< Previous10 MARCH 2018HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYplumbing, to taking a whole house approach. “We have really dialed into energy efficiency im-provements. That means our low-income custom-ers, who may not be able to go through Home Per-formance with Energy Star Program, can still get many of those benefits from within our Weather-ization program.”The “Weatherization Assistance Program” cov-ers up to $7,500 in cost to qualifying customers with an average cost in the program of $3,500 per home. Moore says home performance results in savings of around 1,975 kWh per home annually and the Weatherization Assistance Program nets about 1,100 kWh per home.THE DIFFERENTIATION FACTORThe second major differentiator between Aus-tin Energy and many other public utilities is their a focus on training. Austin Energy helps their par-ticipating HVAC contractors with training to help them better serve consumers to achieve lower en-ergy bills. According to Tom Turner, AE’s Environ-mental Program Coordinator for Field Services, “In the early 2000s we were one of the first utilities to embrace new technology that helped push blower door and duct blower testing to the forefront. “The program was titled Duct Diagnostics.”Turner says they realized the futility of sealing leaky duct systems without establishing a plan to correct deficient air flow. “More than diagnosing leaky ducts and homes, the program established the fact that old homes needed duct improvements to address comfort, performance, and prolong HVAC equipment life. This was unheard of for most other public utili-ties of the time.” Turner says that “to raise energy efficiency, and make systems Energy Star compliant and beyond, This month we shine our spotlight on a different entity in the HVAC universe. Our focus is on a publicly-owned utility – Austin Energy – that serves the city of Austin, TX and surrounding areas. Austin Energy (AE) was first established in 1895 and today is the eighth largest public utility in the U.S. Why this focus on a public utility?First, for the past 40 years, Austin Energy has operated energy efficiency programs for customers and was one of the first utilities to do so. The program includes a contract-ing group that offers an “energy audit” to identify ways customers can reduce en-ergy use. Austin Energy also provides re-bates of up to 20% of improvement costs.According to Terry Moore, Residential Conservation Energy Manager, the utili-ty has a portfolio of energy efficiency pro-grams spanning three markets: residen-tial, multi-family, and commercial. “My focus is the residential world,” he ex-plains. “Our foundational program in residen-tial is Home Performance with Energy Star. That program addresses the needs of the entire home rather than piecemeal enhancements.”He adds that the Home Performance program assists roughly 1,000 homes a year. “Austin Energy also has a “Weatherization As-sistance Program” that assists qualifying low in-come rate payers with improvements that mirror the ‘Home Performance Program’. This program reaches between 850-900 homes a year. Says, Moore, “What’s unique about our Weath-erization program is that it’s evolved beyond the traditional weatherization model of weather-strip-ping doors and windows, adding attic insulation, patching holes, repairing windows, leaks, and Austin Energy: Yesterday, Today, and TomorrowTom Turner (left) is the Environ-mental Program Coordinator for Field Services and Terry Moore, the Residential Energy Conservation Manager for Austin Energy.UTILITY SPOTLIGHTBy Mike Weilhome envelope, installing high efficien-cy air conditioning systems, and opti-mizing the ducts. Over the last three to five years, we’ve really zeroed in on air delivery systems as part of our residen-tial energy efficiency programs.”VERIFICATION IS KEYAustin Energy conducts a “test out” on every installation done as part of their two programs. The utility main-tains an inspection staff that performs a visual assessment for each Home Performance and Weatherization As-sistance job. Once the job is com-plete AE provides a final inspection and requires a test-out. This includes room-by-room air flow and stat-ic pressure measurements on “Home Performance” jobs and duct leakage on “Weatherization Assistance” jobs. According to Turner, they also have third-party (testing) contractors who validate test data and perform visual in-spections on 10-15% of completed jobs.He says this summer, they will begin conducting both test in and test out on a statistical sample of jobs. “This will help us validate our sav-ings from year to year and also get a better picture of how the program is performing on a measure by measure basis. What this means is that Aus-tin Energy will, as Moore says it, ‘test this scientific sample every summer.’ They will test in and test out to actu-ally validate savings levels, which will either move up or down depending on the data gathered.OVERCOMING OBSTACLESTom Turner says he thinks the HVAC industry faces a major overall problem. “Contractors install systems that out-last technological advances which typi-cally drive consumers to the next mod-el. It’s not just equipment and control technology that advances. “It’s also the technology used to mea-sure, test, and diagnose mechanical and air delivery systems that advances. Ten-year-old equipment and method-ologies are mostly out of date,” he says. “Replacing HVAC equipment with-out addressing other home issues such as; air delivery, insulation, so-lar screens, and the home envelope; may result in lower than expected effi-ciency and performance. Making all of those changes is costly and consumers are sometimes cautious about spend-ing the additional money. requires high quality HVAC installa-tions, repairs, and quality inspections.”“One of the tasks we’ve set for our-selves is to help our participating con-tractors set themselves apart from the rest of the contracting community. It is our goal to increase our number of participating contractors and get them “on board” with Home Performance through training. “Once they see what we are doing, they understand how performance sets them apart, and that goes along way for helping them stay on board.”Moore adds that it isn’t easy. “Change is difficult for everyone and some con-tractors really struggle with this. It is a fundamentally different approach for them. However, many of our Home Performance contractors have been “open minded” about the changes we have made and have found that they can be successful with them. The re-sults are higher customer satisfaction.” He continues, “What makes the Aus-tin Energy approach so different is our focus on the air delivery system. “HVAC contractors have mostly fo-cused on equipment to achieve effi-ciency and don’t address the duct sys-tem. We preach it is about sealing the Duct System Air Handler Trainer: As part of their efforts to help HVAC contractors understand the airside of a system, Austin Energy created a training tool they call the Duct System Air Handler Trainer. According to Tom Turner, they were seeking a way to demonstrate to contractors the impact of what happens in a duct system. The training station has a watt meter and static pressure gauges on it. It enables contractors to “play” with the filters and different media with different sur-face areas. Turner says they can make that watt meter run at about six times what it should to demonstrate the impact of bad ducting on air flow. This provides a visual most technicians don’t get in the field. MARCH 2018 11HVACTODAY.COM12 MARCH 2018HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYhow to measure things,” Turner says. “NCI teaches them WHY it is import-ant and HOW it affects everything they are trying to deliver.”Moore says AE not only uses NCI to train their contractor base, but also to help train their own internal staff. “We keep our staff NCI-certified in air bal-ancing as well as in combustion be-cause 75% of our market here is natural gas. We work diligently to keep those certifications updated not only for our guys, but for our contractors who par-ticipate in the program as well,” he says.Internal training? Indeed. Accord-ing to Turner, AE holds internal meet-ings on the first and third Tuesday of each month. They review past work and train on topics relevant to the cur-rent inspection trends. “Our inspection staff must maintain now require our participating con-tractors to measure static pressure and properly size plenums and branch ducts. This was a significant change in our program. After two or three years of training contractors, who then ac-tually perform the work in the field, many will now say this process has completely changed their outlook.”TRAINING THE NCI WAYThough Austin Energy has the wherewithal to do much of their own training, they use outside experts well-known for technical prowess when it comes to measuring, testing, and di-agnosing air conditioning and air de-livery systems. Turner and Moore ex-plain that National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI) is a big part of that.