CT Heating & Cooling Contractors Association - CHCC

09/07/2026

09/02/2026

🍺 PINTS & POLITICS WITH CONNECTICUT CONTRACTORS

Great conversations tonight at Pints & Politics, bringing Connecticut’s construction and skilled-trades industries together with candidates for office.

Ryan Fazio for Governor; Matt Corey, candidate for Lieutenant Governor; Fred Wilms, candidate for State Treasurer addressed the crowd about Connecticut’s skilled trades, construction industry and workforce.

At the center of the conversation:
“When we say ‘workforce development,’ are we developing programs—or are we developing workers?”
And what specific policies will actually move people into good-paying skilled-trade careers?
The conversation expanded into permitting, occupational licensing, regulations and bureaucratic red tape. Connecticut has a tendency to hoard regulations, continually adding new requirements without routinely evaluating whether existing ones are effective, duplicative, outdated or creating unnecessary barriers. Good government shouldn’t measure how many programs or regulations it creates. It should measure whether they work.

One message from contractors was especially clear: They aren’t competing for work. They’re competing for WORKERS. The demand is there. The skilled labor force is not.

That brought us to something CHCC has been working toward for nearly a decade: dual-credit skilled-trade pathways in Connecticut’s comprehensive high schools. CTECS is a asset to the industry. Many comprehensive high schools already have Career and Technical Education programs, and several are independently exploring or rolling out trade-related pathways. This is not a heavy lift. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel or build out expensive shop classes - we need to connect students to industry.

We give college-bound students a head start through AP, ECE and dual-enrollment courses. Trade bound students deserve a head start, too… graduating with a diploma plus trade-related classroom instruction credited toward an apprenticeship, providing career exposure, a meaningful credential and a competitive advantage when applying for that first job.

Industry is ready to take it from there. Apprenticeship combines hundreds of hours of related classroom instruction with thousands of hours of paid, on-the-job training under licensed tradespeople. Let schools provide the exposure and classroom head start. Let industry do what it does best: hire, train and develop the next generation of skilled tradespeople. That is workforce development.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped put the voice of Connecticut’s construction industry in the room. 🇺🇸🔧

09/01/2026

🍺 PINTS & POLITICS — TONIGHT!

A strong industry needs a strong voice in the room.

Tonight, Connecticut’s HVAC and skilled-trades community comes together with candidates and elected officials to talk about something that matters to every contractor:

Are we developing workforce programs—or are we actually developing workers?

Come grab a bite, have a pint, connect with industry colleagues and make sure the people making policy hear directly from the people doing the work.

📍 Dockside Brewery | Milford
⏰ 5:00 PM | TONIGHT

CHCC members — your tickets are included with your membership. Show up. Be heard. Bring your team.

Register: https://members.chcca.net/event-calendar/Details/pints-politics-1889338?sourceTypeId=Website

Strong network. Strong industry. Strong voice. 🍺

07/01/2026

Words of Wisdom from CHCC's Very Own HVAC Pro, Chris Perley
🇺🇸 Happy Birthday America Weekend! Stay Cool, Stay Smart.
🔥 Heat wave coming!
Here's a little advice from the pros before the temperatures crank up:
🌡️ Set your thermostat above 70°F.
Over the next couple of days we'll be at — or even beyond — what HVAC professionals call design temperatures. Your air conditioner is designed to cool your home about 20° below the outdoor temperature. When it's 98–100° outside, don't be surprised if your thermostat won't get below 80°, no matter what you set it to.
❄️ If it's 100° outside, 80° inside can feel like an icebox.
Step outside for a minute, then come back in. You'll quickly realize just how much work your system is doing.

For the love of JENN (or your local HVAC pro!) make sure your air filter is clean. A dirty filter restricts airflow and dramatically increases the chance of freezing your indoor evaporator coil, which can actually stop your system from cooling and may require a service call.
Your air conditioner is working overtime this weekend. Give it a little grace, a clean filter, and let it do what it was designed to do.

💬 Words of Wisdom from CHCC's Very Own HVAC Pro, Chris Perley
Shared by the Connecticut Heating & Cooling Contractors Association (CHCC).

05/13/2026

On behalf of the Connecticut Heating & Cooling Contractors Association (CHCC), thank you to State Representative Tim Ackert for your years of service and unwavering support of Connecticut’s contractors, skilled trades workforce, and working families.

As an electrician himself, Tim understands the value of hands that work — the men and women who build, wire, heat, cool, repair, and keep Connecticut running every single day. He represented our industry with grit, grace, common sense, and authenticity.

Tim was never just a legislator to our industry. He is a true advocate for tradespeople, apprentices, small businesses, workforce development, and the importance of creating real career pathways for the next generation.

While this session marked the close of a meaningful chapter under the Gold Dome, we are excited to see Tim Ackert in his campaign for Lieutenant Governor of the State of Connecticut. Connecticut benefits from leaders who understand hard work, show up, listen, and never forget where they came from.

Thank you for your service, your accessibility, your leadership, and your friendship to the skilled trades community. Wishing you continued success in this next chapter.
— Connecticut Heating & Cooling Contractors Association (CHCC) 🔧🇺🇸

05/13/2026

🔧Celebrating the Future of Connecticut’s HVAC Workforce! 🔥

On May 7th, the Connecticut Heating & Cooling Contractors Association (CHCC) proudly visited both Henry Abbott Technical High School and Oliver Wolcott Technical High School to formally recognize our 2026 CHCC Scholarship recipients.

Each of the five outstanding students was awarded a $500 supply house gift certificate to begin building their apprentice starter tool kits — helping ensure they are prepared for Day 1 on the job site and ready to begin their careers in the HVAC industry with confidence.

2026 CHCC Scholarship Recipients:
• Santino Ferrari – Oliver Wolcott Technical High School
• Rocco Ferrari – Oliver Wolcott Technical High School
• Matthew Green – Henry Abbott Technical High School
• Vincent Morales – Henry Abbott Technical High School
• Hunter Von Minden – Henry Abbott Technical High School

A special thank you to Steve Dion of USA Mechanical, who conducted the student interviews focused on professionalism, communication, and soft skills — critical traits that help shape successful apprentices and future industry leaders.

The CHCC Education Committee has since reviewed the interview findings, and we are excited to announce that one student will be selected later this week as the recipient of the prestigious Tim Davenport Overall Scholarship Award, earning an additional $1,000 scholarship.

👏 We are incredibly proud of these students, their instructors, families, and the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System for continuing to develop the next generation of skilled trades professionals.