Congratulations to FRACCA’s 2010 Recognition Award Recipients
Winners of the 2009 FRACCA Recognition Awards were were honored by FRACCA at the 2009 Awards Luncheon held during the April Education Conference in Orlando. The prestigious President’s Award of Appreciation was given to Keane Bismarck the Executive Director for RACCA of Tampa Bay for his ongoing dedication to the association and advocacy for the industry over the years.

2010 Award Recipients
Leadership Award sponsored by Trane - Mark Wesson, Wesson Air, Longwood

Outstanding Company Award - Southern Comfort One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating, Bradenton

Chapter Excellence Award - Air Conditioning Contractors Association of Central Florida (ACCA-CF), Manasota Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MACCA), and the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association of Tampa Bay (RACCA) all received this award based on their programs, board and member involvement, and membership recruitment.

President's Award - Rick and Ricki Sims, Johnson's Air Condioning, Naples.

Please join FRACCA in congratulating these outstanding individuals, companies, and chapters for their "above and beyond" contributions to the HVAC-R industry overt the last year. A job well-done!

Make plans to submit your entries for the 2011 FRACCA Recognition Awards. Nomination forms will be available beginning December 2010.

2009 Recognition Awards Winners
Winners of the 2009 FRACCA Recognition Awards were were honored by FRACCA at the 2009 Awards Luncheon held during the April Education Conference in Orlando. The prestigious President’s Award of Appreciation was given to Keane Bismarck the Executive Director for RACCA of Tampa Bay for his ongoing dedication to the association and advocacy for the industry over the years.

Additional awards presented included:
Leadership Award sponsored by Trane - Oscar Calleja of Engineered Air and President of the South Florida Airconditioning Contractors Association (SFACA) chapter was the recipient of the Trane Leadership Award. Calleja has taken part in the fight for the industry's interests on the Board of SFACA and has been an avid advocate for the HVAC industry over his many years.

Outstanding Company Award - Wilhelm Heating & Air Conditioning of Tampa was awarded the Corporate Award for the company's support of education in the HVAC industry and encouragement of excellence amon its technicians. Wilhelm is a member of the RACCA of Tampa Bay Chapter.

Chapter Innovation Award - The Gainesville Air Conditioning Contractors Association (GACCA) was the 2009 recipient of this award for their work with the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) in the development and support of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® (HPwES) program, which follows a whole-house approach to energy savings and comfort system set-up, from the ducts and air conditioning system to the household appliances.  Of the 34 companies that have undergone certification for participation in this program, 15 of them are members of GACCA.

Chapter of Excellence Award - Gainesville Air Conditioning Contractors Association (GACCA), Manasota Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MACCA), and the Tri-County Specialty Contractors Association (TCSCA) all received this award based on their programs, board and member involvement, and membership recruitment.

Chapter Longevity Award - Given for the first time, RACCA of Tampa Bay was the recipient of the Chapter Longevity Award in celebration of 60 years serving the HVAC industry in Tampa Bay.

2008 Recognition Awards Winners
Winners of the 2008 FRACCA Recognition Awards were were honored by FRACCA at the 2008 Awards Luncheon held during the April Education Conference in Orlando. The prestigious President’s Award of Appreciation was given to Ann Stanton of the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in recognition of her dedication to the HVAC industry and for going well beyond her job description with the State to be a resource for our members, staff and the HVAC community at-large.

Additional awards presented included:
Leadership Award sponsored by Trane - Gary Griffin of B&I Contractors and member of the TriCounty Specialty Contractors Association (TCSCA) chapter, who exemplifies leadership in a FRACCA chapter and the HVAC industry and even though he is busy running a multimillion dollar company, still finds volunteer time.

Outstanding Company Award - Ocala based Precision Air, a member of the Marion County Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MCACCA), was recognized for its contributions over the year by the president, Dave Liner, and his employees to the establishment of a new chapter covering Marion County. They contributed many hours, space at their offices, and “food” to organizing the new chapter to represent the voice of their local contractors to resolve local issues.

Chapter Innovation Award - Manasota Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MACCA) was the recipient of this first ever award for their development of a TV commercial to promote consumer awareness of the importance of using licensed contractors and chapter members.

Chapter of Excellence Award - Manasota Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MACCA), Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors of Tampa Bay (RACCA), and the TriCounty Specialty Contractors Association (TCSCA), all received this award based on their programs, board and member involvement, and membership recruitment in 2008.

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.