His home had two systems in it, and he only recently moved. The company had installed a two-ton air conditioning system for an addition. There was a separate four-ton system for the existing part of the house that had been installed by a competitor.

The two-ton system installation looked great. The team measured airflow from all the supply registers with a quality air balancing hood and totaled up the airflow feeding the area. Next, they measured the enthalpy change across the system at the supply registers and return grilles with Bluetooth psychrometer probes.

They combined these readings to determine how many cooling Btus the system was delivering into the conditioned space. Once the team knew the delivered Btus, they divided those Btus by the equipment’s rated cooling Btus under the conditions they tested. This step showed how well the installation performed.

The comfort advisor and installation manager were both pleased to find that this system, which they designed, delivered about 95% of the equipment’s laboratory-rated capacity. It takes an extraordinary installation to achieve a system performance score over 90%. The craftsmanship receipts prove they installed exactly what they said they would and proved it through measurements.

Moving On Up with Craftsmanship Receipts

Next, it was time to test the four-ton system installed by the competition. The team followed the same process of measuring airflow and enthalpy change across the system to determine the delivered Btus from the cooling system into the conditioned space. This time, the results weren’t as flattering.

Instead of delivering close to four tons of cooling into the comfort advisor’s home, it only delivered around 2.75 tons. This system was only operating at 66% of the laboratory-rated capacity. The craftsmanship receipts reveal a system that failed to deliver what was sold.

The measurements of these systems were proof of their design and workmanship. One system passed with flying colors. The results on the company’s installation were proof that everything came together to achieve a great HVAC system. However, the other system failed to deliver.

The Results of Your Product

If you or someone else were to test your work and provide craftsmanship receipts, what would it show? Would it prove your work resulted in what you promised, or would it tell another story?

Our industry must be about far more than dealers peddling equipment for the lowest price. We affect the quality of people’s lives. Don’t forget that your work makes a difference. If you’re tired of looking and sounding like everyone else, it might be time for you to provide proof of your work.

Your customers need to know if there is a way for them to receive proof that what they paid for is what you delivered.

You can prove your installations are better through measurements. Unless you measure, you can’t provide craftsmanship receipts, and you’re stuck playing the same low-bid game that everyone else is struggling to win.

It’s time for our industry to change the game the same way that John Patterson did. He focused on the results of his product, not the product itself. Why not focus on your strengths and offer proof of the results to your customers?