By Christine Graf
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing businesses and homeowners to become increasingly concerned about indoor air quality and the spread of airborne infectious diseases. This concern is having a direct impact on the global HVAC industry.
Many Capital Region companies experienced a significant slowdown in business at the beginning of the pandemic. Some, including Superior Co-Op HVAC of Cambridge, closed during this period. According to owner Gerald Davis, his company was closed for two months but experienced a surge in business after they reopened. He hired an additional employee and added a truck to his fleet to keep up with demand.
“When the governor closed down March 23, we closed up,” said Davis. “I laid everybody off because I didn’t know what was going to happen. In May, we were able to open back up and the floodgates opened up on us.”

By Susan Elise Campbell
Interior design generally follows style trends, the dominant one today being: Form really does follow function as people repurpose and refurbish their homes for office spaces, schoolwork stations and staycations.
Julie Maleski Putzel, founder of JMP Interiors in Clifton Park, said residential clients are using every square foot to create areas or zones they never needed before the pandemic.
“We are shifting the way we live in spaces, move through them and function in them,” said Putzel.
Her forté is “clean and understated but impactful design,” she said. “It’s a refined approach about contrasts, playing with opposites and blending styles that one ordinarily wouldn’t think of but somehow work.”

By Jamie Wallace
Chimneys are like septic systems. No one thinks about them until there’s a problem.
They are especially ignored in second homes and rental properties. A chimney can be a dangerous thing to forget, one that can cost you the loss of property and/or life. There are some simple steps you can take to drastically reduce your chances of ever becoming a statistic.
Step 1: Have your chimney inspected every year, even if you hardly use it. Chimneys change like children grow. Water, settling, and time will continue to alter the flue system.
Having your chimney inspected annually, and swept when needed, is the requirement given by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 211, Standards Codes for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances.