Calcs-In the News
MACCA’s member Calcs-Plus was recognized for excellence in the HVACR industry at FRACCA’s 2011 Awards Luncheon sponsored by White-Rodgers and Johnstone Supply, the Ware Group during the 7th Annual Education Conference in Orlando on April 1, 2011.
Dennis and Cheryl Stroer with FRACCA President Bryan Lingerfelt of JP Griffin.
MACCA member Calcs-Plus was honored with the 2011 FRACCA Corporate Award. Dennis and Cheryl Stroer pictured with FRACCA President Bryan Lingerfelt of JP Griffin were present to accept the award recognizing their long-standing reputation for community service as well as service to the industry. They have created a corporate culture of lending their special expertise in HVAC and energy efficiency to those in their community most in need, including Habitat for Humanity projects and other local projects.
Calcs-Plus has been a leader in green building and the Stroers sit on various boards and committees that have input into practices and regulations that impact the HVAC industry.
Dennis Stroer of Calcs-Plus
Helps Buildings Thrive
GREEN PROFILE – FGBC
A load was lifted off of Dennis Stroer’s back when he got out the air conditioning business. No more installing, selling, or servicing air conditioners; now he deals only in paper and ink.
After leaving the air conditioning business in 1991, he started Calcs-Plus, a company that provides HVAC load calculations, energy code calculations, duct system design, building diagnostics related to infiltration and moisture control, Class 1 energy ratings, and training in calculation and design procedures.
Originally from Detroit, Stroer moved to Venice, FL, with his wife, Cheryl, and kids in 1973 because they wanted a change from the big city. “Venice is beautiful, 17 miles of beach” says Cheryl. “We don’t miss Detroit. We were in our twenties when we moved, and our life is here now.”
“Running an air conditioning contracting company was my introduction into building science,” says Stroer. “I started the company in 1976 and sold it in 1998.”
“There was a building recession in Florida, and I was tired of competing with other air conditioning contractors for the work that was left as the prices they were willing to work for,” says Stroer. “So one day we gave away $144,000 worth of contracts for construction that we had on our books and decided to concentrate on helping other A/C contractors with HVAC loads and required energy code calculations. We knew that the average contractor did not have time to do these things.”
Calcs-Plus was recently profiled in an ABC news segment in which the South County Habitat for Humanity unveiled its first Energy Star-certified home. Habitat for Humanity, for which Calcs-Plus performs free services, is changing the way it builds affordable homes. In this news segment, Stroer was shown performing the testing for energy waste. The home was constructed using panels of concrete filled with Styrofoam instead of a wood frame with vinyl siding, and Stroer’s testing showed that is uses 15 percent less energy than most new homes and nearly half the energy of a typical home.
“They thought about the envelope first,” says Stroer, “and the envelope is so important because if we have a leaky envelope, we’re wasting money trying to air condition air that’s leaking into the house.”
Calcs-Plus also works with the Building America Partnership for Advanced Residential Construction (BAPARC), a Department of Energy program that challenges builders t take energy efficiency to the next level, certifying them with the Builders Challenge. The ultimate goal for BAPARC buildings is net zero energy, meaning they produce as much energy as they use.
Cals-Plus is also a provider of continuing education credits for contractors and offers several classes led by Stroer in building science. Stroer is also currently working with the University of Central Florida and the Florida Solar Energy Center training weatherization agencies.
“I like most everything we do in our business, but diagnosing building failures realating to moisture problems in our climate is my favorite,” says Stroer. “I see a building as a living, breathing thing, and I like to help it perform better.”
Calcs-Plus and Habitat for Humanity are featured on ABC 7 News for their efforts in building ‘Green’ homes.
