March 2006 - Plumbing & HVAC

Industry NewsIn BriefContinued from page 9Habitat fundraiserMembers of the CanadianInstitute of Plumbing and Heatingare quickly closing in on theirgoal to raise $1 million forHabitat for Humanity Canada in2005-2006. Figures releasedFeb. 3 show that the CIPHCharity Committee has raised$912,783 under the guidance ofcommittee chairman PaulLachance, president and CEO ofWolseley Canada. CIPH membershave contributed over $2.5 millionin cash and products toHabitat since 1994. For moreinformation, call (416) 695-0447or go to www.ciph.com.U.S. HVAC expo biggest yetNorth America’s largest HVAC showcontinues to grow. A record 1,981companies exhibited their productsat AHR 2006, surpassing the previousrecord of 1,861 at Orlando in 2005.Held Jan. 23-25 in Chicago, the exhibitdrew 57,673 people (36,891 visitorsand 20,782 exhibitor personnel). Thisincluded 1,508 Canadian visitors whoreturned home with insight into someof the industry’s newest products andtrends, not to mention very sore feet,after covering the 409,000 sq. ft. exhibit.A record 137 Canadian manufacturerstook advantage of the opportunity toexhibit their products to an internationalaudience at the 76-year-old show. Infact, the strong international presencehas been a major factor in the show’srapid growth, reported Clay Stevens,president of the International ExpositionCompany that manages the show for theAmerican Society of Heating,Refrigeration and Air ConditioningEngineers (ASHRAE) and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Insitute(ARI). The Heating, Refrigeration andAir Conditioning Institute of Canada(HRAI) is an honorary sponsor.ASHRAE held its annual winter meetingin conjunction with AHR.The Manufacturer’s Division ofHRAI hosted its annual HRAI ExecutiveBreakfast on Jan. 24, providing U.S.-based manufacturers with an overviewof the Canadian market.HRAI chairman Mike Burns (RSRHome Comfort Products, Oakville,Ont.) noted that Jan. 23 marked bothelection day in Canada and the introductionof 13-SEER (seasonal energyefficiency ratio) rules for air conditionersand heat pumps in the U.S.While the federal Conservativessqueaked out a minority government,political uncertainty remains a problem,remarked Burns. “Will it be a bigparalysis or will the parties worktogether?”HRAI president Warren Heeley outlinedCanada’s economic situationwhile HRAI manufacturers divisionmanager Caroline Czajko outlined thechanges to rules and regulations forHVAC/R equipment for each province.The 2007 AHR Expo will take placein Dallas, Texas Jan. 29-31.CSA to developgeothermal curriculumThe Canadian Geo-ExchangeCoalition of electric utilitiesacross Canada has hired theCanadian Standards Association(CSA) to develop a training coursecurriculum for the design andinstallation of geothermal orground-source heat pump systems.The Heating Refrigeration& Air Conditioning Institute ofCanada (HRAI) is assisting CSA inidentifying companies that havedesigned/installed a minimum of20 such systems to participate inthe review of the proposed curriculum.Contact Gord Arnott at1-800-267-2231 or e-mailgarnott@hrai.ca.Union Gas commits $1.8mto skillsUnion Gas, Chatham, Ont., hasmade a three-year $450,000 contributionto Skills Canada-Ontario,President Greg Ebel announced inJanuary. That provincial not-forprofitorganization promotes skillstrades and technologies as firstchoicecareer options to Ontarioyouth. The Union Gas contributionwill bring Skills Canada-Ontarioprogramming to northern Ontario.Last November, the natural gasutility announced a $1.35 milliongrant to support skills trainingprograms at six northern Ontariocolleges. The utility is the naturalgas distributor in northern Ontario.Just likeWirsbo.OnlyWirsbo-er.RMC raises refrigerant levyThe environmental levy on HCFCrefrigerants sold in Canada has beenincreased from $1.00/kg to$1.50/kg effective Jan. 1 to coverthe increased costs of handling anddestroying CFC and HCFC-basedrefrigerants. This is the first increasesince Refrigerant ManagementCanada’s inception in 2001. So far,RMC has destroyed over 500,000kg of surplus refrigerants.On January 1, we changed our name, butthere are some things we’ll never change.We’ll still make the world’s most reliable andefficient PEX tubing, radiant heating and fireprotection systems. We’ll still be committedto serving you, our partners. Everythingyou loved about Wirsbo, you’ll love aboutUponor—even more so. Our new nameheralds our biggest marketing push ever.Gear up for big things. This could be yourUponor-est year ever. For more informationcall 888-994-7726.Circle Number 112 for More Informationwww.plumbingandhvac.ca February/March 2006 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 11