Nominations Requested – FRACCA’s 2008 Recognition Awards
In June of 2004, FRACCA established its Recognition Awards Program as a means of honoring the contributions and outstanding leadership of FRACCA members and chapters to the industry and community. Award nominations are collected, reviewed and voted on by a panel of FRACCA members and representatives.

The recipients of the 2008 Recognition Awards will be announced and presented during the FRACCA Education Conference at the Awards Luncheon at the Caribe Royale Hotel, Orlando, Florida on April 11, 2008, sponsored by Trane.

Deadline for the 2008 Award nominations is February 1, 2008. Please submit completed nominations packets to:

FRACCA, Inc.
Awards Committee
466 94th Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33702

Awards nomination forms and criteria can be viewed and downloaded as an Adobe PDF by selecting the links below:

FRACCA’s “AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE” Nominations Now Being Accepted
FRACCA is now accepting nominations for its 2006 Annual Outstanding Leadership Awards. Categories are: Chapter Award of Excellence, Chapter Innovation Award, Carrier Leadership Award (for individuals) and FRACCA Outstanding Company of the Year Award. An Awards Luncheon will be held during the Annual Education Conference on April 7, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Click here for more information and to download a Nomination form, or contact the FRACCA office at 727-576-3225 or mail@FRACCA.org.

FRACCA President to Speak at NFACCA Meeting
FRACCA President Bob Cochell will be the guest speaker at the North Florida ACCA meeting on November 15, 2005. Cochell sits on the Energy TAC board for the Florida Building Code and will share valuable information on the 13SEER mandated for January 2006, the garage duct issue, the new workers’ comp classification and will also mention a new challenge…Internet sales of HVAC equipment. For information on the cost, location and how to get 1 Hr CEU credit for attending, contact Carrie Phillips at 904-783-3155 or Carrie@NFACCA.com.

Gainesville ACCA Welcomed into Florida RACCA
Responding to a need for contractor action against unlicensed activity in the Gainesville area, HVAC contractors have formed the Gainesville Air Conditioning Contractors Association (GACCA). During the organization of the association, GACCA board recognized the importance of working with a state-wide organization and chose to become affiliated with FRACCA. To learn more about GACCA and its officers, visit http://www.fracca.org/gacca.cfm.

New HVAC Classification Code for Workers’ Comp
It is now official, a new single Workers’ Comp class code for the HVAC industry will be included in the NCCI Scopes Manual beginning January 1, 2006. The description of the new code is 5537 – Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems – Installation, Service and Repair & Drivers. This new class code has already been named and added into the rate calculation. Previous class codes used by the HVAC industry (5190, 3724, 5183, 5538 and 5536 ) were merged into the new code and will no longer be available for use. The new approved rate is $10.40. All contractors should review with their insurance agents the impact this new classification will have on their overall premium. FRACCA, FRACCA’s lobbyist Cam Fentriss and our industry partners worked hard on your behalf to ensure that the initial rate was reasonable and fair to the HVAC industry. For additional information, contact the FRACCA office at 727-576-3225 or mail@FRACCA.org.

SEER13 – Sorting Out Fact from Fiction
FRACCA’s President, Bob Cochell, has been a member of the Energy Technical Advisory Committee to the Florida Building Commission as it developed the new Florida Building Code. He has provided the following to FRACCA members in order to help disarm some of the many rumors on the impact of the new 12-SEER regulations.

New Construction update: With the Federal mandated increase to 13-SEER comes some interesting twists as this change relates to the Florida Energy Code. The current “baseline” efficiency for new residential construction is 10-SEER. However, most houses with any significant quantity of glass area need a 12-SEER to pass energy budget code requirements. If the “baseline” efficiency is raised to 13-SEER then some other item will be required for the home to pass. Some of these items would be double glass, increased wall or ceiling insulation, or a decrease in the amount of glass area.

What about changeouts? We can still install whatever, right? The Feds only stipulate the manufacturers can’t make less than 13-SEER? WRONG! The code has a provision that parallels the new construction efficiency to the changeout. As an industry we need to make correct choices and tell our customers the unvarnished truth, which is: “the least expensive change out will most likely be BOTH INDOOR AND OUTDOOR UNITS.”

Construction Lien Law Update
All HVAC contractors need to have now complied with the changes for the wording in the Florida Construction Lien Law notice that must be a part of every direct contract with a residential property owner. Effective October 1, 2005 a notice must be printed on the first page of your contract and must include specific wording (in all capitals and a specific font size). Failure to comply will quickly result in a $500 fine. Because Florida’s Lien Law contract requirements can be complex, FRACCA has created a document that members can simply copy and paste right into their contracts. Just visit our Members Only page or email us at mail@fracca.org to receive the electronic version. As an additional service to members, a Lien Law Workshop will be a part of the 2006 FRACCA Education Conference.

FRACCA Member Services
Did you know that, as an HVAC contractor member of one of the FRACCA participating chapters, you are also member of the state association? As a FRACCA member, you are entitled to all of the member benefits and programs.

• State Lobbyist working on behalf of FRACCA members
• Packaged educational seminars (including Continuing Education credits)
• Group Purchasing Programs
• Discounted Services
• Annual conferences and trade shows
• Extensive communications on industry issues
• On-line and Website services (including membership referral programs)
• Legislative Update via the Members Only page of the website
• Endorsed Program - Federated Insurance (risk insurance plans)
• Endorsed Program - US Merchant Services (credit card processing)

All affiliate or associate members in the chapters are invited to be a member of FRACCA and can do so by obtaining an application from the FRACCA website by clicking here, or calling the FRACCA office at 727-576-3225.

FLORIDA REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
The Voice of the Florida Air Conditioning Industry