ACCA's Service Managers Forum, November 2-3 2021 in New Orleans, LA.
Service Managers who work for an ACCA member company in good standing are eligible and must be nominated by their company's owner, president, or general manager. The ideal candidate promotes teamwork amongst all departments, emphasizes the importance of continuous training and learning, develops programs to motivate employees, and focuses on providing superior customer service.
"ACCA is proud to recognize the important role that service managers play in contracting businesses," said Barton James, ACCA president and CEO. "We look forward to receiving many outstanding nominations from ACCA's top contracting businesses across the country."
To nominate a service manager, contractors must submit the online form at acca.org/members/awards/smotyaward. Nominations are due September 24, 2021.
For additional information on ACCA's Service Manager of the Year Award, or any of ACCA's award programs, please contact Melissa Broadus, ACCA director of member communications at melissa.broadus@acca.org or (703) 824-8842.
For more information about ACCA, please contact Deb Weiner, ACCA manager of communications and strategic partnerships at deb.weiner@acca.org or (703) 824-8862.