HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAYHVAC TODAYTMIf You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing!™hvactoday.comJANUARY 2020ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:How to Sell High-Performance Air UpgradesCommercial Economizer Performance: Bust or Opportunity?Why High-Performance HVAC Contractors Should Attend AHR ExpoCommercial HVAC Market ForecastJANUARY 2020 3HVACTODAY.COMJANUARY 2020 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TMSALES:How to Sell High-Performance Air UpgradesContractor Vince DiFilippo shares how his company successfully sells air upgrades and uses them as a market differentiator.MANAGEMENT:2020 Commercial Market ForecastEconomist Connor Lokar examines the state-of-the- HVAC-Industry and predicts mild headwinds. Despite this, he sees economic growth happening later in the year.TECHNICAL:Commercial Economizer Performance: Bust or Opportunity?Discover why most economizers in Southern California ar-en’t functioning, and what opportunities await contractors. Don Langston of Aire Rite shares his experience.201611 DEPARTMENTSToday’s Word .........................................................................................5AHR Expo News ....................................................................................6High-Performance Product Reviews .............................................7Contractor Spotlight: Indoor Comfort Partners ......................8Photo of the Year ..............................................................................23Member Update ...............................................................................24HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................25Ad Index ................................................................................................25One More Thing ................................................................................26JANUARY 2020 5HVACTODAY.COMTODAY’S WORDBy Mike WeilMike Weil is editor-in- chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. You can reach him at MikeW@ncihvac.comWelcome to 2020. It’s perhaps time to take a moment and think about where you want to go and what you want to change in your business and your life in this new year.With that in mind, I want to talk about the im-portance of recharging your batteries and your team’s batteries by taking yourselves out of the daily grind and attending HVAC Industry confer-ences and trade shows.These events have social and educational ben-efits that the Internet simply cannot provide. Many people today falsely believe that since they can now access industry information via the In-ternet that the days of the live meeting are gone. Nothing could be further from the truth.Attending live events is more important than ever. The value in meetings comes from the hu-man-to-human connections that occur. In other words, it is the people that bring the ROI to your time at a conference.People often say “hallway conversations” with other attendees provide the most value of attend-ing an event. I agree. When two or more people discuss topics on a deeper and personal level, the learning achieved is equally deep and personal. The value of attending the event to those involved in such conversations becomes irreplaceable.HVAC INDUSTRY EVENTSOur industry just so happens to be rich when it comes to available live events. Here are just a few: ■The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Exposition (ahrexpo.com) ■High-Performance HVAC Summit (gotosummit.com) ■Service World Expo (ncilink.com/ServiceWorld) ■EPIC Conference (epic.egia.org/2020).There are many more events held by trade associations, manufacturers, distributors, and others across the industry throughout the year.FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND INDUSTRY EVENTSSharpening the Saw — Sometimes you have to take a break from the “work” of your work to sharpen your skills. A dull saw won’t cut a tree as effectively as a sharp one.Networking — Sometimes it’s about taking a selfie with someone who’s influenced you, or shar-ing a business idea with someone you admire, or making a connection that can lead to finding your next mentor. It’s about interacting with peers.Education and Professional Develop- ment — This part is about expanding your knowledge, learning new management and tech-nical tips and tricks, and obtaining greater focus.Access to Vendors and Suppliers — Wheth-er on an expo floor, or at a few tables around a room, vendors display products, services, and tools that we haven’t seen yet. Or they demonstrate apps that make us faster, less prone to mistakes, or give us an edge. Undoubtedly, you can find