Prospects for Recovery in HVAC Manufacturing Look Strong in 2013,
According to a New Research Report

PRESS RELEASE

Rockville (MD), December 6, 2012 — Economic prospects are looking brighter for the HVAC industry approaching the New Year 2013, as companies involved in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and related industries see potential for growth.  A resurgence in the housing market, coupled with consumer interest and investment in “green” HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)  equipment, is evident according to a new report from energy market research publisher SBI Energy.

English: A huge double HVAC exhaust of an office building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HVAC market showing signs of recovery

The U.S. market for HVAC manufacturing is recovering from a period of economic setback that started in 2008. HVAC manufacturers had previously enjoyed a period of steady growth between 1997 to 2006, when equipment sales for heating systems and air conditioners increased 41% and 45%, respectively.

But, the economic downturn led to a depressed real estate selling market, a reduction in homeowner remodeling, and a virtual stoppage of new residential and commercial construction. This trend eventually led to layoffs and temporary work stoppages at factories that manufacture HVAC equipment.

HVAC- manufacturing is impacted by the recovery in the housing market

“Growth of the industry will begin to accelerate by 2015,” says Darren Bosik, analyst with SBI market research publishing, “when the impact of government-funded initiatives is felt in U.S. construction and housing industries, most notably the movement to construct zero-energy buildings (ZEB).” Critical to the growth of HVAC manufacturing, is the resurgence of U.S. household remodeling and the recovery of new construction and housing, as well as, related industries such as steel.

HVAC demand will increase with an expected boom in construction projects

Driving the total HVAC equipment manufacturing growth to 2017, will be heat transfer equipment (4.4% CAGR) and air source heat pumps (4.9% CAGR). The two categories are characterized by lower unit costs, and demand will increase with an expected boom in construction projects that require replacements of these products.

Sustainable technologies and products, including electric air source and geothermal heating pumps, and a trend toward constructing ZEB’s – buildings that produce as much energy as they consume – will further fuel a return to growth in the HVAC market. SBI Energy projects the total shipment value of HVAC manufacturing products to reach $14.5 billion in 2012, growing to nearly $17 billion by 2017.

HVAC, 3rd Edition from heavy industry and energy market research publisher SBI analyzes products, manufacturers and trends in the U.S. market for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). The report contains comprehensive data on U.S. shipments, imports and exports, and end-use markets, and the growing market for high efficiency, green HVAC equipment such as geothermal units, remote monitoring and control devices, programmable thermostats, and smart cooling fans. It also identifies key issues and trends affecting the marketplace. The report profiles major manufacturers and includes market projections and expected growth rates for the period 2012 to 2023.  Follow this link on the HVAC 3rd Editon report   for more information.

About SBI Energy

SBI Energy, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes research reports in the industrial, energy, building/construction, and automotive/transportation markets. SBI Energy, also offers a full range of custom research services. To learn more, visit www.sbireports.com

It is encouraging to know that there are signs that the housing market is recovering. With an uneasy and unpredictable climate , it is also nice to know that HVAC systems will be readily available for both new construction and remodels.  Both industries should be showing positive signs of job growth, in the near future.  The future is looking brighter, as we are working toward better and greener tomorrows!

It takes a special kind of person to live in the Southwest, and BMW is coming up with a line up eco-friendly vehicles that have their own knack for suiting the Southwest lifestyle. Fuel efficiency comes with the territory on all its new vehicles, a must in order for BMW sales to compete with the other eco-focused competition. BMW sales may easily soar above the rest due to the features and versatility that can make Southwest living as awesome as its supposed to be. It’s high time to trade in that used BMW for something sporty, sexy, and seriously efficient.

The Sexy Single

Style and BMW have always gone hand-in-hand, and when the BMW i8 Spyder version hits the market it will include an Earth-friendly option. This dashing and daring specimen has the style of its namesake, with doors that open upwards to mimic a spider’s legs. Nice! Doubly nice is the expected zero to 60 mph in a mere 4.8 seconds noted by PlugInCars.com. That’s plenty of oomph to merge seamlessly onto the desert highways and avoid getting stuck behind semis on Interstate 10.

The Cruising Couple

Cruising the Southwest can be even more fun with your significant other or with pals en route to a double date. The 2013 BMW i3 will easily let you do both. HybridCars.com says the battery-powered electric vehicle will be large enough to fit four passengers, but still stylishly small enough to be considered a subcompact car. Small children and big dogs can easily hitch a ride. A carbon-fiber passenger cell keeps the overall poundage lightweight, as does a 22-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The i3 features a notable acceleration time of zero to 60 in under 8 seconds, 170 horsepower, and nearly 93 miles of cruising on the battery pack alone.

The Happy Camper

If desert camping is your thing, than the BMW Active Tourer is your vehicle. This plug-in hybrid has four doors for easy gear access as well as a specified cargo area for packing that gear in the first place. All that and it still retains a fairly small footprint at 171 inches long, 72 inches wide and 61 inches tall. “It’s an exercise in maximizing space within the footprint,” the Washington Post notes, and that exercise is successfully executed.

