AHR 2020 Expo

hello everyone! Just came back from orlando's AHR 2020 Expo. It was good, although the fact that the attendance (both participants and exhibitors) was lower than in previous years was easily noticeable (especially on the last day of the show). This was probably due to the coronavirus situation and the fact that our chinese friends were not allowed to fly in since Thursday or friday before the show! Also, for those who were already in the US it became difficult for them to fly back as US airlines cancvelled all flights to China. Due to this there were quite a few empty booths.

We feel badly for our Chinese friends. They had just finished enjoying the only long holiday they have- the Chinese New Year. We pray and are confident that they will overcome this with their terrific determination!

In spite of this damper, the show went on with many interesting new products. Our best customers were there , as were friends and long lost colleagues from previous lives in the HVAC world (personally, I worked 37 years with Honeywell, the last 10 of those in the HVAC controls side)

Focusing on the show and as far as residential HVAC goes, the mian bullet points were:

* Home automation or the integration of many residential IOT devices continues to be a big thing, even though Wi fi seems to have taken over Zigbee and Bluetooth. Snowbirds and people who travel like to keep track and control  of the climate in their residences from afar!

* Home IAQ (indoor Air Quality) is becoming the next big thing: Sensing contaminats and humidity, VOC's, Co2, etc and responding to unhealthy levels with ventilation, dehumidification and other strategies!

* The use of mini-splits in the Northeast is starting to explode as more and more manufacturers are making models that deliver good (and very efficient and, hence, cheap) heating in very cold weather. Installation ignorance persists , though, with more careful sizing and lacement of outdoor units needed, including protection of these form snow , drips, etc. 

Ok more to follow! because we are all exhausted since our cafecito genie (Nicole) did not come with us and our caffeine level has dropped drastically. She, on the contrary, enjoyed several days free of everyday stressors (the rest of us)!!!

Bert