CANTON — SUNY Canton's HVAC Trades program was named among the best of its kind in New York.

SkillCat, an online simulation-based training and certification company, recently announced that the SUNY Canton program had placed third out of 13 similar programs across the state.

Widely recognized as one of the college's signature two-year technical education programs, HVAC continues to see an increased and renewed interest from students seeking to learn the trade. According to Lecturer Jay A. Simmons, one of the primary faculty members in the program, the field is evolving alongside new energy-efficient technologies.

"Our focus has turned away from oil furnaces in favor of modern heat pumps," Simmons said. "We're increasingly teaching newer technologies as New York continues to move away from fossil fuel heat."

Alongside the technology upgrades, Simmons said that they are using the latest A2L refrigerants over the previous hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) options. "It is more efficient, but really, the drive is that it's about a third as damaging to the environment as what we were using in the last decade," he said. "A2L refrigerants have a lower global warming potential."

Heat pumps can produce three to four times more energy than they use to heat or cool a residence or business. The efficiency upgrades boast a smaller carbon footprint and are associated with lower heating bills for consumers. Students still learn about forced hot air heat and water boiler systems fueled by propane, natural gas, or fuel oil, which are prevalent in North Country homes, in addition to the latest innovations in heat.

With new technologies comes new equipment. SUNY Canton recently received funding from an Adirondack North Country Association Clean Energy grant offered through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Approximately $60,000 of that grant was used to upgrade equipment in Nevaldine Hall for future heat pump training and other green educational initiatives, which will be offered to community members free of charge.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Job outlook for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians will grow much faster than average through 2033. There are more than 40,000 jobs expected to open in the industry, and the median pay is $57,300 a year.

Many of SUNY Canton's most successful graduates got their start in the HVAC program.

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