The funds came from reimbursements the company received for its toner recycling program.

Employees recycle toner, blackberries, ink cartridges and cell phone batteries throughout the year and are paid for the items through the group Recycle 4 Charity.

The Orlando-based air conditioning repair, service and installation company, cashes in the collected items two times a year and writes a check for the total to the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute.

In addition to helping support a cause near and dear to the hearts of the Kulp family, owners of Energy Air, Inc., the Recycle 4 Charity program also provides a proactive solution to waste reduction.

Energy Air has numerous events and campaigns throughout the year in support of the Diabetes Institute as well as other charitable organizations.

This is the first year the company will host its Cruise for a Cause motorcycle ride, a benefit ride that will support the Diabetes Institute. The event is September 25, 2010.

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community. The company provides air conditioning and heating installation, service, repair, replacement and planned maintenance for residential and commercial buildings.

The “safety jackpot” is a part of Energy Air’s ‘Safety Pays’ program, which started in 2007. Each week the company goes accident free, $500.00 is deposited into the jackpot. The total jackpot is given away through drawings, and all employees with zero accidents in the 12 preceding months are eligible to participate.

In total, the team was able to increase the jackpot in 2010 by $1,500.00. The zero-accident policy announced at Energy Air’s 2009 family picnic contributed to the improvement in reducing lost-time injuries. Additionally, the company had four months with zero injuries out of the 12-month period.

The zero-accident policy requires all field employees to wear 100% personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times and states that disciplinary action will be a result of those that do not follow the policy.

At the annual company picnic, each employee without an injury for the year is given a bracelet. All bracelets are added to a drum, and one by one employee’s names are drawn. The employee then selects from a series of colored envelopes posted on the wall. The envelopes are stuffed with certificates for cash ranging from $100.00 to $2,500.00.

It’s something the team looks forward to all year, according to Philip “Critter” Crider, vice president of operations for Energy Air.

“I’m happy to see an improvement this year,” said Crider. “Everyone has been working really hard at preventing accidents, and it shows in the improvement of the jackpot. We love to be able to recognize everyone with this incentive.”

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community. The company provides air conditioning and heating installation, service, repair, replacement and planned maintenance for residential and commercial buildings.

With the fierce competition involved in securing contracts, the most important thing for every general contractor to consider is the risk involved with each project. The importance of bonded vs. non-bonded subcontractors goes beyond financial backing- the process mitigates risk and reduces the likelihood a default will occur.

How is this so? When a general contractor requires a subcontractor bond for a particular project, the process involves a third party (bonding company) that prequalifies the subcontractor for the specific job at hand and knows the company’s capabilities. This risk assessment is done best by a bonding company because the company can reduce the time and resources needed to mitigate risk. In addition, a bonding agent can provide the security of financial backing by a surety; something that can’t be done by an in-house risk assessment team. Additional benefits include higher-quality subs and a limited number of subs bidding each project if a pre-bid bonding requirement is established.

What subs should be bonded? A general contractor should always bond, at minimum, the critical path trades. It is prudent to bond these subs in order to mitigate risk and keep the project on track. Oftentimes, general contractors think a cost savings can be realized if the contract does not require a subcontractor bond. Unfortunately, if a subcontractor bond is not required, there is no guarantee that the project will remain on schedule in the event a default occurs. Costly delays can occur if there is a need to bring a new subcontractor on board mid-project. Although the GC bond covers the contractor’s portion of the agreement, it does not reduce liability or mitigate the risk involved should a subcontractor default.

What’s next for the surety industry? Tightening of lending in the banking industry has led the surety market to tighten standards as well. Sureties are expecting to experience rising defaults, and because of this, will be getting tighter and tighter with their bonding, according to Margie Morris, Vice President of Guignard Company, a local bonding agency. “Because of this decrease in surety availability though, GCs can be guaranteed they are getting the best of the best if they require their subs to be bonded,” said Morris.

For more information about surety bonds, contact the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) at 202.686.3700 or visit www.sio.org.

This is the first year Energy Air was presented with four stars for the company’s training program. Past evaluations have garnered the company with an award of three stars.

Energy Air, Inc. started its own in-house Florida Air Conditioning Training (F.A.C.T.) Program in 2006. The four-year program teaches all aspects of HVAC. In addition to the F.A.C.T. Program, the company also believes strongly in providing continuing education and growth opportunities for its employees.

ABC’s Education Awards, also known as the TEAM (Training, Education and Management) Awards, is the Central Florida Chapter’s way of recognizing its members for their outstanding training, education and employee development program. Member companies that have presented programs for review and have been selected to receive the TEAM award for outstanding programs are awarded with stars based on scores in fifteen (15) key components of effective company training. Each component is defined by four levels of performance.

The goal is to provide benchmarks to help companies improve their training programs and to rank themselves among other companies relative to their own.