these prod-ucts on websites, but isn’t it better to get a hands-on demo or be able to ask specific questions?Fun — Industry conferences can add a layer of enjoyment to managing your career growth. Many events plan fun activities. Never underes-timate the power of a little fun mixed with educa-tion and interesting people!Afterwards, all the materials, notes, lessons learned, and contacts you obtain at an event be-come invaluable reference/contact resources when you get home. Your batteries are recharged and you are ready to take on the challenges of growing and profiting. Now isn’t that worth the investment? Why You Need to Plan to Attend Industry Conferences in 20206 JANUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYIn fact, National Comfort Institute and National Balancing Council, once again, are endorsing organizations of the AHR Expo and have been for many years. Be sure to stop by and say hello: We are in Booth 153.FIVE EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS LED BY NCI/NBC TEAM MEMBERSThe NCI team is contributing to the overall industry by presenting five free educational sessions during the AHR Expo event. If you are planning to attend, be sure to participate in at least two of these seminars. They include: ●Recruit, Train, and Keep Profes-sional Technicians — Presented by Rob Falke, National Comfort Institute, on Monday, Feb. 3rd at 1 PM in Room W311H ●Basic Methods of Reading Flow in Hydronic Systems — Presented by Scott Fielder, National Balancing Coun-cil of NCI, on Monday, Feb. 3rd at 2:30 PM in Room W311H ●HVAC Retrofit Paradigm Shift: First, Attack Distribution System; Second, Replace Equipment — Pre-sented by Rob Falke, National Comfort Institute, on Monday, Feb. 3rd at 4 PM in Room W311H ●No-Nonsense Energy Analysis for HVAC — Presented by Ben Lipscomb, P.E., National Comfort Institute, on Tues-day, Feb. 4th at 9 AM in Room W311D ●Advanced Test and Balance Report Review — Presented by Scott Fielder, National Balancing Council of NCI, on Tuesday, Feb. 4th at 3 PM. REGISTRATION AND HOTELSFor more information about the 2020 AHR Expo, please visit their website at ahrexpo.com. To register, go to ncilink.com/AHR-2020Reg and for hotel information, go to ncilink.com/AHR2020Hotels.If you’ve never attended this event, you should. It is the largest HVACR prod-uct and educational event in the U.S. and it attracts industry professionals from around the world each year. As High- Performance HVAC professionals, this event gives you a chance to network with contractors, engineers, building owners, manufacturers, trade associa-tions, and distributors. You can see the latest product and tool/instrument innovations, and attend an amazing array of educational pro-gramming, including more than 200 free seminars, new product and technolo-gy presentations, professional certifica-tions, and continuing education courses.HIGH-PERFORMANCE NEWSHigh-Performance HVAC Contractors:Are You Attending the 2020 AHR Expo?It is that time of year when the U.S. HVAC Industry gathers for the annual event that sets the groundwork for the upcoming year - the 72nd International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo). The 2020 expo lands in Orlando, FL from February 3-5 at the Orange County Convention Center.SEE US AT BOOTH 153JANUARY 2020 7HVACTODAY.COM HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEWSDwyer Series 2000 MagnehelicHere’s an oldie but goody. If you’re the nostalgic type who enjoys needles bouncing back and forth, the Dwyer mag-nehelic is just the tool for you. Measuring a whopping zero to one inch of water column, this magnehelic will make you money any time you take it out of its box. With its bright orange needle and de-cently large numbers, you’ll never ques-tion the measurement. Before you view the measurements, the magnehelic needs to be level to your eyes, front-to-back as well as side-to-side. It comes with two ports so you can measure different pressures across a system component. The information it provides is worth its weight in gold. The Series 2000 Magnehelic comes in 81 models with 27 options you can choose from. It can be used for filter monitoring, air velocity measurement (using a Dwyer Pitot tube), fan pressure measurement, duct-room-building pres-sure measurement, and much more.It has a zero adjustment screw located in the plastic cover which is accessible without removing the cover. An O-ring seal provides pressure tightness.The magnehelic is a great visual aid to you and your customers. It allows you to help your customer to see the invisible – what the static should be compared to what the static is. It helps them real-ize what’s been wrong with their system all along. In return, this device gives you the ability to really use your knowledge and provide solutions for every customer you encounter. So don’t hesitate, get your money- making device today. To learn more, go to the National Comfort Institute on-line store at ncilink.com/magnehelic to buy an entire kit that includes the Dwyer Magnehelic.