August 6, 2021

Gil-Bar Launches Gil-Bar Academy to Offer Convenient, Industry-Leading Training Standards for All HVAC Professionals

New York — August 6, 2021 — Gil-Bar is pleased to announce the launch of Gil-Bar Academy, a continuing development program designed for HVAC industry professionals. A diverse array of courses are being offered on the topics of energy-efficiency, indoor air quality, local code requirements for energy systems, commissioning and PDH credits. Gil-Bar Academy is being established to elevate the knowledge base of HVAC professionals and ensure engineering teams are prepared for coming energy-efficiency changes and new technologies.

 

 

Courses will be available in both virtual and in-person formats, with a seamless registration process meant to maximize convenience for the industry’s busy professionals. Coursework will include best practices and technical specifications across a diverse array of the industry’s leading hardware manufacturers, including Armstrong, AAON, Cooney, Dectron, Hitachi, Konvekta, Nortek, TCF and TSI.

“The Gil-Bar Academy is our way of sharing what we’ve learned in this industry over the past 35 years, while engaging new talent and keeping established professionals sharp,” said Chris Bisaccia, partner at Gil-Bar. “Staying informed and well-educated in the competitive and changing HVAC industry has never been more crucial as local laws bring on rapid change and new systems are produced annually.”

“With the proliferation of highly efficient HVAC systems and local codes that change from state to state across the East Coast, it can be difficult for even the most seasoned HVAC engineers to keep up with the knowledge base that enables them to give the best guidance to clients,” said Alan Stefanac, an engineering executive at Gil-Bar who is helping to build the academy. “HVAC careers should also be attractive to younger talent as offering a specialized field with great earning potential. We want to share this passion for HVAC with the new generation.”

In the New York Metro Area alone, demand for building energy improvements could add 15,000 new jobs by 2024 and another 126,000 jobs by 2030, according to a forecast by MIT’s Associate Professor of Urban Environmental Planning David Hsu.

Examples of topics and lectures that will be held at Gil-Bar Academy this year include “Design Practices for Optimum Operation and Reduced Energy Costs,” “Introduction to Chilled Beams and Radiant HVAC,” “VRF Design and Layout,” and “Optimizing IAQ and Energy Efficiency with Air Scrubbing and Filtration.”

For more information on registration and scheduling, please contact academy@gil-bar.com.

About Gil-Bar Industries
Founded in 1986, Gil-Bar has become the largest and most comprehensive provider of HVAC solutions in New York and New Jersey, spreading into the Pennsylvania and Delaware markets as well. Gil-Bar believes HVAC is about a lot more than just moving air. It’s about creating places where we can live our best lives and do our best work. It requires understanding the total indoor environmental experience and providing optimal thermal and acoustical comfort. Gil-Bar partners with building developers, architects, engineers and contractors to help design, install, problem-solve and service the right custom HVAC solution for every building. We build and maintain these relationships because we have one of the largest and most experienced teams of engineering salespeople in the industry.

June 23, 2021

One Year Post-Covid, It’s Time to Reassess Your Long-Term HVAC Needs

After over one year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Gil-Bar continues to be the solution in the battle for greater indoor air quality (IAQ). Offering an array of products to provide a clean and safe return to offices and indoor dining, Gil-Bar is partnered with several U.S. manufacturers to bring us back to a “new normal” through a variety of applications.

Currently, Gil-Bar products include HealthWay portable units, bi-polar ionization technology, enVerid air cleaners, and High Intensity UV emitters.

Through ongoing research and lab reports, these manufacturers show their individual efficacy of disinfecting the air and reducing the spread of COVID-19, as well as other common contagions. Please reach out to Gil-Bar for information regarding stocked inventory on all your buildings’ IAQ needs as we begin recovering and reopening the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware regions. Gil-Bar’s sales team is available for on-site and virtual space surveys offering turnkey solutions for all applications in the Northeast Market.

Gil-Bar in the News: “IAQ Solutions as ‘Ground Zero’ Reopens”

The following article first appeared in Contracting Business on Apr. 28, 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City became known as “ground zero,” due to the high numbers of cases and deaths attributed to the virus. In response, HVAC contractors in and around the New York metropolitan area have been on unending high alert since the earliest days of the pandemic, providing indoor air quality advice and solutions for buildings that remained open, and now, for those that are reopening for public use.

One of those leading solutions providers is Gil-Bar, based in mid-town Manhattan. Never at rest, this team tackles more than 5,000 HVAC projects in any given year – and up to 40% of all custom HVAC work in New York City. Additional offices are based in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Gil-Bar was founded in 1986 by Joe Sbarra and John Gill. Both men are still involved in the company, doing all it takes to keep customers’ air clean and their spaces cool and comfortable.

Twelve-year partner Chris Bisaccia spoke with Contracting Business to describe the firm’s history in indoor air quality, which has been a company specialty for the past 15 years, in commercial high-end properties and high-end multi-family residential buildings.

The COVID-19 pandemic took indoor air quality awareness to a whole new level, and Gil-Bar doubled down on its IAQ commitment.

“Gil-Bar continues to expand into other territories,” Bisaccia said. “For decades we have worked with many hospitals, schools and laboratories throughout the metro areas of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, to enhance their filtration and provide the best solutions to keep air pathways clean and to acceptable standards.”

One of Gil-Bar’s preferred recommendations for enhancing indoor air quality is the HealthWay Disinfecting Filtration System (DFS) The HealthWay DFS has been in use by the New York City Department of Education, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center and many surrounding areas during this pandemic. These plug-and-play, portable, high-efficiency filtration machines are locally stocked and available immediately. The filtration machines can also be integrated into an existing air duct system.

We started working with the HealthWay family of brands before COVID, about a year-and-a-half ago, as we were continuing everything we were working on, bringing better innovative products to the marketplace. It’s a very efficient way to clean the air with HEPA-type filtration, in an energy efficient manner. Also, we wanted to bring portable air cleaners to the marketplace, increase air changes per hour, and add contaminant “capture and kill” technology, including capture of .03 microns with HEPA-type filtration.

Bisaccia said HealthWay has a scalable line of solutions for almost any indoor environment, from a small bedroom to a large building.

“Their technology is individually and independently tested to provide the highest level of particulate efficiency with the lowest pressure drop of any system we have tested or seen in the industry, making it adaptable to almost any application in our market. The technology not only captures the smallest ultrafine particles, but also eliminates the likelihood of microbial growth in the filter and has been tested to all safety standards,” Bisaccia explained.

HealthWay first began offering IAQ products in 1981, with electrostatic attraction. Subsequent offerings included HEPA/ULPA filters, UV, air exchange, electrically-enhanced mechanical filters, and a photocatalytic product.

The HealthWay DFS uses patented technology developed through a United States Military Grant combating germ warfare. The technology is individually tested to guarantee better than HEPA efficiency, capturing 99.99% of all particles down to .007 micron in size. DFS also prevents microbial growth inside the filter through microbial inhibition, according to HealthWay.

Gil-Bar has installed thousands of HealthWay DFS units.

“We’ve installed it in every major market sector, from healthcare, to financial locations, commercial spaces, residential applications, vaccination centers, restaurants and classrooms, as an in-line ductwork solutions or portable unit.”

Bisaccia said the inline installation uses the same technology as the portable units and can be modified to be installed in an air handler. The team also employs other more traditional methods, such as UV-C and HEPA filtration.

“We typically bring options to our client base, so they can look at it from an engineering perspective and understand what the best solution is, to complement the existing system. Much of the time it will be a combination of different types of systems. When you’re looking at a commercial space, it’s important to understand what options are available, and how to use them in a cost-effective manner, without compromising energy efficiency, and making sure you understand what you’re trying to accomplish, based on the way you use your space, to make sure you get the proper filtration, and the end-user gets the results they’re looking for.”

See the story in its original format and read more from Contracting Business here!