“It’s not just teaching contractors Because of the added cost and re-luctance of the customer, contractors may not “up-sell” to a “whole house” project,” adds Terry Moore.So how do you overcome such ob-stacles? Both Moore and Turner say it’s done by slowly providing the train-ing contractors need. “We initially looked at Home Performance with En-ergy Star as a two-dimensional solu-tion: sealing the home envelope and duct system and then installing a high efficiency HVAC system,” says Moore. “But in the last few years we added a third component -- optimizing the air delivery system. Our Home Performance with Energy Star Program now includes optimizing the air delivery system to make sure it is designed and sized to de-liver the air it is supposed to deliver.” Moore continues, “That means we UTILITY SPOTLIGHTMARCH 2018 13HVACTODAY.COMfor contractors to stand out, to differ-entiate themselves, and to better keep up with advancements in the industry. Turner says that whether they are in the Austin market or anywhere across the U.S., “HVAC contractors need to keep up with advances in technology and best practices. It’s more important than ever to embrace innovation and methodology.”Terry Moore concurs. “The impact of ignoring duct systems is huge. If you don’t address air delivery issues, you will come up short in terms of the comfort and efficiency you promise your customers.” Performance. It is the secret sauce to a bright future. Congratulations to Austin Energy for its unique focus and for being the March 2018 High Performance HVAC Today Spotlight. all the training and certification re-quirements is to “take quality to a high-er level.” Just as importantly, it provides Austin Energy with another layer of cus-tomer service. Moore calls it face-to-face with customers about AE’s programs.THE CHANGING MARKETPLACEBoth Turner and Moore say that Austin is an area with a fairly high turnover in housing. They say homes change hands almost every decade.“People don’t stay long in their hous-es here,” Turner says. “We find that once someone buys another house, they call us to enroll in our Home Per-formance program.”From an HVAC contractor perspec-tive, Austin Energy is a unique public utility in its approach to the market-place. That provides an opportunity NCI credentials in combustion and carbon monoxide, and at least one certification related to residential air-flow provided by NCI. We encourage certifications in all areas NCI provides training,” he says.Contractors who participate in the AE Home Performance and Ener-gy Star program are also required to maintain airflow certifications from NCI. Says Turner, “Our goal is to have certified personnel on every job site.”To help with that goal, AE co-ops 25% of the training cost. For those con-tractors who participate in the Aus-tin Energy programs, not only do they have a keen market advantage over their competition, but they also have part of the cost of the training covered by the utility. Moore adds that their objective with 14 MARCH 2018HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC equipment manufacturers have in their possession a wealth of infor-mation about how their equipment should operate under a wide range of conditions. This data is derived from laboratory testing, as well as thermodynamic simulations. However, the lion’s share of this data is not made publicly available. The data provided in published product spec-ifications, engineering handbooks, and service manuals is a small and inadequate subset of the data that could be immensely valuable not only to engineers, but also to technicians in the field. If manufacturers have an interest in keeping their equipment operating properly, it’s time to consider today’s more sophisticated technicians when determining the type, format, and accessi-bility of performance data.It’s well-documented that the appropriate way to maintain, diagnose, and verify HVAC equip-ment performance is to use manufacturer in-structions and specifications for reference and comparison of actual operation. ASHRAE Stan-dard 180 lists manufacturer technical material as a source of performance objectives for equipment maintenance. A 2012 evaluation of HVAC main-tenance programs in California recommends that utility programs use manufacturer mainte-nance and diagnostic protocols or compare pro-gram methods to them for reference. The advice is also espoused internationally. For example, the Australian government re-peatedly provides direction to consult manufac-turer documentation in its Guide to Best Practice Maintenance & Operation , and states that, “Easy access to O&M manuals is essential for Mainte-nance Service Providers to obtain the necessary information.” The list goes on. However, if you try to put these best-practice recommendations into actual practice, you quickly encounter many hurdles that make it difficult to do so efficiently and correctly. When I’ve spoken with the engineering staff at various manufacturers regarding the data they make public, they tend to have some common rationalizations for providing only limited data. Here are some ways they excuse themselves from the responsibility of publishing more use-By Ben Lipscomb, P.E.TECHNICALMaking the Case for Better Equipment Performance DataReferencing and re-cording manufacturer