The 15 key components used in scoring were Management Commitment, Management’s Policy Statement on Training, Responsibility for Training Defined, Training Needs Analysis, Training Budget, Training Program Goals, Education / Training Standards, New Employee Orientation, Class Evaluation, Employee Participation, Employee Education/Training Incentives, Record Keeping, Supervisor/ Management Minimum Training Standards, Performance Audit and Training Competency.

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community.

Energy Air, Inc. has offices in Orlando and Tampa and offers commercial HVAC services throughout Florida in the following market segments: Education, Healthcare, Multi-Family/Mixed-Use, Religious, Retail, Office, Hospitality/Entertainment and Industrial. The company’s residential division works with builders on planned communities, custom homes, town homes and multi-family complexes and with homeowners for service/repair, replacement, system enhancement and planned maintenance.

“We have one of the strongest safety programs in the industry,” said David Kulp, executive vice president of Energy Air. “By creating a safety culture and making it interesting, we are able to get buy-in from everyone.”

Since the launch of its zero accident goal, the company has implemented several new programs. The company’s experience modification rate, a formula used by insurance companies to determine risk based on a company’s history, is currently at a .71. This number has been decreasing each year, and the company’s goal is to reduce the rate to .50.

According to Kulp, consistency is key. “We have a very heavy focus on safety,” said Kulp. “From an in-house safety and training program to a safety committee to safety events to our annual jackpot, just to name a few, the safety message is constantly in the forefront.”

Of the many programs, Energy Air is hosting its second annual ‘Safety Roundup’ on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at its Orlando office at 5401 Energy Air Court in Orlando.

More than 200 attendees are expected to visit the more than 10 stations the company will have set up. Among the stations will be a complete mock job site used for employees to identify various hazards and risks. The purpose is to simulate a real-life job site and demonstrate some of the potential risks and dangers on the job.

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community.

Energy Air, Inc. has offices in Orlando and Tampa and offers commercial HVAC services throughout Florida in the following market segments: Education, Healthcare, Multi-Family/Mixed-Use, Religious, Retail, Office, Hospitality/Entertainment and Industrial. The company’s residential division works with builders on planned communities, custom homes, town homes and multi-family complexes and with homeowners for service/repair, replacement, system enhancement and planned maintenance.

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For additional information contact: Kati Trisler, Director of Marketing at 407-781-1758

The event will be held at the Energy Air, Inc. Orlando office at 5401 Energy Air Court off of North Pine Hills Road. More than 200 attendees are expected to visit the more than 10 stations the company will have set up.

Among the stations will be a complete mock job site used for employees to identify various hazards and risks. The purpose is to simulate a real-life job site and demonstrate some of the potential risks and dangers on the job, said Mike Cutler, senior field manager with Energy Air, who also spearheads the coordination of the event.

“The Safety Roundup was developed as another opportunity to continually educate, promote and encourage our company to work safe,” said Cutler. “The forum we create at the roundup is big because it is one of just a few times a year where all or most field employees are all together.”

Stations planned for the event will cover a variety of safety topics and will demonstrate OSHA violations, proper safety techniques and the latest in safety gear. Stations topics include: Risk Assessment / Hazard Identification, Rigging Demonstration, Hilti Powdered Actuated Tools, Fall Protection, Material Movement, Flash / Arc, Safety Survey, Summer Safety, Haz Mat / Emergency Response and more.

The company launched a ‘zero accident’ approach in 2010 and continues to come up with innovative and fun methods to reinforce the safety culture. According to Cutler, consistent conditioning of safe habits is the key to achieving a safe mindset.

“We must continuously promote safety in everything we do, but we have to make it interesting and acceptable to get buy-in from everyone,” said Cutler.

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community.

Energy Air, Inc. has offices in Orlando and Tampa and offers commercial HVAC services throughout Florida in the following market segments: Education, Healthcare, Multi-Family/Mixed-Use, Religious, Retail, Office, Hospitality/Entertainment and Industrial. The company’s residential division works with builders on planned communities, custom homes, town homes and multi-family complexes and with homeowners for service/repair, replacement, system enhancement and planned maintenance.

For additional information contact: Kati Trisler, Director of Marketing at 407-781-1758

The company received a plumbing license on January 12, 2010 and will now pursue projects on a limited basis. In the state of Florida, only certified professionals can install medical gas piping, and they must be working under a valid plumbing license.

Energy Air has been completing the HVAC scope for healthcare projects including hospitals, doctor’s offices, assisted living and medical office buildings for many years. According to David Kulp, executive vice president, this was the natural next step.

“We have a lot of healthcare experience right now, and as that market continues to grow, this just seems like the next step for us working in this sector,” said Kulp.

Keeping clients happy was also a driving force for the company moving forward with pursuing its plumbing license.

“We are fortunate to have mostly repeat clients and to work for some of the top GCs in the nation,” said Kulp. “When a client wants you to do work for them, it would be silly to pass on the opportunity. We need to do what we can to provide the best service possible to our clients.”

Energy Air recently added to staff to provide the expertise for medical gas piping in its workforce, including adding a field operations manager that is a certified medical gas piping installer.

