ACCA New England May 16, 2012 Dinner Meetin

 Using New Technologies To Become Efficient and Profitable

Presented by Bill Wright, Wrightsoft

 

Doubletree Hotel, Westborough, MA
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

 

Click here to register online

 

Sponsored by:

 

ACCA Breakfast Summit and Cool Smart System Design 101 Class

April 25, 2012

8:00 am – 12:30 pm

FW Webb

Hyannis, MA

 

OR

 

May 9, 2012

8:00 am – 12:30 pm

Clarion Hotel

Northampton, MA

The meeting will start with a continental breakfast and a networking session hosted by FW Webb then move on to an Ideas Exchange where ACCA members can provide attendees with information about the issues the association is tackling that protect HVAC contractors. This will be followed by a sheet metal licensing regulations update and a System Design 101 Class.

• Manual J – Residential Load Calculation Overview; Site Survey
• Manual S – Equipment Selection Overview; Selecting HVAC Equipment for Comfort!
• Manual D – Residential Duct Design Overview; Proper Friction Rate & Duct Sizing
• Learn to beat your competition by selling high efficiency, right-sized systems that are correctly designed using the ACCA System Design Manuals
• Course is being taught by Cool Smart’s ACCA approved Residential System Design Instructors

This class is a $100 value, but will be offered at no charge thanks to the generosity of the Summit Sponsors.

You can purchase copies of ACCA’s Bob’s House companion manual in advance. The book is not mandatory. See registration form.

All interested HVAC subcontractors are invited to attend the ACCA
April 25th or May 9th Summit and Cool Smart System Design 101 Class.

Click here to register online.

ACCA New England Membership Dinner Meeting – March 21, 2012

How to Make Money Selling Geothermal in New England

The ACCA March 21, 2012 Dinner Meeting will feature a panel of experts in the Geothermal Heating and Cooling Process. The panel will provide HVAC contractors with information they need to sell geothermal systems to customers.

The panelists will also help contractors understand how geothermal systems work and learn how to reduce risk, find the right partners to work with and develop proven strategies to ensure success and profitability.

The panel will include:

Mike Brogan, Earth Energy

Martin Orio, Water Energy Distributors, Inc.

Roger Skillings, Skillings & Sons

Chris Williams, HeatSpring

Doubletree Hotel, Westborough, MA
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Click here to register online.

Click here to download a printable form.

Click here to view the HeatSpring geothermal site visit checklist.

Thank you to our Dinner Meeting Sponsor:

ACCA Breakfast Summit and Cool Smart Duct Diagnostics 101 Class

February 28, 2012

Photos

8:00 am – 12:30 pm

FW Webb

Brockton, MA

The meeting will start with a continental breakfast and a networking session hosted by FW Webb then move on to an Ideas Exchange where ACCA members can provide attendees with information about the issues the association is tackling that protect HVAC contractors.

This will be followed by a sheet metal licensing regulations update and a FREE Duct Diagnostics 101 Class.

Duct Diagnostics 101: How and Why to Measure Airflow

• Measuring Static Pressure & Airflow
• Using a Duct Calculator
• Available Blower Static, Total Equivalent Length,
• And Friction Rate
• Duct Leakage Testing
• MA Code, ESQI, Cool Smart
• Duct Blaster and Trueflow Plate demonstration

This class is a $100 value, but will be offered at no charge. 

All interested HVAC subcontractors are invited to attend the ACCA February 28th Summit and Duct Diagnostics Class.  There is no charge to attend.

To register online go to: https://secure.blueoctane.net/forms/IRZ4YQB1Q9ME

Breakfast Summit Sponsored by:  

Duct Diagnostics 101 Class Sponsored by: 

ACCA New England Membership Dinner Meeting – January 18, 2012

Create a Strategic Plan to Get Organized and Contribute to Your Bottom Line for 2012

Dinner Meeting Photos

Doubletree Hotel

Westboro, MA

5:00 pm -8:00 pm

The ACCA January 18th Dinner Meeting will feature keynote speaker Bill Napolitano from The Institute For Business Excellence®. Bill is one of the industry’s preeminent consultants.  He is working with the ACCA leadership team to update the association’s strategic plan to ensure that membership services continue to meet member needs now and into the future.

Is your business ready for 2012 and beyond? Is your strategic plan in place? Many ACCA members are small business owners, but being small does not mean that you should not have a long-term plan. Statistically businesses with a plan make more money than those that do not have a plan. So mark your calendar for January 18th and make the development of a business plan designed to help you grow your business one of your New Years resolutions.