Another major perk of the Active Tourer include its sunroof, MotorTrend.com says, which lets you adjust the amount of light you want with the flick of a button. If your camping expeditions typically involve unexplored terrain, you can also benefit from the eDrive system. This system offers options for keeping fuel-efficiency at a max while traversing your route.

The Feisty Family

The Active Tourer scores big points in the family category, again for its roomy interior and fairly small exterior. MotorTrend.com notes more family-friendly features. A multicolored head-up display keeps your driving info readily visible, an impressive 10.3-inch screen instead of the usual instrument cluster and an infotainment screen lets you easily select how to entertain the kids. Kids in the backseat get even further entertainment thanks to the “Seismic Surf” game that is part of the eDrive system. The game, run on an iPad app, incorporates actual driving conditions into the game.

The Trendy Anyone

Anyone who keeps up with the latest trends will find themselves completely on the mark with an eco-friendly vehicle in the near future. HybridCars.com points out 43 new hybrid, plug-in, diesel or electric vehicles are expected to be available once the 2015 models stream into the showrooms. All these options are also expected to boost eco-friendly vehicles from their three percent market share up to five percent.

This post is authored by: David Gray, who combines his love for cars with his background in money and banking. He writes loans by day and blogs by night in the Los Angeles area.

Experience Sky Factory’s Biophilic Illusions of Nature at Greenbuild 2012
The Sky Factory will exhibit at Greenbuild 2012, November 14 – 16 at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco, CA.  You can visit booth #4457N to experience eScape™, the new digital cinema virtual window with HD motion and sound; and a Sky Factory EcoSlim LED Luminous SkyCeiling™, the leaner, greener virtual skylight. 

Fairfield, IA November 6, 2012 — The Sky Factory is exhibiting at Greenbuild, November 14-16th, in San Francisco. The company will showcase eScape™, the new virtual window that displays eight hours of real-time, high-definition nature sequences captured with leading-edge RED Digital Cinema™ technology; and the EcoSlim LED Luminous SkyCeiling™, a vividly realistic virtual skylight that creates a sense of openness in otherwise confined spaces. Sky Factory products bring nature’s soothing presence to interior environments — image, motion and sound — a significant, researched, biophilic benefit for mind and body.

Sky Factory eScape™ is a digital cinema virtual window that features a commercial-grade HD LED screen embedded in a full-size casement window; several trim styles and finishes are available in wood and aluminum. Unedited nature scenes include tropical ocean views with dramatic surf, sunrise and sunset, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife and underwater marine life. Go here to watch a video on escapes.

Sky Factory EcoSlim LED Luminous SkyCeilings™ are virtual skylights displayed in an ultra-thin, toxin-free, energy-efficient system. The dimmable EcoSlim LED edge-lighting system contains virtually none of the toxic elements of fluorescents, is far longer lasting (50,000 – 100,000 hour life), and costs 15% less to operate for comparable illumination. The EcoSlim lighting unit has a compact profile that uses less material to construct; EcoSlim frames are made from 76% recycled aluminum. The EcoSlim power supply was recognized by the Illuminating Engineering Society in the IES Progress Report as “a unique and significant advancement to the art and science of lighting”. The LSC 24PS power system provides the first LED power supply with up to 1,500 watts capacity. It has a 24-V DC output and is capable of being dimmed. Multiple power supplies can be controlled by one dimming device.

Sky Factory reconnects people with the energizing and healing qualities of natural beauty and daylight utilizing unique architectural and biophilic design elements. Biophilia refers to human beings’ instinctive, genetically based need to affiliate with nature. Sky Factory products are versatile, visually engaging tools that modify the experience of the built environment and enliven human beings’ innate attraction to the natural world. These realistic illusions bring the refreshing influence of nature to enclosed spaces where access to real nature is limited or impossible. Applications include residential, hospitality, retail, office, educational and healthcare spaces.

Texas Tech University’s Neuroimaging Institute has partnered with Sky Factory to research the neural effects of Sky Factory’s photographic sky compositions. The first half of their research is complete. Of particular interest to Sky Factory’s founder, Bill Witherspoon, is “the fact that the Sky Factory sky compositions activate areas of the brain not activated by other positive images. Sky Factory artists introduce compositional principles and elements into our sky images that insure the necessary visual cues are present to trigger a profound ‘relaxation response’ — the unique physiological state that corresponds to an expanded awareness and sense of inner peace and stability. We expect that additional research is likely to further link this experience of SkyCeilings™ to the biophilic engagement that is reported by end-users.

The second part of the study will compare health data from patients staying in hospital rooms with and without Sky Factory Luminous SkyCeilings™. This part of the study will conclude in late 2013.

Sky Factory is an AIA Continuing Education System (AIA CES) Registered Provider, offering two free courses for AIA credit: Illusions of Nature in Architecture and Sustainability, Biophilia, and Illusions of Nature. The courses are available both as live webinars and online download. To learn more, visit www.SkyFactory.com/education/

About The Sky Factory
The Sky Factory, LC is a unique fine art and technology company that creates realistic Illusions of Nature™ – virtual skylights and windows – that transform interior spaces. Founded in 2002 and based in Fairfield, IA, the company is factory-direct with International Partners representing 50 countries. Sky Factory was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 20 Small Company Workplaces 2010 and was recently featured as the Wall Street Journal’s Workplace of the Day.