Building HVAC Science

Looking to be a better HVACR Tech? One key aspect is keeping up to date with changing equipment, products and techniques. And that is no mean feat. In order to do so, you need to help yourself to training and education where ever you can get it. Like this podcast… especially because it is on a lesser known topic: HVACR Chemicals and sealants. Mike Walton of CoolAir Products in Maryland, joins us on this episode to focus on 2 of the products he has brought to the US market: AC SmartSeal External- a line and coil repair product and AC SmartSeal Quick Shot, the 3 in 1 internal seal, lube and leak check dye. Interestingly, these two products work best together. Mike discusses how and why he formed the company starting in his garage in 2014. He describes his company's focus on the technician, by making products that are safe, effective, and easy to use. Part of this ease of use comes because all products are 100 % safe to the touch, non-toxic and non-flammable. That means no warning labels and for our friends in California, no prop 65 issues. Plus, he backs up the product with 3rd party lab testing by Intertek Mike's got a lot to share with the industry. You can buy Mike's products at wholesalers across the US or online at www.trutechtools.com/Cool-Air-Products If you want to learn more you can reach out to Mike at www.CoolAirProducts.net or MikeWalton@CoolAirProducts.net

Today we turn the tables and your host becomes the guest! As you may or may not know Marilyn and I are building a new high-performance home this year (2019). Even though I have been involved in home performance for 30 years, it was in the narrow field of test and measurement, not in construction detail and aspects. And because it is our home and our money, everything about it is personal and I have a real hunger for the details which tends to complicate decisions! So, I asked my thoughtful pal, Nate Adams to pitch some questions at me to get me to talk about the subject and share our journey up to this point. We were calling it a high-performance house, but recently I've changed that to a new concept (in my mind): personalized performance – it's what we want our home to be. I hope you enjoy the listen. If you want to learn more you can reach out to Bill at Bill@trutechtools.com or Nate at Nate@energysmartohio.com via his website: www.NateTheHouseWhisperer.com

I've never thought about entrepreneurship when it comes to trade associations. I just thought they always existed. Well, in the nascent world of building performance, I should have known better. Listen in as we chat with Ryan Miller, the founder and executive director of the North Carolina Building Performance Association, as he describes his vision for the future of building performance. He believes poor building performance is one big problem to solve and he aims to do it in his state by connecting all the stakeholders with education and information, as well as lobbying and training. And he is not just stopping in his state as he supports and gets involved with like-minded organizations across the country. Pay particular attention to the four points he notes in his strategic plan: Market Valuation Policy and legislation Work Force DevelopmentAnd Consumer Education If you want to learn more you can reach Ryan via his website: www.BuildingNC.org

Some of our listeners have likely heard of the term Home Performance. But have you heard of Home Performance 2.0? Michael Housh and Neil Comparetto join us to describe how they are helping to develop this new approach to serving customers with total home performance. This is a systems being developed by Nate Adams and Ted Kidd. They describe a well performing home as one that is healthy, comfortable, safe, durable and, as a side benefit, uses less energy. Michael and Neil are both trained and experienced HVAC technicians; mechanics in their own words. They discuss how some simple changes in the approach to the way technical work is presented is resulting in better business and happier clients. They describe the HP 2.0 process as consisting of 6 steps: client education, initial PAID consult, a comprehensive planning process, executing the project, QC, and continuous optimization with monitoring. A large part of the client education consists of the resources available at www.NateTheHouseWhisperer.com – there you will find an inexpensive book that educates consumers (and techs!) on home performance, as well as 2 free downloads(chapters from the book) to share with Clients: Home Comfort 101 and HVAC 101. These steps help to remove the pain of being a residential HVAC business owner: (Much of this is based on the Sandler Selling Process) Avoid fights over stuff you can't fix More Happy Clients - Actually SOLVE client problems, no band aids Smooth out monthly sales with large HP projects in off seasons Onboard Staff Faster-with something else for apprentices to do Fewer Unhappy Clients Reduce Mold Risk Reduce Boredom with Challenging projects and new twists all the time Reduce or eliminate free quotes Increase Ticket Sizes w/o Home Performance Jobs Lower sales and marketing costs, with better word of mouth and paid consultations. Bigger, more satisfying jobs vs Small jobs with lots of up-front work that often don't solve problems If you want to learn more you can reach Michael at MHoush@HoushHomeEnergy.com and Neil at Neil@ComparettoComfort.com or Nate Adams and Ted Kidd at Nate@EnergySmartOhio.com

