Summit Offers View Into Future Of Hydronics

Heating Plumbing Air Conditioning (HPAC) magazine’s inaugural trade show, Modern Hydronics The Summit, offered a rich conference program, a strong line up of speakers, and an array of leading HVAC manufacturers and suppliers. The event garnered an overwhelming response as more than 200 hydronics enthusiasts and 20 exhibitors from across Canada – the GTA, BC, AB and Saskatchewan included – made their way to the Mississauga Convention Centre on September 10 to hear HPAC contributors discuss the latest hydronic design techniques, trends, products and opportunities. 

The one-day trade show provided attendees with several informal opportunities to mingle with speakers and approach exhibitors (who were set up around the perimeter of the room) in a forum conducive to information gathering and networking.

“This event was quite personal,” said Art Lischewski, owner of FAD Mechanical Ltd. in Vernon, BC. “It was well worth the trip.”

Following lunch, John Siegenthaler of Appropriate Designs and Robert Bean of Indoor Climate Consultants Inc., opened the event with their Siggy & Bean presentation titled: 10 Trends and Opportunities for North American Hydronic Pros. The duo discussed radiant walls, chilled water cooling, methods of hydraulic separation, community based systems, appliances rather than piece-by-piece systems, and electronically commutated motor (ECM)-based circulators, among other things.

The packed-house listened attentively as the two old friends shared centre stage, reminiscing about projects they worked on in the past and sharing their expert opinions on what products and technologies to watch out for in the future.

Bean advised the attendees to broaden their knowledge and learn more about de-humidification. “Don’t be afraid of doing radiant cooling,” he said.

Darrin Gueguen, who is vice-president of Doordan Mechanical Inc. in New Hamburg, ON, said when it comes to hydronics he’s always listening – especially when Siggy and the Bean are talking. “I like how they touched on cooling,” he said.

And Lischewski, whose business focuses heavily on radiant heating, said he also enjoyed hearing about radiant cooling. “I could see that being something very strong in 10 years,” he said.

Plumbing and hydronics contributor Steve Goldie also discussed growth opportunities, specifically boiler retrofits in multi-family residential, and greenhouse applications.

Controls, piping and tubing layouts were the focus of Mike Miller’s popular technical session, Effective Strategies, which looked at piping configurations and control strategies to maximize radiant heating and cooling system effectiveness.

“He was very knowledgeable and we got a couple of good ideas from him,” said John Andreychuk, president of J G Jackson & Associates Mechanical Contractors Ltd. in Mississauga, ON.  Andreychuk said he attended Miller’s session because he was looking for the most technical presentation.

Another long-time HPAC contributor, Mark Evans, tackled the issue of renewables and why they will become more appealing as a hydronic pairing in the future.

During Siegenthaler’s keynote session: The Future of Hydronic Heating is Low Water Temperature, he shared some thoughts for contractors to consider while on a job: plan ahead, keep it neat, keep it simple and don’t get hung up. 

“They were all good speakers and it points to how the future of the industry is going,” said Andreychuk. “Sooner or later all this stuff is going to come to the forefront and you want to be on the cutting-edge. You don’t want to be four or five years behind.”

“The show was very well done,” said Gueguen. “It was an excellent production and I will definitely attend it again.”

Two lucky attendees took home prizes: Colin Weber, vice-president of sales for Tri-Mech Inc. won a Milwaukee PEX expander and Arthur Struyk, manager of Peter Struyk Sales & Service Ltd., took home a testo combustion analyzer.

For details regarding Modern Hydronics The Summit, please e-mail kturner@hpacmag.com. <>