Workforce Development non-profit CareerEdge Funders Collaborative has a donor interested in funding an entry-level, fast-track HVAC program at Manatee Technical College. CareerEdge can help market the class and recruit people directly to participating HVAC companies who will then screen the candidates and choose the students they want to hire. Only those chosen would be eligible to attend this ‘express’ night class, which is 250 hours (about 4 months) and outlined in the attachment as the HVAC Helper (course #ACR0041).

CareerEdge will fully fund this class, and include our soft skills training. If you are interested in participating, please contact Deborah Chapman at 328-6985 or chapman@uwsuncoast.org

The future looks bright for many HVAC technicians, with more jobs and opportunities for higher salaries on the horizon. The construction industry is booming, and more buildings mean more work. HVAC technicians with the right skill sets will be in high demand. The landscape of the industry is changing though, as technology plays a bigger role in building operations and maintenance.

Source: The Complete HVAC-R Industry Salary Survey for 2018; https://connecteam.com/hvac-r-salary-survey-2018/

Getting a raise might mean adopting new technical skills or undertaking more education for many veteran technicians. For those getting into the industry, a combination of education and hands-on experience will help them leverage their job prospects and salary. Staying on top of new industry developments along with these new skill sets will give both groups an advantage in their careers.

1- Computer Literacy

In the HVAC world being computer savvy is now as important as being able to change out a fan motor. Most HVAC systems are now being tied to a Building Automation System (BAS) that will control every function of its operation from startup to cool down. The HVAC tech of tomorrow will need to understand devices such as actuators and sensors that are tied to the BAS or sophisticated smartstats for connected homes, as well to be able to service them. No matter how high level or basic the controls, the one common denominator for all of these systems is that they are monitored and maintained by building HVAC technicians. For those new to the industry, familiarizing themselves with digital control systems will be necessary before starting a new job. Having this new skill set is also great for those experienced in the field because it gives them an opportunity to beef up their resume and increase their take-home pay.

2 – Interdisciplinary Management

The future of work includes a set of “human” skills as well as technical skills. Gone are the days of single skill jobs in the HVAC industry that require little to no interaction with others. The key to assuring your job security now is to combine a unique set of skills such as executive presence, empathy, and communication with your technical skills. This means you’ll be expected to collaborate, for example, with an office manager to implement a water safety program or work with a patron’s IT or security management teams to buy, install and use building access and security technology.

3 – Certificates and Continued Education

On-the-job training has been the only method for learning about HVAC for decades and provides valuable skills to technicians. But with the increased use of technology, skills learned in the classroom are becoming more important. In fact, HVAC degree courses can put potential candidates at the top of the short list and give them leverage when asking for salary requirements. Studies show that after about 10 years in an HVAC position, salary increases tend to taper off, so certifications and continuing education is a great way to position yourself for a raise if you’ve been in the industry for a while, too.

As we move into the age of technology-driven buildings, having experience is just one piece of the puzzle to get the job and salary you desire. Today’s technicians need to develop new interdisciplinary skills, develop computer and technology skills, and pursue certifications and degree programs if they wish to be successful. Today’s technician works smarter and uses tools to finish tasks effectively. One of those tools is online calculators used to easily calculate chemical scale cleaner such as the ones formulated by Goodway. The ability to learn and adapt is the key to achieving the HVAC career you want.

Provided by:  Carrier/Goodway 

To read more:  http://www.goodway.com/hvac-blog/2018/03/top-three-ways-to-maximize-your-hvac-technician-earning-potential/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=20180325_Newsfeed-HVAC-Earning-Potential-ZGM

As your residential and commercial customers are preparing to turn on their air conditioners for the season, it is important to remind them of the role coil cleaning plays in air conditioner maintenance. While condenser and evaporator coils have different functions within the a/c unit, keeping them clean offers the same benefits.