You may know the answer to this question: "Why would I want to use an air flow hood?" You might not know the answer to this one: "How do I find a good air flow hood?" Steve Rogers, President and Owner of the Energy Conservatory, joins us to answer both of these questions as well as provide a rich background to his company and his career. We hear how a customer ride-along stimulated a multifaceted investigation into the critical parameters involved in making great residential airflow measurements which could lead to a breakthrough product in the future Steve explains how milkshakes help him focus on customers' needs in the product development cycle. Visit www.EnergyConservatory.com to learn more about their products and training resources which are available through several distributors including TruTechTools, www.trutechtools.com/EnergyConservatory If you read this before January 24, 2019, you can sign up to watch the webinar Steve will present with TruTech Tools on this topic: sign up link is www.bit.ly/TEC-FLOW If you read this after that date, a recording of that video will be present on the TruTech YouTube channel: www.bit.ly/TruTechTubes

Smartphones are great communications tools for contractors and techs. But how do you organize and effectively share the right photos at the right time? Listen in as Luke Hansen, former roofing contractor and inventor of the CompanyCam App, explains his journey from concept to successful business. His low-cost service allows techs to share rich photo information without clogging up their photo library. Rich info accompanies each photo: date, time, GPS location, user info and mark-ups & notes can be shared in your company, with the customer or with anyone you give the link to. Photos can later be sorted or filtered with data mentioned above. If you've tried managing photos in DropBox, you know that takes a lot of discipline to keep things organized. This app will save you hours of time cataloging photos or searching for ones you knew you took. Video functionality is coming soon. Go to www.CompanyCam.com/BHS for a special offer to listeners of this podcast.

How can an IOT (internet of things) based device help home dwellers and home performance contractors? Listen as our guest Jacques Touillon, inventor of the foobot describes what got him started on the journey from a concept to a successful product sold around the world. Jacques' describes his vision of a future homes that has "invisible" sensors control systems to maintain superb indoor air quality. We discuss the importance of data and data processing, as well as recent environmental events (the wild fires in the Western United States) which shape the continuing development of this product He tells of Home Performance and HVAC contractors using the foobot and similar products to diagnose and solve home owner problems related to indoor air quality and comfort.

Curious about what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Well, so are these three guys. Listen in as business owners Tersh Blissett (Icebound HVAC & Refrigeration), Bryan Orr (Kalos Services) and Bill Spohn (TruTechTools, LTD) discuss what it means to them to run their own businesses. This wide-ranging discussion produced many good nuggets of info as we discuss visionaries, idealism vs. realism, and breaking from the status quo amidst tons of other topics. You can reach these members of the BlueCollar Roots network at Tersh@BlueCollarRoots.com Service Business Mastery Podcast Bryan@HVACRSchool.com HVAC School Podcast Bill@BlueCollarRoots.com Building HVAC Science Podcast

We veer a little off the technical path in this episode as we discuss with Bryan Orr his educational missionary work in Haiti. For the past 2 years, Bryan has led a small team of volunteers to first scope out and recently (November 2018) begin delivering basic trade education to native Haitians as young as 8 years old. We hear about the leap of faith he has taken and how it has proven out in the overwhelmingly warm feedback from the people he has touched. Learn how he addresses the logistical, practical and communications challenges he encounters with a systematic approach in a way similar to the way he breaks down the technical and business challenges in his everyday life as an HVAC Contractor/Owner. We also gain insight into what is coming next for his work in Haiti. If you want to learn more or get involved, reach out to Bryan@HVACRSchool.com

You'll note no last names in this episode title, as I know Grace & Corbett so well. And I think you need to know them better, too. Grace McPhillips Lunsford and Corbett Lunsford have embarked on a road to change the culture of how home performance is perceived by homeowners and galvanize them into action. A major section of this road opens in January 2019, where their TV Show, Home Diagnostics launches on PBS. You can help spread the word on this topic by asking your local PBS station programmer to carry it. Learn more about this and see show clips ("the sizzle reel") at www.HomeDiagnosis.tv We explore how the topic of home performance is so personal and how the human characteristics of curiosity and playing games (metrics) can transform the market where all can benefit. We also learn what a "tent pole" is and how it has not yet been erected in the field of home performance. Find out how these brave souls continue to walk the talk after their 32-city tour in a tiny lab and into the construction of their new high-performance home in the Atlanta area. Listen as we gain insight into how their technical minds work in a musical fashion: how melody, harmony and timing are analogous to the relationships between materials and systems in the home and the sequencing and consequences of the decisions made in choosing, using and install these systems. This is a really rich episode, so please listen closely! And I will have them back on the podcast. The hub for all their activities is found at www.buildingperformanceworkshop.com/