Building HVAC Science

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/

In this episode, Bill chats with James Childre, founder of RedPointMontana.com, a home performance specialist. James shares with us his enthusiasm for the field and describes his persuasive persistence in preaching home performance in his role as a rater and a home inspector. James discusses his approach with contractors and consumers as well as where he looks for improving at his trade. We explore the topic of making change happen and not losing faith in spite of the apparent slow movement in the industry of home performance. A review from his website well characterizes James: thorough, professional and considerate. "I knew that James would be thorough in his inspection, Professional in the way he handled himself and be considerate in answering my sellers' questions." You can reach James by email at James@RedPointMontana.com or visit his website at www.RedPointMontana.com

After 31 years in business, 3 major career changes and 10 products (and counting) later, John Pastorello shares with us how, and more importantly why he built his business, Refrigeration Technologies. John shares with us how growing up in the Atomic Age spurred his curiosity about the atom and yearning to be a nuclear physicist. Fast forward 30 years later and John has managed to create a successful family owned and operated specialty chemical business focusing on all aspects of the air conditioning and refrigeration trades. Learn from John how he approaches his work and gain some insight on how he transitioned from bench chemist to HVAC Contractor, then contracting business owner to the founder of Refrigeration Technologies. Oh, and we also find out how Nylog got its name and how this product was developed by accident. You can reach John at JP@RefrigTech.com or visit their website at www.RefrigTech.com

Blake Reid shares with us the challenges and rewards of doing home performance work in Hawaii which has the most expensive energy, 12 climate zones, no energy code, an active volcano, and an aggressive state climate goal. As a knowledgeable, ethical and honest "wiz kid" contractor, Blake made a huge decision and moved his family from Ithaca, NY to Hawaii to "set up shop" as a home performance contractor. Listen to Blake describe some of his motivations to move as well as why he choose the name www.TerraWattHome.com for his company. Blake shares many of his business techniques which meld with his personal philosophies and encourages all contactors not to "get stuck". Listeners are encouraged to go to his website and read his blog posts, and if interested, fill out a contact request to get in touch with Blake.