documentation and specifications is the best-practice approach for maintainance, diag-nostics, and service.MARCH 2018 15HVACTODAY.COMOn the extreme end of their concern spectrum, manufacturers want to minimize liability due to catastroph-ic equipment failure, carbon-monox-ide poisoning, or other high-profile health and safety-related issues aris-ing from a misunderstanding of prop-er operation. Contractors and technicians also want to build customer loyalty and dif-ferentiate themselves from their com-petition. To do that in a commoditized market like the HVAC industry, con-tractors must demonstrate value to their customers. One way to do that is to take mea-surements and compare their results to manufacturer data, showing that the system is operating correctly. Or, if it’s not operating correctly, justify-ing the recommended course of action (and the price tag that goes with it). That’s not possible if a tech doesn’t have access to the right data. A high-quality invoice or bid that’s supported by real data goes a long way toward im-proving a customer’s per-ception of a contractor com-pared to competitors. Today’s instrumentation -- as well as access to the internet through computers, tablets, and smartphones -- lay the groundwork for a new generation of sophisti-cated technicians who can provide a level of service far beyond what was typical in the past. To realize the many bene-fits of such technicians using manufacturer data appropri-ately, a broad range of issues need to be addressed. Here are some common barriers for technicians trying to access and use data in the field:• Access to data is restricted only to authorized distributors or dealers• Data is unavailable for older equip-ment, or it’s unclear which equipment generation(s) the data applies to• Published data is incomplete, or is fragmented, unorganized, and difficult to find• Data on equipment (e.g. charging charts) are too faded to read, and are unavailable electronically• Performance data covers a very narrow range of conditions• Blower performance data applies to specific situation (e.g. “wet coil”), with limited or no instruction for in-terpretation in other scenarios• Data for individual components, such as coils, is not published for pack-aged equipmentful performance data: • “The data we publish is only intended for prelimi-nary design”• “We have additional data available through our system selection software”• “Our data is intended to be used by engineers, not by technicians in the field”• “We only provide our data to authorized dealers”• “We don’t provide data for obsolete products. Check with one of our distributors.”The truth of the matter is, in the past HVAC techni-cians often operated on rules of thumb, and most wouldn’t have made use of the data even if manufacturers pro-vided it. We’ve all heard, and maybe some of us have used rules of thumb like these:• “If the suction line is “beer can cold,” the system is properly charged”• “A 20°F drop across the evaporator means airflow is good”• “A 30°F rise through the condens-er means capacity is ok”• “If the flame is blue, it’s burning ef-ficiently.”For systems to operate properly, manufacturer data deficiencies and technician rules of thumb both need to be put in their proper place – be-hind us! Both groups have a vested in-terest in coming together to improve field performance evaluation and di-agnostics. Manufacturers want to keep cus-tomers comfortable to create brand loyalty. They also want to minimize warranty costs due to improperly in-stalled or adjusted equipment. Modern technology should ideally provide field technicians with easy access to the most up to date and relevant equipment data and specifications. 16 MARCH 2018HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYTECHNICALformative Appendix A2. California Public Utilities Commis-sion, DNV GL 2014, HVAC Impact Evaluation Final Report WO32 HVAC – Volume 1: Report, Commercial Quality Maintenance Conclusions and Recommendations3. Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, 2012, Guide to Best Practice Maintenance & Operation of HVAC Systems for Energy Efficiencymon barriers that prevent technicians from properly applying manufactur-er’s data in their daily work. Issues range from inaccessibility, inapplica-bility, or even inaccuracy. Today’s technology provides us with the perfect vehicle for deliver-ing the right information in the right format to the right person at the right time. Let’s recognize that one of these “right people” is the technician on the roof, and deliver the necessary data in a format intended specifically for his use. 1. ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA 2012, Stan-dard 180-2012 Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Com-mercial Building HVAC Systems, In-• Data formats are not standardized, even across different models from the same manufacturer• Data for field-installed accessories is not provided in equipment specifi-cations, and is not readily available elsewhere• Data is intended and laid out for use in system design and equipment selec-tion, not field service and diagnostics• Data is incorrect or inaccurate.In this article we’ve examined the benefits of referencing manufactur-er’s performance data in the field. Us-ing manufacturer data is a commonly cited best practice -- manufacturers, contractors, technicians, and custom-ers could all benefit from the industry applying it. We’ve also listed many of the com-Ben Lipscomb is a Profes-sional Engineer based in Whitefish, Montana. He serves as NCI’s Engineering Manager, where he draws on experience in HVAC lab testing, field research, and utility program design to provide technical leadership for consulting services for clients. Ben can be contacted via email at benl@ncihvac.com. MARCH 2018 17HVACTODAY.COMWhen you pay a technician for eight hours, but you can only charge four hours to the customer, that’s a losing proposition for the com-pany. To improve business profits, you should do everything you can to reduce unapplied labor.According to a study conducted by Carrier Cor-poration, “unapplied labor” is one of the biggest profit-killers in the HVAC industry. In fact, this is true in every labor-intensive service industry that hires technicians to repair or replace all types of equipment.When properly implemented, National Com-fort Institute’s (NCI) Air Upgrade process helps you attack this common profit-destroyer. While that’s reason enough to adopt this innovative process, here are 10 HVAC system truths made better by Air Upgrades that will motivate you and your team to take immediate action:10 HVAC SYSTEM TRUTHS TO MOTIVATE AIR UPGRADE IMPLEMENTATION1. You can’t properly charge a refrigerant system without the required airflow moving across the evaporator coil.2. Low superheat and high head pressure read-ings are common with improper fan airflow.3. Compressor failure due to refrigerant flood-back happens with inadequate airflow across evaporator coil.4. Heat stress cracks in furnaces and frozen evap-orator coils can occur when fan airflow is too low.5. ECM motor hunting and motor controller fail-ures occur when static pressures are too high.6. Erratic thermal expansion valve operation happens when ECM motors are hunting for pro-grammed airflow.7. Customers complain of high noise levels when variable-speed motors try to overcome high static pressures.8. Low fan airflow causes furnaces to cycle on high-limit switches instead of thermostats.9. You won’t achieve appropriate heating, cooling, and humidity control if fan airflow is way off.10. You can’t deliver proper levels of conditioned air to each room in a structure unless the equip-ment produces enough conditioned air to satisfy all the rooms.PLEASE NOTE: For this article, we’ll assume the installed equipment is sized properly for the structure.If not properly sized, a more thorough technical analysis and design procedure is in order.What’s the common culprit? Inappropri-ate fan settings and airflow restrictions that cause high static pressure.By David HoltSALESHow Air Upgrades Enhance Business Profits18 MARCH 2018HIGH PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYcess identifies plenty of non-emer-gency work you can perform re-gardless of weather conditions. This additional work keeps your team on the field and off the bench, reducing unapplied labor and producing reve-nue all year long.ADDING MORE BILLABLE INSTALLATION HOURSSome of the work associated with the Air Upgrade process is time con-suming and is therefore avoided by many contractors. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “working on duct systems is too labor intensive” from contractors struggling to make ends meet.HERE’S A TIP: “LABOR INTENSIVE” TRANSLATES INTO MORE BILLABLE INSTALLATION HOURS!Keeping your team productive (re-ducing unapplied labor hours) is key to your business profitability. The key to success is ensuring that this type of work is priced and managed proper-ly so “the juice is worth the squeeze.” Increasing billable hours for your in-stallation team is never a bad thing, as long as it is profitable.INCREASING SELF-GENERATED SALES OPPORTUNITIESSelf-generated (proactive) leads are always better than emergency (reac-tive) leads. Why is that? Consider this truth: “He who identifies the problem, resolves the problem.” Think about that and let it sink in for a minute. The person who identifies the problem is typically the person who resolves it. SIX WAYS AIR UPGRADES ENHANCE BUSINESS PROFITSHere are six ways that adding Air Upgrades to your product offerings will enhance profits:• Creates