To date, Energy Air has installed medical gas piping for Florida Hospital Celebration Health’s nitrogen farm relocation, and the company is in negotiations for several other projects.

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community.

Energy Air, Inc. has offices in Orlando and Tampa and offers commercial HVAC services throughout Florida in the following market segments: Education, Healthcare, Multi-Family/Mixed-Use, Religious, Retail, Office, Hospitality/Entertainment and Industrial. The company’s residential division works with builders on planned communities, custom homes, town homes and multi-family complexes and with homeowners for service/repair, replacement, system enhancement and planned maintenance.

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For additional information contact: Kati Trisler, Director of Marketing at 407-781-1758

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) presented the award to Energy Air at its annual Horizon Awards dinner and banquet at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. on February 27, 2010.

A total of 22 awards were given out in varying categories. Energy Air was the recipient for the award given to a subcontractor for a project greater than $1 million dollars.

The company performed the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) scope for the project including providing 4,300 tons of chilled water cooling handled by nine Carrier built-up air handler units, 535 fan coil units, two large chilled water pumps and two hot water pumps, a smoke evacuation system and an elaborate building control system.

Energy Air is very proud to receive this type of recognition for this project, according to David Kulp, executive vice president for Energy Air.

“This was a challenging project in that Disney has very strict requirements,” said Kulp. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work on such an esteemed project and are honored to be recognized for our efforts with such a prestigious award.”

The Horizon Awards tradition recognizes excellence in construction projects completed by general contractors, subcontractors and supplier firms who are members of the greater Florida chapter. According to AGC of Greater Florida, the award stands as a testament to each member’s skill, integrity, hard work, ingenuity and commitment that go into every construction project.

Energy Air’s team was recognized for the ability to rise to the challenge of a demanding job. This project also enabled Energy Air to perfect the layout on a radiused, C-shaped building. Inspections occurred multiple times each day to maintain project flow and schedule. The commissioning was extensive and was performed and completed by achieving, verifying and documenting the performance of the facility to meet the operational criteria of the contract documents. Employees and subcontractors were bused to the job site from remote parking areas each day as a solution to an extremely tight project site. The fast-paced schedule, coordination of overhead rough-ins in very congested ceiling spaces, installation of multiple continuous radiused linear diffusers that matched high-end finishes, and the installation of three-story louvers with mitered tops were all accomplished by daily schedule and coordination meetings with various trades and area superintendents. The internal scheduling process at Energy Air enabled a seamless transition throughout each phase of construction and allowed the team to meet demanding project schedules.

Horizon Award entries are judged by a one-page summary of the project, completeness of the entry submission and a narrative addressing seven specific criteria . The seven criteria addressed in the submittal include meeting the challenge of a difficult job, excellence in the project management, contractor’s state-of-the-art advancement, contractor’s sensitivity to environment and surroundings, excellence in client service, the contractor’s contribution to the community and safety initiatives that were employed throughout the construction process.

Energy Air’s mission is to be the leader of the HVAC industry through professionalism, knowledge, superior performance, outstanding service to its customers and a commitment to employee development to better serve the community.

Energy Air, Inc. has offices in Orlando and Tampa and offers commercial HVAC services throughout Florida in the following market segments: Education, Healthcare, Multi-Family/Mixed-Use, Religious, Retail, Office, Hospitality/Entertainment and Industrial. The company’s residential division works with builders on planned communities, custom homes, town homes and multi-family complexes and with homeowners for service/repair, replacement, system enhancement and planned maintenance.

For additional information contact: Kati Trisler, Director of Marketing at 407-781-1758

A partial storage system minimizes capital investment by running the chillers 24 hours a day. At night they produce ice for storage, and during the day they chill water for the air conditioning system; their production augmented by water circulating through the melting ice. Such a system usually runs in ice-making mode for 16 to 18 hours a day, and in ice-melting mode for 6 hours a day. Capital expenditures are minimized because the chillers can be just 40 to 50% of the size needed for a conventional design. Ice storage sufficient for storing half a day’s rejected heat will do.

A full storage system minimizes the cost of energy to run the system by shutting off the chillers entirely during peak load hours. Such a system requires chillers somewhat larger than a partial storage system and a larger ice storage system, so that the capital cost is higher. Ice storage systems are inexpensive enough that full storage systems are often competitive with conventional air conditioning designs.

The efficiency of air conditioning chillers is measured by their coefficient of performance (COP). In theory, thermal storage systems could make chillers more efficient because heat is discharged into colder nighttime air rather than warmer daytime air. In practice, this advantage is overcome by the heat losses while making and melting the ice.

There are some advantages to society from air conditioning thermal storage. The fuel used at night to produce electricity is a domestic resource in most countries, so less imported fuel is used. This process also has been shown in studies to significantly reduce the emissions associated with producing the power for air conditioners since inefficient “peaker” plants are replaced by low emission base load facilities in the evening. The plants that produce this power are often more efficient than the gas turbines that provide peaking power during the day. And because the load factor on the plants is higher, fewer plants are needed to service the load.