— By Casey Contreras, National Comfort Institute Field Coach and InstructorWritten By HVAC Professionals for HVAC ProfessionalsTSI/Alnor EBT 731 Air Capture HoodLook! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s an air capture hood. Superman was the cool-est: he flies, shoots lasers from his eyes, and even has X-ray vision. For HVAC contractors, the TSI/Alnor EBT 731 Air Capture Hood won’t help you fly or shoot lasers, but will help you see your invisible nemesis: lousy airflow. Lousy airflow haunts every one of your customers’ systems. Using the EBT 731 Air Capture hood will expose invisible lousy airflow so ev-eryone can see it. Like Superman or any other of your favorite superheros, you will stand out and be different from everyone else. Your appearance will change, you’ll sound different, and the customer will never forget you. The easy-to-use EBT 731 is a light-weight and ergonomically designed capture hood kit that conveniently pro-vides multiple measurement tools in one package. The EBT 731 measures 25 to 3000 cubic feet per minute, enabling you to measure a variety of systems. Even though the EBT 731 costs a little more than competitive instruments, it is one that I find I must have in my toolbelt.Need to measure an out of reach return grill? Use the velocity matrix. Need to pre-vent catastrophic motor failure? Use the tubing and static pressure tips to turn the EBT 731 into a manometer. Heck, it even comes with its own carrying case.The EBT 731 is a multi-tool that helps you discover airflow deficiencies with your customers’ systems and gives you the strength needed to create the prop-er solutions.With this tool, you can end up being your customers’ hero.NCI offers the complete line of EBT 731 hoods and accessories, and is available as part of their Pro-Pack. Learn more at ncil-ink.com/ProPack.— By Casey Contreras, National Comfort Institute Field Coach and Instructor8 JANUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYIndoor Comfort Team. In addition to recognizing that the new company was a merger of two, I also used the name as a base concept for how we operate – as a team.”INDOOR COMFORT TEAM TODAYThe combined company currently achieves revenues in the mid to high $3 million range and employs around 32 people. Indoor Comfort Team fields 18 vehi-cles. According to Rahmanovich, who is a trained engineer, 80 to 85% of their work is residential. The rest is light commercial. He says that both the res-idential and light com-mercial work is handled by the same service/in-stallation technicians.LIVING THE DREAMTo carry out a Cus-tomer-First approach requires being on top of your game and that requires training. Rahmanovich says all his service technicians are highly trained so they meet the highest HVAC indus-try standards.“My team is recognized as verified journeymen energy efficiency experts with hundreds of hours of training and years of on-site experience,” he continues. “Our average technician has more than 20 years of experience, with our senior technician having 36 years of experience. “We also have one of the most sea-soned and respected HVAC instruc-tors in the St. Louis area responsible for training our technicians and keep-ing our team up-to-date on the latest HVAC technological advancements and industry best practices.”That instructor, Edward Murphy (Murph) Geigerich, is the Indoor Com-fort Team’s service and installation manager. According to Rahmanovich, “He worked for several technical schools as an instructor as well as in the field as a tech himself.” Murph joined Indoor Comfort Team in 2013 or so. Rahmanovich adds that because they set their standards high, not ev-eryone who applies to work with the Indoor Comfort Team makes the grade. In fact, according to the Indoor Comfort Team website, less than 0.5% of the technicians who apply pass the company’s initial, in-house HVAC test and can move on to the next level of evaluation. “We want only the best to serve our customers,” he says.All Indoor Comfort Team techni-cians are certified by National Com-fort Institute (NCI), the Building Per-formance Institute (BPI), and the North American Technician Excel-lence (NATE). “Our team lives the dream,” he adds. They have careers and are the best at what they do.STAYING ACTIVERahmanovich tells the story of an instructor he had while he was in Adam Rahmanovich will tell you that his company is much more than just a heat-ing and air conditioning company. The difference, he explains, is their customer-first approach to doing business. “This is at the core of our busi-ness structure.” He adds that ‘Custom-er-first’ means honesty and integrity are at the core of everything everyone in the company does every day. “We spend a lot of time thinking about and finding innovative ways to stay on top. The outcome is a pleasant, knowledgeable workforce that pro-vides great value to our customers by delivering “Comfort You Can Trust.”Indoor Comfort Team, headquar-tered in St. Louis, MO, is the result of the successful merger of two separate companies into one ‘team.’ Rahmanovich already owned a small residential and light commercial HVAC service contracting firm which he had started in 2003. When an opportunity to buy another HVAC contracting firm came up, he jumped on it.The purchase happened at the end of 2005 into 2006. Rahmanovich says, “I realized my last name was not the most marketable name out there, so I created a new company name – CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHTBy Mike WeilPutting the TEAMTEAM into Indoor ComfortJANUARY 2020 9that equipment is best matched for the application, that it is installed right, and later serviced. This is just part of the daily work process. Rahmanovich says every time there is a slowdown or an opportunity to sit down, he pays his guys to train. Indoor Comfort Team will conduct an hour-long class on a topic. “We have a small training room that we use all the time,” Rahmanovich says. “It is almost like a small lab. There we work with our team to learn more about the products and equipment we sell, install, and service.”THE NCI CONNECTIONRahmanovich says he discovered NCI when he took one of the classes and certification options they offered. “We just fell in love with NCI’s class-es,” he says. Rahmanovich adds that he sends people to such classes as of-ten as possible. Once they have the core training, it’s then just a matter of continuing what Rahmanovich calls maintenance training.“For us, the good news is we have very little technician turnover and most of the team have already gone through NCI’s training, he says. “We send people for re-certification train-ing and work to keep our local licens-es up-to-date. Plus, it is very import-ant we obtain and keep our PEUs up to date and attend any new product training that our vendors offer.”Most of his guys have been through and continue to go through training with many HVAC Industry organiza-tions including NCI, Building Perfor-mance Institute, Mitsubishi, Trane, Carrier, and so on.SYSTEM RENOVATIONS AND AIR UPGRADESRahmanovich says, “We have al-ways done duct installations and ren-ovation work, but up to the point of getting trained and certified by NCI, we didn’t completely understand how critical a good or well-done air distri-bution system was. We didn’t under-stand the importance of duct sizing, and not just sizing using a Duct-o-la-tor, but sizing by actually measuring and calculating.Today his techs do static pressure tests on nearly every call. “The fact is, we still don’t do enough duct renova-tions or duct replacement work. We should do more. But we live in an ex-tremely competitive market and it is sometimes very difficult to convince a homeowner why we charge so much more than our competitors. “Homeowners think ductwork is ductwork. That it’s all the same. This does hold us back from doing as many renovations as we’d like and that need to be done. But on those projects that we DO get done, we have perfectly happy customers.”In fact, he says no one ever com-plains about any duct renovation work that Indoor Comfort Team does. Like trade school who used to tell the class that ‘One day out is actually one day behind.’ “This means that each day out of the trades is a day that you become out of touch with the changes that happen,” Rahmanovich explains, “and that state-ment focused me and helped me to take continuous training very seriously. It is my mantra for this company.“Continuous training is the only way to stay in touch with changes in the industry from a technical and service standpoint.“Murph believes in continuous train-ing as well. As our service and instal-lation manager, he looks for every op-portunity to train and help our field service and installation teams,” says Rahmanovich. “We use pictures and notations on service and install jobs. Murph uses what he sees in those photos or notes to go over project challenges with the crews the next morning to show them how to do things better.”Furthermore, Geigerich double checks all equipment sales to be sure Next >