On January 18th, Bill Napolitano will help you design your own strategy for success. He will take you through the steps you need to create and execute an organized strategic plan that will lead to company growth and increased profits.
Don’t miss this ACCA dinner meeting. It can lead to company growth and prosperity in the new year.

Click here to register for the January 18, 2012 Dinner Meeting.

COOL Smart Award Winners

NEW ENGLAND HVAC CONTRACTORS HONORED
WITH “COOL SMART” AWARDS AT ACCA GOLF TOURNMENT

STOW, Mass., Oct. 20, 2011 – Seven New England contractors are recipients of COOL  SMART awards presented at the annual Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) –  New England Golf Tournament. The event was held recently at the Stow Acres Country Club in Stow, Mass. and has been sponsored for six consecutive years by National Grid, NSTAR
Electric and Western Massachusetts Electric Co. The contractors, who specialize in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), were honored during a luncheon after the tournament.

The awards were given out to recognize excellence in the quality installation of energy efficient air conditioning systems in 2011. Nearly 150 HVAC contractors throughout the region participated in the event, held last month.

Launched in 2004, COOL SMART is a rebate program for Massachusetts and Rhode Island residential customers of National Grid, NSTAR Electric, Western Massachusetts Electric Co. Unitil, and Cape Light Compact. The program promotes the purchase and verified quality installation of ENERGY STAR®-qualified central air conditioning systems.

The utilities sponsor the COOL SMART awards and the tournament to recognize participating contractors for their outstanding service and ongoing commitment to energy efficiency. Honors are based on leadership, quality installations and active program participation.

Dick Moran, NSTAR’s residential program manager, has been involved with COOL SMART for several years. He said, “These seven New England companies represent the best of the best trade pros in the region. We’re confident they’ll continue their best efforts to reduce pollution, harmful greenhouse gas emissions and energy use through quality installation of high efficiency air conditioning equipment. We hope other HVAC contractors will follow their lead.”
First place award recipients from Mass. are:
 Boucher Energy Systems — Mendon
 Central Cooling & Heating — Woburn (four awards)
 Central MA Mechanical — Shrewsbury

Top Rhode Island award recipients are:

 CARJON Air Conditioning and Heating – Smithfield
 Lawrence Air Systems – Barrington
 Providence Mechanical – Providence
 RB Queern & Co. — Portsmouth

In addition to the awards, top performing firms were entered into a drawing for several prizes, including an iPad and an ENERGY STAR-qualified LCD TV. Conservation Services Group, a Westborough, Mass.-based energy services firm, is the implementation contractor for COOL SMART on behalf of National Grid, NSTAR Electric, Western Massachusetts Electric Co., Unitil and Cape Light Compact. To find out about becoming a COOL SMART contractor, or for general program information, visit www.masssave.com or call 1-800-473-1105.

ACCA Creates Legal Defense Fund to Protect and Represent Industry

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America New England Chapter is about to embark on a legal battle to address a very serious issue confronting our industry. At issue is whether or not qualified craftsmen can install the venting on a gas boiler or furnace under the supervision of a gas fitter.

The History
The Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters issued an interpretation on October 25, 2006 regarding the installation and venting of gas heating equipment. Some in our industry believe that through this interpretation the Board has exceeded its authority. The interpretation attempts to expand the legal definition of “gas fitting” and will include related work that is not covered by the original definition of gas fitting as set forth in the law.  ACCA New England has asked the State Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Gasfitters to clarify the language or modify it to allow the same exception for direct-vented equipment that is granted for all other types of equipment covered by this interpretation. The Board has remained steadfast and insists that in the case of direct vented equipment under 400,000 Btu’s and utilizing PVC vents, that a “qualified individual” cannot perform this work and indeed the work must be done by a licensed gasfitter.

Action Plan
We will now seek relief from the courts. To aid ACCA New England in this effort we have retained the services of David Kerrigan, Esq. of Kenney & Sams, P.C. Attorney Kerrigan will argue that the Board’s interpretation of their regulations concerning the definition of gas fitting has already been decided.

Industry Argument
Attorney Kerrigan will also argue that even if the Board is not precluded from issuing the same interpretation that was previously ruled “plainly wrong,” the Board should lose on the merits of its case. Mr. Kerrigan believes that the Board is acting outside the scope of its authority because the definition of “gas fitting” in the regulations does not give the Board authority to regulate exhausted vent flue gas.

David will argue that a 1986 Hughes case is binding on the Board because it specifically decided the very issues that are now in dispute with the Board. Moreover, the Board never appealed the Hughes decision, so they are now precluded from making the same interpretation that was already ruled “plainly wrong” by the Court.

