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Conference

IIAR Honors Members for Outstanding Contributions

During IIAR’s annual conference and expo, IIAR honored Dave Schaefer with the Member of the Year Award and Joe Pillis and Jeff Shapiro with Honorary Lifetime Member Awards. “All three—Dave, Jeff, and Joe—are well deserving of the awards,” said Kurt Liebendorfer, vice president of Evapcold. Schaefer served as chief engineer for Bassett Mechanical before retiring earlier this year.

Regulation & Compliance

IIAR Announces Regulatory Initiatives

IIAR dedicated time to updating members on the latest regulatory initiatives during its annual conference. Lowell Randel, director of government affairs for IIAR, discussed several areas of focus for the association and the natural refrigerant industry.

Education/Training

IIAR’s Foundation Focuses on its Three Pillars, Prepares to Change Name

The foundation focuses on three pillars—research, educational training, and educational scholarships—and has had a successful year supporting each of these areas. During IIAR’s annual meeting and expo, Dave Schaefer, chairman of the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation, provided an update on the foundation’s accomplishments.

Education/Training

Foundation Scholarships Help Students Gain New Insights into the Natural Refrigeration Industry

The Natural Refrigeration Foundation, which supports research and education programs benefiting the industrial refrigeration industry, awarded its largest scholarship commitment to date. The scholarship program provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about a technical field, attend IIAR’s national conference, be financially rewarded and contribute to the future of the planet.

Conference

IIAR, RETA Celebrate and Encourage Women in the Industry

IIAR hosted its first women’s networking reception during the annual meeting and expo, celebrating women in the industry and providing a venue for them to connect.

Technology & Equipment

Automatic Oil Return Systems: Why, When, and How?

Safe oil draining is a subject that is well documented in IIAR publications, and workshops dealing with proper oil draining are always well-attended. Removing oil from an ammonia refrigeration system is routine maintenance that nearly every ammonia refrigeration system operator will encounter sooner or later.

Codes & Standards

IIAR Continues Work Updating and Developing Standards

IIAR is known for its development of standards, and to date, IIAR has published nine ammonia standards and one CO2 standard. Per ANSI requirements, each standard must be updated at least every five years.

May 2022

Tax Planning for Each Generation

The utility of different tax strategies can fluctuate with your age and where you are in your career. Below we’ll take a look at how various tax strategies may apply to each generation.

Technology & Equipment

EPA Continues Work to Implement AIM Act

The Environmental Protection Agency is continuing its work to implement the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020.

Education/Training

Learning About Learning

Many times we don’t think about how we learn, which is something we are or should be doing most of our lives. This fact was brought home to me this past winter as I became involved as an instructor in a winter sport I like. As I was learning to be an instructor and understanding how people might learn I could see a correlation between what and how someone is teaching and how people learn.

August 2022

Presidents Message by Gary Schrift

It’s that time of year again: after the conference and before we dive into the travel and rushed schedules of a new membership season. While there’s always a lot going on, these last few days of summer are a great time to reflect on what it means to be an IIAR member and what new plans we have for the future.

August 2022

Chairman’s Message by Trevor Hegg

I’m always impressed by the incredible progress IIAR makes on our industry’s goals every day and every week. It may be more exciting to write or hear about the big news – an updated standard, or a new member service – but just as important are the little things. Those things we don’t see but are always going on in the background. They represent the steady work we do as an organization every day.

Costa Rica Moves on Mandatory IIAR Standards

All IIAR standards, including the Carbon Dioxide standard, ANSI/IIAR CO2, have been adopted within Costa Rica on a voluntary basis as National Norms, and the country is moving forward with its plans to make the standards mandatory. The next step is to prepare and educate industry professionals in the country on IIAR standards before the mandate takes effect.

Safety

What happened to the IIAR Bulletins?

What happened to the IIAR Bulletins? Short Answer: The IIAR Bulletins were all “Superseded!” Let’s discuss the history of the onset of IIAR Bulletins and how their material was eventually distributed and captured to become superseded.

Technology & Equipment

Automatic Oil Return Systems: Why, When, and How? By Monika Witt, TH. Witt

Safe oil draining is a subject that is well documented in IIAR publications, and workshops dealing with proper oil draining are always well-attended. Removing oil from an ammonia refrigeration system is routine maintenance that nearly every ammonia refrigeration system operator will encounter sooner or later. One major advantage of ammonia systems is that oils are not normally soluble with ammonia and will therefore collect at the lowest spot in the system. However, accumulation of oil is gradual, and the location for accumulation must be suitable, i.e., calm enough, such that oil gets a chance to settle.

Education/Training

IIAR Releases Second Edition of Guidelines on Manual Hand Valves

The IIAR Compliance Committee has updated the Guideline for Developing an Energy Control Plan for Manual Hand Valves and released a second edition. “After a guideline has been out and used in the industry, members and users will ask questions and provide input for consideration to make the guideline even clearer to use or capture additional information that enhances its value as a practice,” said Tony Lundell, senior director of standards and safety for IIAR. “An addendum typically will have minimal changes which could include simple edits, and/or provide statements that can add value to the guideline.”

Regulation & Compliance

Natural Refrigerants Continue to Grow in Retail

Adoption of natural technologies in new and existing retail space is increasing as companies work to increase sustainability while meeting consumer, employer and shareholder expectations. “Many retailers, especially national chains, are prepared to make very large investments to significantly reduce their carbon footprint by converting to naturals in existing stores,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council.

Safety

Circuit Court Supports Tampa Electric’s Response to a Release

The Eleventh Circuit has rejected an appeal from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the case against Tampa Electric Co. and its response to an ammonia release at a power generating facility in 2017. The court of appeals upheld the finding that the release was controlled and the clauses pertaining to emergency response were not applicable.

August 2022

Bonds, Interest Rates, and the Impact of Inflation

There are two fundamental ways that you can profit from owning bonds: from the interest that bonds pay, and from any increase in the bond’s price. Many people who invest in bonds because they want a steady stream of income are surprised to learn that bond prices can fluctuate, just as they do with any security traded in the secondary market. .

Regulation & Compliance

Climate Change Policy in the Spotlight By Lowell Randel, IIAR Government Relations Director

President Biden has made addressing climate change a signature priority for his administration. Since his election, climate change policies have been at the forefront of agency actions, Congressional deliberations, and, most recently, before the Supreme Court.