Building on the success of such offerings at previous AHR Expos, the 2017 Show, to be held January 30 to February 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will feature a wide array of educational opportunities.  Throughout the week, contractors, engineers and other show attendees will have the chance to participate in numerous free seminars and presentations, paid programming and professional certification exams – all further enhancing the value of Show attendance.

“We pride ourselves on offering these ancillary education, training and certification opportunities as a way to fully maximize the benefit attendees gain from being a part of AHR Expo,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company.

“Beyond the ability to discover cutting-edge innovations showcased at each year’s AHR Expo, attendees have come to appreciate the opportunity to combine valuable educational sessions into their agendas,” Stevens said. “The Show has thus become a place where attendees can earn CEUs, complete professional certification exams, and engage in meaningful discussion with peers about solutions to the industry’s most difficult challenges.”

Free Seminars & Training

A series of topics will be covered in free seminars and presentations, offered across several umbrella categories, during the first two days of the show.  These include:

§  Industry Initiatives & Best Practices – Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about such issues as “Selling Profitable Hydronic Radiant Systems,” ”Global Trends in the HVAC Market,” “Humidity and Occupants: What the Latest in Humidity Means for You,” and others.

§  Building Automation – Addressing such topics as “Unifying a Building to Reduce Energy Consumption with BACnet,” “The Future of Building Automation- The Self Learning Edge Revolution,” and “Intelligent Buildings and Cybersecurity,” these sessions will provide the latest information on building automation’s evolving relationship to HVACR practices.

In excess of 100 presentations will be held in the Show’s New Product & Technology Theaters, featuring the latest innovations being introduced by AHR Expo exhibitors in 2017.  Attendees can participate in these free 20-minute overview sessions, and better understand the cutting-edge products and technologies being displayed on the 2017 Show floor.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in more than 50 free seminars on a range of topics presented by endorsing associations and other HVACR industry groups.  These industry expert-led one- and two-hour sessions have been designed to allow for easy integration of valuable education time into attendees’ overall Show agendas.

A Town Hall meeting, hosted by the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA), will provide opportunity for open-forum discussion on the topic of technology integration into HVACR practices. Ron Zimmer, CABA president and CEO, will guide dialogue on drill-down topics including automation, usage tracking, and ways to increase efficiency through the latest technological advances in the industry.

Paid Programming & Testing

Numerous courses, continuing educational sessions and opportunities for testing will be offered for a nominal fee, both prior to and during the 2017 AHR Expo in Las Vegas.  These include:

§  ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) Continuing Education Courses – Held concurrently with the ASHRAE 2017 Winter Conference, AHR Expo will incorporate several opportunities for attendees to participate in ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) continuing education courses.  A total of 20 courses will be offered prior to and during the 2017 AHR Expo, and all courses are approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward maintaining P.E. licensure. 

Each full-day course will earn attendees 6 Professional Development Hours (PDHs)/Learning Units (LUs) or 0.6 CEUs, with topics including: “Commissioning Processes in New & Existing Buildings (code 62);” “Complying with the Requirements of Standard 62.1-2016 (code 76);” and “Energy Modeling Best Practices and Applications (code 61).”

Numerous half-day courses, from which participants will earn 3 PDHs/LUs or 0.3 CEUs, will also be offered throughout the week.  Among the many topics addressed will be: “Designing High-Performance Healthcare HVAC Systems (code 79);” “Design of Affordable and Efficient Ground Source Heat Pump Systems (code 72);” “High-Performance Building Design: Applications & Future Trends (code 70);” and “Designing Toward Net-Zero Energy Commercial Buildings (code 68).”

Advance registration is required for all ALI Continuing Education Courses, and can be completed by visiting www.ashrae.org/lasvegascourses.

§  PM Live Seminars – On January 31 (the first day of 2017 AHR Expo), PM Live will present two seminars covering essential information for the design of heat pump and hydronic systems. 

“Common Errors in Hydronic System Design & Installation,” featuring speaker John Siegenthaler of Appropriate Designs, will specifically address a wide range of common errors in design and installation of hydronic heating and cooling systems, and how to avoid these for the future. 

“Brewing with Steam,” led by Fire & Ice Heating & Cooling president Ray Wholfarth, will address the design, installation and maintenance of steam boilers for the brewing and distilling process. 

Several discounts are available for advance registration in one or both courses, and more information is available by visiting www.pmlivesymposium.com.

§  Certification/Exams – Those attending the 2017 AHR Expo in Vegas can additionally sit for exams from several HVACR industry organizations, including: the AABC Commissioning Group’s (ACG) CxA Workshop & Exam; the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) CAFS Testing and Two-Hour Tutorial; and testing by the North American Technician Excellence (NATE). 

Exam sessions will cover more than 11 industry specific topics for certification, including: air conditioning; air distribution; heat pumps; gas heating; oil heating; hydronics gas; hydronics oil; commercial refrigeration; light commercial refrigeration; ground source heat pumps; and senior efficiency analyst certification. 

A complete list of 2017 AHR Expo educational opportunities can be found at http://ahrexpo.com/education-overview/.  For general information or to register for the 2017 AHR Expo, January 30 to February 1 in Las Vegas, visit ahrexpo.com.