non-emergency work all year long• Adds more billable installation hours• Increases self-generated sales oppor-tunities• Provides higher average sale prices• Enhances customer delight• Enables positive customer reviews, testimonials, and referrals.Let’s take a quick look at how each of these benefits enhance business profits.CREATING NON-EMERGENCY WORK ALL YEAR LONGMuch HVAC work relies on ex-treme-weather conditions. When it’s very hot or cold outside, you usual-ly have more work on your plate than you can handle. The urgency in your customer’s voice is loud and clear as they declare their situation a dire emergency. This “wait until it breaks” customer service strategy makes it tough to keep crews busy year-round since equipment doesn’t break during mild-weather months.UNAPPLIED LABOR OCCURS WHEN YOUR TEAM MEMBERS SIT ON THE BENCH, JUST WAITING TO GET IN THE GAME.The mild-weather months find your most valuable resource, your trained field staff, washing trucks, sweep-ing warehouses, painting walls, and “staying busy” while producing no billable time. The Air Upgrade pro-What’s the solution? NCI’s “Air Upgrade” process makes sure the equipment is operating with the ap-propriate fan airflow levels. The air upgrade process attacks common equipment setup issues and airflow restrictions primarily found at the fur-nace or air handler. The process focus-es on achieving proper fan airflow at the equipment, so it can operate as the manufacturer intends.However, there is no guarantee that an Air Upgrade will get the air to where it must go. That would involve more substantial work to optimize the duct system through testing, redesign, renovation, and balancing. A fully op-timized and balanced duct system is the only way to ensure every room in the building is comfortable.Static pressure testing is a key component off the Air upgrade process.SALESMARCH 2018 19HVACTODAY.COMThe typical HVAC contractor focus-es more on “swapping boxes” without considering how well the rest of the system is functioning. Through the simple static pressure testing associat-ed with the Air Upgrade, you demon-strate your commitment to ensure the customer gets everything they’re pay-ing for. This added value always re-sults in higher average job prices.ENHANCING CUSTOMER DELIGHTCustomer satisfaction used to be a good goal, but no more. Your custom-ers are much more demanding today. Thanks to Mr. Google, they know even more about what’s available to solve their problems than some contractors. In addition, the new HVAC equipment you install is much more demanding. You must install it properly to deliv-er the benefits promised by the man-ufacturers.WHEN YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE ‘MORE THAN SATISFIED,’ THEY’RE DELIGHTED.A large base of delighted custom-ers is one of the most powerful ways to enhance business profitability. De-lighted customers don’t shop around for better deals because they’re pleased with their relationship with your company. When you employ the “measure, don’t guess” Air Upgrade approach, your customer contin-ues to be delighted with their indoor comfort system and the company that’s maintaining it!the time? Sure, you do.The Air Upgrade process is a 100% proactive self-generated sales oppor-tunity machine that you can turn on and off as needed. It all begins with a simple set of static pressure measure-ments that help you and your custom-er understand the current operation-al status of their HVAC system. Based on this simple testing process, your self-generated sales opportunities are guaranteed to increase.GENERATING HIGHER AVERAGE SALE PRICESExperience has proven that most in-stalled HVAC equipment does not op-erate as designed by the manufacturer. Consumers have learned to “live with” the consequences and believe that “ultimate indoor comfort” is unattain-able. This provides a great opportunity to offer more value to your customers.WHEN YOU OFFER MORE VALUE TO YOUR CUSTOMER, YOU EARN MORE MONEY.Don’t you want to be that person?In the case of your customer deter-mining their HVAC system no longer works (usually on the hottest or cold-est day of the year), they are in con-trol of resolving the problem. They may decide to call you, or they may decide to call your competitors. They decide, not you. If they choose to call you, your team must react promptly to the emergency or face the conse-quences.CONTRACTOR- AVAILABILITY TRUMPS CUSTOMER-LOYALTY IN AN EMERGENCYTHE WORK IS YOURSWhat if you were the one identify-ing the problem? Does that mean you get to resolve it? Most of the time, it does. Think about a typical service call. When you diagnose the problem and present your recommended re-pairs, don’t you get that job most of Installing test ports make taking static pressure measurements faster and safer.Next >