Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine March 2026

HVACR NewsMagazine March 2026

State National Chapter News

Department of Energy “ Energy Skills ” Recognized Three Arkansas Colleges Arkansas State University in Searcy, Arkansas Tech University in Ozark, and North Arkansas College in Harrison have been recognized by the Department of Energy as providing Heat Pump Installation Skills worthy of note for hiring contractors and the public. Thanks to a cooperative agreement between DOE and Google, students who receive training from an Energy Skilled recognized program can have their employer highlighted in Google search results, which helps consumers find qualified technicians. Recognition as Energy Skilled signifies that a training program or certificate covers the skills and knowledge identified by DOE as necessary for performing high quality work with new energy-efficient technologies. A credential from an Energy Skilled-recognized training or certification program tells hiring companies and consumers that a graduate has been trained to an established level of knowledge about HVACR, including both fundamentals and the latest technologies. Recognition is determined by the training program’s successful completion of a 100 point assessment of their specific theory and application instruction. Energy Skills program was developed by the Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The goal is to train technicians to provide excellent design, installation, and service achieving heat pump efficiency, comfort, and safety criteria.

Arkansas State University, Searcy Brad Cooper instructor Arkansas Tech University, Ozark, Kenny Beeler instructor

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The Arkansas HVACR Association and Arkansas Instructor’s Council worked with the Department of Energy to meet the criteria of the DOE Energy Skilled Heat Pump Installation program. Energy Skilled-recognition can be extended to community college programs that adopt the Arkansas HVACR Association / Instructor’s Council standardized curricula which DOE recognized as Energy Skilled for Heat Pump Installation in August 2025. One unique advantage of the Arkansas program is that the Arkansas HVACR Association certifies the colleges as meeting the program criteria which reduces the paperwork normally required with an application. The Arkansas program is a first and the Department of Energy hopes to use it as an example of cooperation between industry, associations, and the Department. North Arkansas College, Harrison Jeff Smith instructor Recognized by Department of Energy to meet Energy Skills training in Heat Pump installation •