< Previous20 JANUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYbuilding and improve indoor air quality. Modern commercial buildings often have poor ventila-tion, which allows for chemicals and VOCs (Vol-atile Organic Compounds) to build up and affect health and comfort. Economizers can be de-signed to help detect carbon monoxide and open up to remove it.CALIFORNIA VERSUS THE WORLDObviously, economizers can set the stage for building owners to have much healthier, safer, and environmentally sound indoor environments. This is something that caught the attention of the State of California a long time ago and led to the enact-ment of the California Energy Commission (CEC) Title 24, Part 6 Code of Regulations.This code calls for mandatory use of economiz-ers on all commercial and light commercial build-ings in the state and it also impacts the residen-tial marketplace. Today, nearly every commercial building throughout the state has an economizer built into its rooftop systems. But there is very little oversight in how econ-omizers are incorporated or even how they are maintained. The good intent falls to the wayside when 70 to 80% of those already installed don’t actually work properly.DOOMED FROM THE STARTThe sad fact is, even though economizers are mandated by Title 24, there is little enforcement. Equipment manufacturers will include econo-mizers when they ship equipment, but the econo-mizers are not built-in. In fact, most economizers are manufactured by third parties.They are usually shipped with the equipment as an accessory in a separate box. Very rare-ly do they come fully assembled. The chances of them being installed correctly in the field – One of the least understood parts of commercial HVAC — a part that many customers have no idea is even there — is the economizer. An economizer plays an important role in helping keep costs low when providing environmental control for a com-mercial building.An economizer is part of rooftop package units — the most common type of HVAC system for businesses. It permits the unit to use outdoor air to help with cooling — as long as the indoor air is cool enough, and the humidity levels are al-ready balanced. Essentially, if it isn’t too hot inside your building, the economizer allows the refriger-ant-based air conditioning system to take a break while the outdoor air does most of the work. The building won’t have to expend extra elec-tricity to power the compressor in the rooftop air conditioning system. This helps to extend air conditioner equipment life since the compressor will suffer much less stress.Aside from helping to lower costs by relieving the cooling equipment of some of its job, an econ-omizer is a way to enjoy better ventilation in a Commercial Economizer Performance: Bust or Opportunity?By Don LangstonTECHNICALAirside Economizer. Image courtesy of the EnergyStar.gov websiteJANUARY 2020 21HVACTODAY.COMing owner/manager can still feel cold air coming out of the registers despite having economizers that don’t work properly. They don’t realize that any savings they made with the cheaper economizers they then spend on elec-tricity to run them.One problem, at least among our customers, is many belong to a nation-al or regional chain or multi-site loca-tion and the on-site managers don’t pay for electricity. They aren’t bonused on reducing electrical use. They don’t consider it a controllable expense item on their P&L statements. To add insult to injury, these same managers don’t have any kind of feed-back loop to help them visualize the positive impact economizers have on their business.economy model, better, and best. Most building owners/managers choose the lower quality one because the mindset is that it will fail anyway. In other words, economizers are practically doomed from the start – from the time they are manufactured, through field installations, and service.THE TROUBLE WITH CUSTOMERSDespite the issues above, Aire Rite successfully sells, installs, and main-tains economizers throughout South-ern California. We always recommend that customers operate their economiz-ers six months per year. We can show them paybacks in terms of months or weeks for repairs and even replace-ments. But most customers still balk.Often the reason is that the build-even on brand new equipment – is less than 50%.Add to that the apathy many contrac-tors and building owners have toward this equipment because so many econ-omizers just don’t work. When you try to explain to customers the need to ei-ther repair or replace them, per the law, they just shrug their shoulders.With California requiring econo-mizers, many manufacturers look for third party firms to build and provide them at the lowest price point pos-sible. I’ve found that for a packaged rooftop system under five tons in size, economizers are mostly made of plas-tic. They may last a year or two at best, then begin to fail. Most economizer manufacturers provide several economizer options – 22 JANUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYTECHNICALthing boils down to them.