Benefits of Coil Cleaning for A/C Unit Maintenance
It is recommended that a comprehensive coil cleaning service be performed at least once per year in order to achieve the following benefits:

• Energy Savings – When the coils within an a/c unit are coated with dirt and grime, their energy efficiency drops dramatically. This means the unit has to work harder to run, resulting in higher electric bills among your customers. With coil cleaning alone, your customer can experience a 16% efficiency gain.

• System Performance – The condenser and evaporator coils are key components of an a/c unit, so it stands to reason that if they are dirty, the performance will be impacted. Even the most expensive, top-of-the-line equipment simply can’t function optimally with dirty coils. In fact, dirty coils can cut a unit’s cooling capacity by 7%.

• Equipment Life Cycle – Dirty coils force compressors to work harder, cutting down their lifespan. If there is too long of a gap between coil cleanings, the compressor can even fail completely, requiring a replacement. Additionally, the built-up grime on the coils can cause corrosion, which requires a coil replacement instead of just a coil cleaning.

• Air Quality – Due to the liquids involved in the air conditioning process, the evaporator coil and condensate pan are breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria, mold spores and fungi. As air comes into contact with the coils, it can absorb these harmful substances on its way. This not-so-fresh air is then blown into the building and is breathed in by the occupants.

How to Minimize the Need for Coil Cleaning Going Forward
Clearly, coil cleaning is a crucial aspect of air conditioning maintenance. In addition to the annual coil cleaning that is recommended, you can advise your customer to take additional preventive action during the year. This can include removing any visible debris that appears on the a/c unit or considering future replacement with specialized coils that are pre-treated at the factory to reduce damage and prevent corrosion.
By performing an annual coil cleaning as part of your customer’s air conditioning maintenance, you can help them enjoy increased energy efficiency and improved air quality.

provided by http://news.carrierenterprise.com

The State of Florida, Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers’ Compensation offers Free Seminars and Webinars for Florida employers regarding Workers’ Compensation and Workplace Safety.

In addition, the Division of Workers’ Compensation has partnered with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and the University of South Florida’s “Safety Florida Consultation Program” to bring valuable safety information to Florida employers.

Free Seminars are held in various locations around the state. Please see the attached Flyer and Registration forms for the events scheduled from January 2018 through June 2018

Free Webinars are also available to Florida employers. The Webinars contain the same information as the classroom settings and are held monthly via your computer and telephone.

Schedule Flyer         seminar registration            webinar registration

CEUs

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available to contractors licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation: Construction Industry Licensing Board and Electrical Contractors Licensing Board.

Dates & Locations

Please find attached flyer and registration forms with the dates, times and locations for the Seminars (classroom settings) and dates/times for the Webinars January 2018 through June 2018 .

To register for any of our events please complete the appropriate registration form and email it to me at BocSeminars@MyFloridaCFO.com or fax it to (239) 338-2786.

To help you better understand some of the key elements, we are sharing answers to some of the frequent questions we are receiving from HVACR Educators and Trainers across the country. 

Fact Sheet: 2019 Leak Rate Calculations for Appliances that Contain Non-Exempt Substitute Refrigerants

The EPA’s Updated Refrigerant Management Requirements

Q: When will the new exam be available?

A: A new Section 608 EPA Certification Exam has been developed to incorporate the new regulations. It is currently being reviewed by the EPA prior to release. When the EPA allows its release, all registered proctors will be notified. Until such notification, registered proctors should continue to use the current exam. 

Q: Will technicians need to be re-certified?

A: Persons currently certified as Section 608 technicians do not need to be re-certified. However, they will be required to comply with the regulatory changes. 

Q: As an instructor, my lesson plans are created months in advance. To prepare for testing my students, will I have to switch to the new exam immediately when it is released?

A: When the new exam is released, proctors will be able to offer both exams for a period of time. This will allow people currently training students to use the current program, or use the new one if they are ready. 

Q: Will someone be providing proctors an overview of the changes?

