Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2020

S tate, National, Chapter News State national Chapter News

Tennessee Valley Authority Aids Businesses Installing Ultraviolet Light According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Tennessee Valley Authority is offering financial aid for schools, restaurants, nursing homes and other buildings with public places to install ultraviolet germicidal irradiation lights in air ducts to minimize the spread of airborne microorganisms such as COVID-19. The idea has been in the planning stages but TVA decided in June to expedite the roll-out to aid in the battle against the coronavirus. TVA is offering standard incentives at $30 per ton for duct-mounted UVGI systems. Installing systems is not cheap but at least it is a recognition that UVGI can play an effective roll in reducing the incidence and spread of viruses. According to the Times Free Press, Ultra-violet light has proven to kill viruses for more than a century. In 1941 when measles swept through schools around Philadelphia, ultraviolet fixtures were installed at the Germantown Friends School and about 15% of children who had not previously contracted the disease became sick. In the upper-grade classrooms in the same city where ultraviolet fixtures were not installed, more than half of the susceptible students contracted measles. TVA allocated $500,000 through September for the project. Full Article Link

Protect Your Business

Contractor Liability Protection Under S. 4317 SAFE TO WORK Act The Air Conditioning Contractors of America is asking the HVACR industry to send their Senators a letter of support for the SAFE TO WORK Act. COVID-19 related lawsuits are beginning to mount across the country and the act offers liability protection to essential workers and small businesses. This legislation would provide much needed legal cover from potentially crippling COVID-19 related legal costs and judgments. HVAC industry workers are “essential workers” who have labored tirelessly since the onset of the pandemic to keep our country’s critic al infrastructure afloat. They deserve to work without the constant threat of legal action over their head for simply doing their job. Please take action today to help ensure liability protection for HVACR contractors, small businesses, and essential workers across the country. Just click on the link to access the prepared letter to your Senator. It is simple and will only take a couple of minutes.

Link to Express Your Support of the SAFE TO WORK Act