Legal Defense Fund
To move this effort forward we have established a Legal Defense Fund to raise the resources we will need to fund this legal battle. Funds raised will be used for this and other regulatory and legislative issues that arise that would negatively impact the HVAC industry.

Will you help? We need to raise a minimum of $40,000. Your donation is critical to our success.  Please donate today.  Click here to make a donation online.

Click here for a pdf version of this information.

Contact ACCA
Catherine Flaherty, Executive Director

11 Robert Toner Blvd., # 234

North Attleboro, MA 02763

Phone: 508-839-3407
Fax: 508-232-6005

catherine@accanewengland.org 

ACCA Golf Tournament — September 16, 2011

Thanks to the many ACCA New England members and friends gathered for a great day of recreation and networking.

Click here for a link to pictures from the day.

We would like to congratulate the many winners of the Cool Smart Awards.   Here is a link to the winners.

Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsors:

Thanks to our Titanium Sponsors:

Thanks to our Gold Sponsors:

Thanks to our Hole-In-One Sponsor:

Thanks to our Contest Hole Sponsors:

Thanks to our iPad Raffle Provider:

Thanks to our Hole Sponsors:
  

Congratulations to all our winning golfers!

JOIN OUR LINKEDIN GROUP – ACCA NEW ENGLAND

We share one goal: To make the HVACR industry, and every professional contracting business, more successful. How does ACCA do it? We bring you together with other contractors through unique learning opportunities. We provide exclusive technical, legal, and marketing resources. We bring customers to you. And we fight aggressively for your business interests in Washington, DC. With roots stretching back nearly a century, ACCA is the only nationwide organization of, by and for the small businesses that design, install and maintain indoor environmental systems.

We have recently created a LinkedIn Group for ACCA New England. You do not have to be a member of ACCA to join this group. We are encouraging anyone that lives in New England and works in the HVACR industry to join this group. The goal is to have as many members as possible, so that we promote events and business related topics, we have maximum participation.

We will also be posting benefits of joining ACCA, so that some people will want to join, because they see the value of joining.

Thank you to those that have already joined our group. For those that have not, please click the following link http://www.linkedin.com/groups/ACCA-New-England-3784601   If you already have a LinkedIn account then you can sign in and request to join the group.

If you are not yet a member of LinkedIn, we highly recommend you join. At the top of the page from the same link you can join and read about, “What is LinkedIn?”

How to Implement a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace Program at Your Business

DRUGS + ALCOHOL + WORK DO NOT MIX!   Seventy-two percent of drug users are employed-but you won’t find them working at a company with an effective drug- and alcohol-free workplace program. This program by Federated Insurance offers the steps and resources you’ll need to help implement an effective drug- and alcohol-free workplace program at your company.  Speak with your local Federated Marketing Representative to learn more, or go to www.federatedinsurance.com

Contractors Settle Lawsuit Against State Sheet Metal Board

A group of sheet metal contractors has settled its lawsuit against the Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers regarding proposed regulations that would have increased construction costs without providing corresponding improvements in quality, and tilted the playing field to favor union contractors.

“When we began this effort, few people thought we would have much impact,” said Paul O’Loughlin, outgoing chair of the Coalition for Fair Licensing, one of the lawsuit’s lead plaintiffs.  “Nearly two years later, we haven’t gotten everything we wanted, but open shop sheet metal contractors are getting their licenses and competing for work.”

Legislation passed in 2008 made sheet metal a licensed trade, like plumbing and electrical, and established a seven-person board to promulgate regulations.  The contractors’ challenge to the make-up of the Sheet Metal Board is outside the scope of the settlement.  

Thanks to pressure from the Coalition for Fair Licensing and the plaintiffs, open shop sheet metal contractors are also getting their licenses as provided for by “grandfathering” provisions included in the legislation.  

Click here for more information on this issue and the full press release.

Sheet Metal License Application Requirements Reference Guide

Journeyperson Grandfather License
(applications available late February / early March 2010)

• Good moral character
• Five years of sheet metal experience within the last ten years

Master Grandfather License 
(applications available late February / early March 2010)

• Good moral character
• Officer in a sheet metal corporation on or before June 29, 2009 or;
• Three years of personal professional sheet metal practice at the master’s level or;
• Ten years overall sheet metal experience

Apprentice License 
(applications available late February / early March 2010)

• Good moral character
• Employed by Master Sheet Metal Worker

School License 

Rules and Regulations Governing Sheet Metal Workers

Following is a link to the Rules and Regulations governing sheet metal workers, as published by the Department of Public Licensure, Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers:

Rules and Regulations Governing Sheet Metal Workers

Sheet Metal Licensing Regulations Adopted by Board

At its September 14 meeting, the Massachusetts Sheet Metal Board of Examiners approved regulations to control the licensing of sheet metal work in the state.  So begins the public comment period and sets in motion other required steps toward promulgation of the rules.

A copy of the regulations can be viewed here.

ACCA and its partner in the Coalition for Fair Licensing, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts (ABC-MA), continue to be very vocal in calling for fair licensing, which the current regulations do not reflect.  Below is a recap of the major issues the Coalition wants to address:

Training requirements of 750 hours for commercial work, where most other trades that are more technical require less:  ranging from 250 hours for a refrigeration technician (a trade that requires extensive knowledge of thermodynamics) to of 600 hours for

Sheet Metal Licensing Regulations: 271 CMR

The following Link will show you Regulations on Sheet Metal Licensing, as approved by the Board of Examiners on September 14, 2009:

9-14-09 SHEET METAL REGULATION -Board approved

Please note:  The Department of Licensure indicates:

The regulation has not yet been implemented.  This will not occur for a couple more months and may yet be amended.  It is currently in coordination with other agencies.  A public hearing will be held before the regulation is adopted.

If you have comments at this point, please send them in writing using the “Email-the-Board” function at www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/sm .  While any comment is welcome, your input will be most valuable if it is specifically tied to a particular section..

Individuals may add themselves to the Sheet Metal Board’s mailing list.  See instructions here.

Sheet Metal Licensing in Mass. What are some of the issues?

Here is a rundown on some of the issues ACCA has brought to light in its monitoring of the recent meetings of the newly-formed Sheet Metal Board of Examiners.  ACCA is working in concert with the Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts and building a coalition of other industry groups to take a stand on this issue.  The coalition is fundraising and pursuing various methods of recourse to address these concerns including legal action and a public relations effort.

Under proposal, the Sheet Metal Board would force open shop contractors to operate by union standards.

3 : 1  journeyman to apprentice ratio for commercial work, unlike in other trades

Forcing the open shop to adopt union training models. Open shop contractors routinely tailor training techniques to the needs of their businesses.

Unrealistic training requirements designed to limit competition by making it extremely difficult to get a license

Up to six years of training and 900 classroom hours to become a journeyman

Proposals would result in a dramatic increase in consumer costs.

Journeyman sheet metal worker earns about $61/hour; apprentice starts at around $24

Recommendation to extend the licensing (and ratios) to those who handle, distribute and transport sheet metal, which would add more costs.

Overall consumer costs could rise by 30%

Passing the increased costs on to consumers during a recession will further depress the industry

The higher costs would result in substantial additional job losses.

Fewer companies would compete for commercial jobs (resulting in higher prices)

Complying with the ratios would force companies to lay off apprentices (not going to hire more journeymen to comply with ratios in this economy)

Once adopted, the new regulations will govern the state sheet metal industry during good times and bad. Though times are tough now, the long-term forecast is for a shortage of skilled construction workers.

Regulations that make it unnecessarily difficult to break into the industry would likely have a disproportional impact on women and minorities.

They would also make it difficult for the industry to ramp up when the economy improves by making it so difficult to achieve journeyman status

The new seven-person Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers appears to have a union bias, and several Gov. Patrick’s appointments don’t appear to meet the requirements set out in statute.

Two members of the board are state employees, Five appointed by the Governor

Rather than appointing two wage-earning sheet metal workers and a “representative of the public” as required in the law, Gov. Patrick has appointed three union officials and two executives from union contractors

Neither the open shop nor the residential sectors are represented on the Sheet Metal Board

.

AWARENESS   *    INVOLVEMENT  *   SUPPORT
ACCA will continue to monitor this issue and working to make sure we have a voice in this process and that the interests of the whole industry are protected.  With ABC, ACCA supports licensing, and has published a position paper on this issue (view here).   As part of its mission, ACCA will continue to share with our members and others the vital information on this issue.  Once the regulations are put into force, ACCA will be holding meetings to explain what it all means to you… from the process of getting a license in the “grandfathering” period to what the future holds.

What can you do?  Awareness, involvement, and support are needed on behalf of the whole industry.  Stay aware by reading the ACCA emails, visiting our website, and attending our meetings.  And make sure others are aware… share this info with them.   Get involved by attending the meetings of the sheet metal board of examiners, plus any public hearings as they are announced, and talk to an ACCA representative if you would like to volunteer to do more.

Your support is more vital than ever.  ACCA can only stay on top of this issue and ‘fight the good fight’ through the backing of our membership… if you are not yet an ACCA member, now is the time to make that happen and stand behind YOUR industry group.  Membership info here. .. Contact ACCA.

And to pledge your support to the Sheet Metal Defense Fund, click here for the form.