A: Members of the ESCO Institute team will be holding webinars to help instructors understand the changes in the program. 

Q: Does the EPA offer any simple facts for me to share with students or customers?

A: The EPA has created summaries of the changes for specific industries affected by the changes. Additionally, there is a fact sheet for leak rate calculations that contain non-exempt substitute refrigerants. 

Q: Where can I find a complete list of regulations?

A: The update to the Section 608 Refrigerant Management Program can be found in the Federal Register here. 

The purpose in sharing these emails is to assure you have the facts. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-726-9696. 

Sincerely,

Eugene Silberstein, CMHE, B.E.A.P.

Director of Technical Education and Standards

Phone 800 726-9696│Direct 877-394-5253│Fax 800 546-3726

Effective 12/31/2017 - CODE Changes Are you sure that you are ready to apply the latest provisions in building technology and safety? The 2017 Florida Building Codes are fully integrated publications that combine ICC’s 2015 International Codes® with customized amendments adopted statewide.  - Protect Your Business -

Click Here to View/Order Publications from the ICC Direct

To Register -
Please Visit The Conference Website

 Click Here: 2018 EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE

Exhibitors & Sponsors
Once on the Website - Click the Exhibitor Tab
Please review and select your choice of Sponsorship Levels. We encourage you to register and pay now through the Website to secure your reservation at the Conference. There is a limited amount of booth space, and will be first come, first served.
Attendees
Once on the website - Click the Contractor Tab and Register
or Click Here - Contractors 
Please note that Full Class Schedules will be available January 2018 and Attendees will be contacted by a FRACCA Staff Member to complete your selection for classes.  You may register and pay now through the Website to secure your reservation.

If you have an interest in Speaking at the event, please contact
Paula Huband, FRACCA Executive Director at
Conference@FRACCAAir.com or 727.576.3225

IRS Relief for Businesses & Individuals

IR-2017-155, Sept. 15, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Hurricane Irma victims in Florida have until Jan. 31, 2018, to file certain individual and business tax returns and make certain tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.  This includes an additional filing extension for taxpayers with valid extensions that run out on Oct. 16, and businesses with extensions that run out on Sept. 15.

The IRS is now offering this expanded relief to any area designated by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
as qualifying for either individual assistance or public assistance in Florida. 

The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on Sept. 4, 2017 in Florida. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Jan. 31, 2018, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.

This includes the Sept. 15, 2017 and Jan. 16, 2018 deadlines for making quarterly estimated tax payments. For individual tax filers, it also includes 2016 income tax returns that received a tax-filing extension until Oct. 16, 2017. The IRS noted, however, that because tax payments related to these 2016 returns were originally due on April 18, 2017, those payments are not eligible for this relief.

A variety of business tax deadlines are also affected including the Oct. 31 deadline for quarterly payroll and excise tax returns. Businesses with extensions also have the additional time including, among others, calendar-year partnerships whose 2016 extensions run out on Sept. 15, 2017
and calendar-year tax-exempt organizations whose 2016 extensions run out on Nov. 15, 2017.
The disaster relief page has details on other returns, payments and tax-related actions qualifying for the additional time. 

In addition, the IRS is waiving late-deposit penalties for federal payroll and excise tax deposits normally due during the first 15 days of the disaster period. Check out the disaster relief page for the time periods that apply to each jurisdiction.

The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. Thus, taxpayers need not contact the IRS to get this relief. However, if an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date falling within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.

In addition, the IRS will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period are located in the affected area. Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227. This also includes workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization.

Individuals and businesses who suffered uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses can choose to claim them on either the return for the year the loss occurred (in this instance, the 2017 return normally filed next year), or the return for the prior year (2016). See Publication 547 for details.

The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by severe storms and flooding and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, visit disasterassistance.gov.

For information on government-wide efforts related to Hurricane Irma, visit www.USA.gov/hurricane-Irma.