❒Include Economizers in YourMaintenance Agreements — This is a must.❒Develop a Sales Strategy — An-ticipate and know how to answer cus-tomer objections to the costs of addinga new economizer or renovating an oldone. Show customers how this equip-ment will help their system providebetter comfort, energy savings, andlonger overall equipment life. Thenmake sure to add economizer service toyour maintenance agreements.❒Price Your Work Appropriate-ly — Like all good business practices,you need to know what your costs areand price your economizer service/in-stallation offerings with the appropri-ate profit margins for your company.❒Train Your People — Train themin economizer technology and makethem into better craftsmen. But alsotrain them how to best communicatewith the customer. This will help thembetter understand the advantages ofhaving a working, functional econo-mizer as part of their HVAC system.Yes, the economizer business seems like it is doomed from the start. But it does offer contractors opportunities to help clients resolve real, longstanding energy cost and comfort issues. Con-tractors who do these things will expe-rience success and profits from guar-anteeing economizer performance to their customers. economizer is in run mode, as well as how much is being saved based on lo-cal electric rates. If they can see that, they will start caring much more. THE OPPORTUNITY IN CALIFORNIA AND BEYONDIn my mind, new digital economiz-ers can provide customers with the necessary feedback loop. But that is just a starting point. The real key is the education of technicians as well as of building owners/managers.For technicians, training must go beyond just the technical aspect of how economizers work, how to test and service them, and how to prop-erly install them. They also must learn how to explain the value-bene-fit proposition to the customer. Con-tractors who do these things will see success and profits from guarantee-ing economizer performance to their customers.Obviously, technical training is avail-able from virtually every economizer manufacturer and is usually held at the local wholesale-distributor outlet. It is also available from third-party training resources, such as National Comfort Institute here in Southern California. A little research using Google goes a long way to helping you overcome the obsta-cles in the economizer space.SO NOW WHAT?There are five steps to consider to get into the sale, installation, and ser-vice of economizers:❒Know Your Market — Are econ-omizers necessary in your area? If so,work with your local distributors andthe economizer manufacturers theycarry. You also need to learn moreabout the controllers because every-Recently there has been a big push — mostly by California — to use digi-tal economizer controllers with built-in fault protection diagnostics. This is great. But California doesn’t require economizers to be connected to a ther-mostat within the building. Instead, this diagnostic capabili-ty remains on the roof where it is out of sight, out of mind. This is a huge missed opportunity because if it were connected to a thermostat, economiz-er alarm conditions could be seen by the customer.SOME GOOD NEWSLike any good sales strategy, con-vincing building owners/managers they need to upgrade or change out their economizers requires contractors and their field personnel to have excel-lent communication skills. The fact is, most won’t pay for upgrades because they don’t understand their value. The good/bad news is that Cali-fornia has one of the highest electri-cal rates in the country. Anytime you can take a compressor offline – which accounts for 80% of the power con-sumption in a packaged unit – and can supplement it with free cooling from outside air, customers benefit. All by itself, this is a HUGE value.If we can actually show building owners/managers the advantages of economizers, by quantifying its value and benefits, we can overcome this ap-athy towards them. By helping them see how economizers make their jobs and budgets better, they become more open to upgrades and replacements.The first step is having a connected thermostat within the building space with fault detection that can show owners and managers how long the Don Langston is president and CEO of Aire Rite Air Conditioning & Refrigeration. His company has worked on economizers for more than 40 years. He also works on emerging technology proj-ects with funding from DOE, California, and state utilities. JANUARY 2020 23HVACTODAY.COMPHOTO OF THE YEAR WINNER2019 HVAC Today Photo-Of-The-YearNational Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI) and High-Performance HVAC Today magazine announce the 2019 HVAC Photo-of-the-Year! This year’s winner beat out 10 other entries, receiving 54% of the total votes!The grand prize winner is one of the eleven 2019 monthly winners as voted upon by visitors to the HVACToday.com website. Besides being featured in both the digital and print edition of the magazine, on the website, and in our social media outlets, the Photo of the Year Winner receives the GRAND PRIZE — a FREE registration to NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit* (up to a $795 value) in Scottsdale, AZ April 5-9, 2020.THE WINNER IS ...Nathan Copeland, Copeland & Son, Nashville, TN!Nathan’s entry appeared in the November 2019 issue and was titled, “It’s a Wonder You’re Still Alive!”Congratulations to Nathan! We look forward to seeing him in April.*Airfare and hotel ARE NOT included. The prize is for FULL Summit Registration only.24 JANUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYin Scottsdale, AZ we will be holding a golf outing at a world-class course. More infor-mation is coming soon.6. NCI Bucks. NCI Members like you can save money by using your NCI Bucks to pay for registrations as well as Pre- and Post-conference training. You can also earn NCI Bucks for what you do pay for: NCI Members earn 5% Bucks and Mem-bers with the Learning Excellence sub-scription earn 15% Bucks for all Summit Week events! (Excluding golf fees)7. Early Bird. Plus, by registering now you can take advantage of additional savings via our Early Bird pricing. Go to GotoSummit.com for more of the latest information.Contact your Customer Care repre-sentative at 800-633-7058 with any questions. We look forward to seeing you in April. The January 2020 PowerPack Is OnlineHappy New Year and welcome to the January 2020 PowerPack exclu-sively for NCI Members. Every month we hand-pick several digital tools es-pecially for high-performance con-tractors to assist you on your journey towards success. For January 2020, we feature the following: ●Achieve Your Goals Through Delegation – Webinar ●Six Steps to Achieving Your Goals – Online Training ●The HVAC Industry Needs a Return to Craftsmanship – Article ●Strategic Planning and SWOT Analysis with Worksheet – Download ●Estimating R-Value Chart – Download.Be sure to share your January Power-Pack with your entire team! So get start-ed today: ncilink.com/PwrPakIf you have any questions, or if you are unable to access any of the tools in this program, please contact your Customer Care team at 800-633-7058.NCI’s Online UniversitySeries: Using Fan Laws Check out our online training mod-ule, “Using Fan Laws.” Fan laws are essen-tial tools for adjusting system airflow in equipment with belt-drive motors. Anyone who services and repairs com-mercial HVAC equipment will want to ex-plore this three-module series explain-ing the fundamentals of Fan Law One, Two, and Three. Module 1 shows you how to apply Fan Law One to calculate change in pul-ley diameter. You’ll also learn how to de-termine motor RPM required for the air-flow you need.In Module 2 you’ll learn how Fan Law Two lets you calculate what affect adjust-ing system airflow has on system static pressure. And finally, Module 3 shows you how to “predict” what will happen to motor amp draw when you adjust to required system airflow. As a member, you can purchase access at a reduced rate. Interested in having access to the entire Online University for your entire team? Check out the Learning Excellence On-line package add-on to your member-ship (ncilink.com/MemberUpgrades). National Comfort Institute’s 2020 High-Performance HVAC Summit is just a few months away. Summit is THE HVAC industry event where High-Per-formance Contractors network, have fun, break bread, learn, and share their goals and dreams.Whether you’re new to High-Perfor-mance Contracting™, or a performance veteran, here are seven top reasons to make Summit 2020 in Scottsdale your destination this April. 1. Networking. NCI Summit is the only place where existing Performance-Based Contractors, and those who want to be, can gather and share experiences. You can meet and hang out with some of the best contractors in the HVAC Industry.2. Learning. The 2020 event focuses on coaching your team to get on board with the high-performance method.3. PerformanceTown. It’s baaaaack! This live, hands-on training provides three stations for you and your team to solve typical field load performance issues.4. Idea Session. Contractors gather in a closed-door session to share real resolu-tions to problems in performance-based marketing, selling, and training. Then you vote on the best solutions and win-ners receive cash prizes.5. Golf. Yes, we do have fun at Summit events. This year, with our return to the We-Ko-Pa Resort (ncilink.com/wekopa) NCI MEMBER UPDATESeven Reasons Why You Should Attend NCI’s High-Performance HVAC Summit 2020JANUARY 2020 25HVACTODAY.COMHVAC SMART MARTAdvertiser IndexHIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TMAD INDEXAHR Expo | www.ahrexpo.com .................................................................................................. 19Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.arzelzoning.com ......................................................10Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 10Dwyer Instruments, Inc. | www.dwyer-inst.com .................................................................... 2Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ...................................................4, 27Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ............................................................................................ 18R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com ...........................................................................21The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ..................................................................25 To Your Success | ToYourSuccess.com .......................................................................................25 TSI, Inc. | www.TSI.com/comfort .................................................................................................13 United Refrigeration Inc. | www.uri.com ..................................................................................23To Subscribe to High-Performance HVAC Today:ONLINE: Visit HVACToday.com/subscribe for a FREE digital subscription.PRINT: 1 year/$72; single copy $7. Canada: 1 year/$92; single copy $9. Payable in advance with U.S. funds. Prepaid subscriptions may be sent to: High-Performance HVAC Today, PO Box 147, Avon Lake, OH 44012. Phone: 440-949-1850; toll free 800-633-7058; Fax: 440-949-1851, or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online.PublisherDominick GuarinoEditor-in-Chief and Associate PublisherMike WeilArt DirectorConnie ConklinOnline Development DirectorBrian RosemanCirculation ManagerAndrea Begany- GarsedEditorial AssistantMarge SmithEmail us at contactus@hvactoday.com with your comments and questions.26 JANUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYalthough that is a pretty good indicator. A tough question to ask when considering the viability of a product or service you are current-ly selling is, “Does this help further the vision of the company, or is it just something we’ve al-ways done and it feels too painful or disruptive to change or stop doing altogether?”TRACKING MOVING OBJECTSWhat are the moving objects in your business? These are the things that are in constant state of flux or change. Is your market changing? Are your demographics shifting, maybe from a retir-ing, older population to millennials buying their first homes? Are your company demographics changing with younger, tech-savvy people entering the work-force? Are you trying to move from basic service and installation to High-Performance Contract-ing to become more of a solutions-oriented busi-ness versus just swapping and fixing boxes?COLOR VISIONA color vision deficiency is determined with a color-blindness test. Color blindness is not neces-sarily just seeing things in black and white. Rath-er it can vary greatly based on the ability to distin-guish hues of different colors. How do you “see” your company? Do you feel like your processes are consistent or are there some areas where you don’t have sys-tems that are as clearly defined or consistent with other areas? Do you have some “blindness” to certain people who maybe get away with things that others don’t? Or are you not aware enough of your high-performers, or those with great poten-tial, as you should be? Maybe it’s time to look at some of the more subtle hues in our organizations to make sure people are treated fairly and also better recog-nized for their accomplishments. Go to ncilink.com/2020omt to continue reading online. Iknew I would use this obvious cliché at least once this year, so it might as well be my January column. So what is 20/20 vision? In its most basic definition, it’s considered “normal,” not perfect vision. After digging deeper I learned that fractional vision measurements like 20/20 or 20/10 are not actually about how good your vision is, rather they are a measure of visual acuity. The lower the second number, the sharper your visual acuity. The next obvious question is, “what’s the difference between vision and visual acuity?” Visual acuity is strictly about sharpness of vision, or the ability to recognize small objects at great-er distances, but vision itself has more subtle yet equally important facets. In addition to acuity, vision includes contrast sensitivity, the ability to track moving objects with smooth and accurate eye movements, color vision, depth perception, focusing speed and accuracy, and more. In other words, vision is much more complex than a single fraction. What does your vision for your company look like? Let’s break it down in optical terms:CONTRAST SENSITIVITYLet’s start with contrast sensitivity. Basically, it’s the ability to distinguish between finer incre-ments of light versus dark. When’s the last time you took a good hard look at areas of your com-pany that are clearly not meeting your expecta-tions, but maybe you have developed a blind spot to over the years? It’s not necessarily about profit, Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at domg@ncihvac.com ONE MORE THING...By Dominick GuarinoWHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU TOOK A GOOD HARD LOOK AT AREAS OF YOUR COMPANY THAT ARE CLEARLY NOT MEETING YOUR EXPECTATIONS, BUT MAYBE YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A BLIND SPOT TO OVER THE YEARS?Beyond 20/20 Vision for 2020Next >