Follow the IRS on Social Media      Subscribe to IRS Newswire

Assignment of Benefits (AOB)

Have you heard the term Assignment of Benefits?
Do you know how it impacts you? An AOB is an agreement that, once signed, transfers the insurance claims rights or benefits of your insurance policy to a third party.

An AOB gives the third party authority to file a claim, make repair decisions and collect insurance payments without your involvement.

Consumers DO NOT need to sign an AOB to initiate repairs from Hurricane Irma and should be cautious of vendors and auto glass harvesters who pressure them to sign one before an insurer has the ability to inspect the damage. Read documents closely and find out who is responsible for paying the vendor – you or your insurance company.

If you suspect fraud or suspicious activity, please call the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services Insurance Consumer Helpline at 
1-877-693-5236. To keep up to date on Consumer Protection Coalition activities, follow us on Twitter @CPC_FL 
and “like” our page at

 FB.com/consumerprotectioncoalition

The ins and outs of insuring businesses against disasters

By Josh Helmuth - Posted Aug 7, 2017 at 2:01 AM

So your home is prepared for a hurricane or tropical storm. Great! Be proud you have checked the boxes — proper preparation pays off. But what about your business?

As a reformed Florida surfer, I can tell you that the best (and biggest) waves occur during hurricane season from June 1 to Nov. 30. In other words, right now — surf’s up and you should be ready for it.

For your business, two areas to focus on are insurance strategy and business continuity planning. Insurance will take care of paying you back after the storm hits and business continuity planning will make sure that the business can operate following a loss.

Pre-storm is the time to review insurance policies to make sure they are written for your specific business needs. It’s critical to realize that once a warning is issued, insurance companies will shut down underwriting and binding of insurance. At that point, it’s too late to buy or change a policy.

Most issues with business insurance policies stem from how the contracts are written — what is included/excluded:

• Replacement cost versus actual cash value policy assignment: Cost to replace/reconstruct your buildings will be depreciated if actual cash value is listed.
• Coinsurance percentage: How does this apply to your current reconstruction value? Avoid penalties with a current insurance appraisal.
• Business interruption/extra expense: Make certain that the correct calculation method is used and contingent business interruption is added if suppliers are important to your operations.
• Building ordinance and law: Building codes change regularly. Who will pay for reconstruction updates to meet the current code? Coverage for such updates is probably not automatically included in your policy.
• Flood: Coverage for rising waters/storm surge is not typically covered unless your business has separate flood insurance. However, primary limits of flood insurance may not be enough to insure the full replacement cost of your building.

Insuring owned property of your business is only one aspect of disaster planning. Best practices for business owners include a business continuity plan, which defines continuity of critical operations following a hurricane disaster. The plan includes such considerations as: how prepared are you for a disaster, what are your critical functions, are the critical parts of your business able to function in the event of a catastrophe and how will your business operate until it is up and running again?

Communicating the strategy to employees is vital to the plan’s success. Most plans involve transferring equipment and inventory, specifics for protecting buildings and records and provisions for employee availability to help with preparations, including who will do what before and after the storm hits.

There are some great information sources to assist with building a building continuity plan, but the plan must be specific to your business. One resource can be found at http://www.lykesinsurance.com/blog/blog-details/lykes-blog/2016/06/30/planning-for-the-unthinkable, in which Lykes executive vice president Mark Webb explains how to customize a plan by describing the five phases of business continuity strategy: Initiation, Business Impact Analysis, Recovery Strategies, Implementation and Testing/Monitoring.

Proactive business owners will plan for adequate coverage as well as hurricane/disaster recovery to ensure their business will continue to operate after the storm. Once those boxes are checked off and a strategy is in place, get back to work! Or better yet, go grab a surfboard and hang 10.

Josh Helmuth is risk adviser in the Sarasota office of Lykes Insurance, a Florida-based commercial insurance firm.

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE