Coach Your Team to Success!HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TMIf You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing!™hvactoday.comFEBRUARY 2020ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:2020 Residential Market Forecast Calls for A Rebound and ResurgenceAre You Venting Your Frustrations or Frustrating Your Venting?How To Avoid These Five TAB Instrument MistakesCOVER STORY:Coach Your Team to High PerformanceNCI’s Summit 2020 is action packed and a must-attend event. Here are all the highlights of programs, sessions, and opportunities that you cannot miss!MANAGEMENT:2020 Residential Market ForecastEconomist Connor Lokar sees the residential marketplace starting out slowly, but indicators lead him to believe it will be a resurgent and rebounding year.MANAGEMENT:Coaching Your Entire TeamNational Comfort Institute’s David Richardson explains how to coach your co-workers for success in a Performance-Based Contracting™ company.TECHNICAL:Five TAB Instrument Mistakes to AvoidBy not understanding their Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing instruments, or by using them improperly, technicians can make innaccurate measurements and that can lead to trouble.TECHNICAL:Venting Your Frustrations or Frustrating Your Venting?When it comes to carbon monoxide, it is vital to get to the truth of its cause and effect and solve the problem.13FEBRUARY 2020 3HVACTODAY.COMFEBRUARY 2020 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM212511 DEPARTMENTSToday’s Word .........................................................................................5High-Performance Product Review ...............................................6Photo of the Month .........................................................................27Member Update ...............................................................................28HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................29Ad Index ................................................................................................29One More Thing ................................................................................307FEBRUARY 2020 5HVACTODAY.COMTODAY’S WORDBy Mike WeilMike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. Email him at MikeW@ncihvac.comUntil now, the High-Performance HVAC Industry hasn’t had its own rec-ognition award for project excellence. We’ve decided to remedy this with our new High-Performance HVAC Project Award competition. This new award recogniz-es contractors who test, measure, diagnose, and resolve residential customer comfort and effi-ciency issues using the Performance-Based Con-tracting™ tenets as taught by National Comfort Institute (NCI).One of our goals is to recognize the importance and value of the air delivery system as a key com-ponent of a well-designed, well-built HVAC sys-tem. The idea here is to showcase projects that result in safe, healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient homes that meet all the homeowners’ requirements. We feel that winning projects will set the standard for excellence in the HVAC Per-formance-Based Contracting™ Industry.So who is eligible to enter? We are look-ing for entries from NCI-trained HVAC contract-ing firms. Said companies should have personnel who’ve been trained and certified in at least two of the following disciplines: ●Residential System Performance & Air Balancing ●Duct System Optimization ●Combustion Performance and CO Safety.Why is this important? In order to deliver high-performance to customers, contractors must know and use proper testing, measuring, and diagnostic techniques – things taught by NCI.What are the contest criteria? There are a number of key components to this contest that you should address on your entries. For example, we want to understand what the homeowners’ problems were and how you went about discovering solutions. Did they have hot and cold rooms? Were they tired of outra-geously high utility costs? Did they have fami-ly members suffering with allergies or other “ill-nesses?” How did you approach their problems and how did your team approach solutions?WHAT DID THE NUMBERS SAY?If you don’t measure, you’re just guessing, right? So we are interested in your BEFORE and AFTER measurements of the system you renovated or replaced. Furthermore, we’d like you to share how you helped your customers un-derstand those measurements and what they now say about the operation of their systems.Numbers are great, but if you don’t know how to interpret them and communicate them to your customers, you may not be able to close the sale. So we’d like you to explain how you interpret-ed those measurements and what conclusions you drew from them. Then after all the work is completed, share how you commissioned the new or renovated HVAC and air delivery system (test-ed, adjusted, and balanced).In addition, we are interested in the home-owners’ perspectives and opinions of how well their projects work. We’d love to hear how, from their perspective, you resolved their issues.How do you enter? We’ve tried to make en-tering this contest as easy as possible. In fact, it is all online. Just go to our online entry form at ncilink.com/awardsubmission and it will walk you through everything. What do you get if you win? Winners and runners up will be recognized during NCI’s Annu-al Summit event. Plus the winning stories will be featured on the pages of this magazine. Those are some serious bragging rights!The deadline to enter is March 16, 2020. We look forward to seeing your entries!Good luck to all of you who enter. Recognizing Performance-Based Contracting™ Excellence6 FEBRUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYfrom Field Controls. Yet few know of it.After more than 25 years of use in the field, the results of using it are amazing. In fact, the Clearwave guarantees to re-move 100% of the scale or your money back. These devices must be purchased through a reliable distributor to qualify for that guarantee.The ClearWave not only prevents new scale formation, over time it helps break down the existing scale, protecting the water heater, pipes, showerheads, and appliances.Call it magic, or electronic wizardry, the Clearwave is a great investment and requires a knowledgeable contractor to introduce and install it. It is also a great way to add more income to your bottom line. Instal-lation takes only 20 to 30 minutes. This is definitely a chance for you to work smarter versus harder.It is maintenance-free, environmentally friendly, and uses less water than traditional water softeners. The ClearWave works on all types of pipes including copper, PVC, galvanized, and stainless steel.For more information, visit the Field Controls-NCI Partner page at ncilink.com/Clearwave.— by Jim Davis, NCI Senior InstructorCLEARWAVE WATER CONDITIONER/SCALE REMOVALWhat percentage of homes have a water heater? What percentage of homes have water heaters with scale buildup? One would assume that it would be close to 100%. It does not matter if it is gas or elec-tric, scale is a problem for everyone. Scale causes a loss of hot water recov-ery and can be a considerable inconve-nience. It causes a loss of efficiency and excess wear. It also affects electric ele-ments, anode rods, strainers, and leaks at the faucet washers. Those who sell or have tankless water heaters realize this equipment requires a considerable amount of regular cleaning and flushing because of scale. Yet there is a simple, inexpensive solution to this. It is the Clearwave Water Conditioner HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEWWritten By HVAC Professionals for HVAC ProfessionalsHVACTODAY.COMY ou may be asking yourself these ques-tions : ●“Why doesn’t my team understand why this is important?” ●“Why can’t I get my salespeople to look at an HVAC system like me?” ●“Why can’t I get my technicians to consistent-ly measure static pressure?”If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. A big factor affecting these questions is the ab-sence of a clearly defined vision. Everyone tends to do their own thing to get the job done but don’t consider why they’re doing it. When you don’t know the “why,” neither will your employees and you’ll often see several team members moving in different directions. They end up frustrated and repeatedly achieve poor results. If a vision does exist, it may be poorly communi-cated or considered “just something we say and don’t really do.”Hard Question: How can your team know what you stand for if it isn’t written down and practiced each day? Harder Answer: They can’t.This is where coaching comes into the picture. A good coach knows how to gather their team around a common goal. If you’ve ever been in-volved in team sports, the goal was to take first place or win a championship. Everyone on the team knew what they were playing for. Let’s look at how you can take this coaching concept and use it to help your team succeed.THE COACH SETS THE TONEA hard reality to accept as a coach is that you set the tone for the entire team. Your actions and beliefs are what team members judge you by. If they are good, others will tend to follow you. Make sure you’re working towards being the best version of yourself before you begin to coach oth-ers in areas where they need to improve. Here are three qualities that great coaches possess:1. A great coach is a leader – one who team members look up to for how to do a job the right way, every time. They are dependable and consis-tent in their actions. Lead by example.2. A great coach is a teacher – one who un-derstands the importance of the company vision and can mentor others to follow it. They are ex-perienced and communicate well with the entire team. Take time to teach regularly.3. A great coach is an encourager – one who inspires team members to do their best, even when it isn’t easy. Encouragers are understanding and elevate team members to help them achieve their best performance.For these coaching qualities to have the most impact, you need to develop relationships with your team members. It’s hard to coach a team if you’re disconnected from them. For a team to trust and rely on you, they must know you first. Review these three coaching traits and see how you’re doing. Are there qualities you need to work on so you’re the best for your team? If so, make a list and prioritize which trait(s) you will focus on improving.DEFINE AND SHARE YOUR VISIONA coach needs a common goal for a team to rally around and motivate them. Have you defined and written down your com-pany’s WHY? If you don’t have one, your WHY is your motivation and purpose for By David RichardsonMANAGEMENTCoaching Your Entire TeamHelping your entire team understand why you believe in Performance-Based contracting is a big challenge. FEBRUARY 2020 78 FEBRUARY 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYavailable for all to see also helps to weed out those who can’t live up to your high standards. If your stan-dards aren’t in plain sight as a gauge for potential team members, anyone with industry experience looks great. This is especially important as a newer generation of workers comes on board – they want to make a difference. A company that has its values out there for the world to see is more attractive to the brightest talent. So put your WHY where everyone can see it and hold the team accountable. Also, have your team members hold each other accountable. If the WHY is in front of everyone, it’s obvious what you stand for. Everyone will understand your motivation to assure their actions align with that of the company. FIVE COACHING STEPSOnce your WHY is defined and in plain sight, it’s time to start coaching. You can summarize the coaching pro-cess in five steps that are repeatable and provide a consistent format to use. Step One: Show. In the first step, you show the team member how to do a task from start to finish. You provide the example and pattern they should follow. Make sure you perform the task like you want it repeated. Let’s say you’re working with a younger technician who is learning to measure static pressure. In this step, you will walk them through each step from start to finish – from installing test ports to performing and recording the measurements.Don’t assume the team member’s knowledge at this point – keep it sim-ple for best success. Step Two: Support. In the sec-ond step, you continue to perform the task and then guide the team member as they work with you. Explain why and how you’re performing each step to help them understand it’s importance. Picking up from the previous example, you continue to work with your techni-cian to measure static pressure. You be-gin to hand over test instruments and accessories to them so they can help you perform the measurements. Let them work at their own pace to assure they understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. Patience is important. Don’t throw a lot of ma-terial at them all at once and expect them to understand it from your expe-rienced perspective. Step Three: Supervise. In the third step, trade places with the team member and let them perform the task while you watch and assist with any needed corrections. Ask them to explain why they did something in their own words after they master the task. The goal is to get them to think and to build confidence.doing what you do daily. It is what your company stands for. Your WHY is also the filter through which all decisions pass to assure they’re in line with the company’s pur-pose. Let’s say safety is an important motivator to your Performance-Based company.How will it look if your techni-cians aren’t equipped with personal low-level CO (carbon monoxide) mon-itors and they’re inconsistent when it comes to measuring and document-ing combustion safety on every ser-vice call? It would appear their actions don’t align with your WHY. If this isn’t the case, you’ll look like a hypocrite to team members. You say one thing, but another is being done. If you’ve ever driven a car that’s out of alignment, you know it’s a constant battle to keep the vehicle in the lane. Your company reacts the same way when your WHY and actions are in-consistent with each other. A well-thought-out WHY that is MANAGEMENTSee David Richardson at NCI Summit 2020The High-Performance HVAC Summit takes place April 5-9 in Scottsdale, AZ. David Richardson is one of the presenters who will show attendees the best ways to coach their HVAC teams to success. His workshop will help you coach your entire team on your mission and vision as it relates to becoming a different kind of company – one that uses data from testing to deliver the best possible products and services to your customers. This coaching should be the first thing you do to get your entire team on the same page.Join us at the We-Ko-Pa Conference Center and Resort (ncilink.com/Summit2020Hotel) and network with your peers this April. To find out more, please visit GoToSummit.com. Don’t wait to register – space is filling up fast.If you have questions, just call our Customer Care line at 800-633-7058. We look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale.FEBRUARY 2020 9HVACTODAY.COMIt’s important to encourage and stay with them until they are successful. Don’t send them out on their own unless they’re ready.At this point, you can send your tech-nician out on a maintenance call where they will measure static pressure alone. Make sure you’re available for sup-port since they’re probably going to be scared to death. They should feel com-fortable contacting you and not fearful you’ll jump down their throat. This step also includes long-term supervision to assure tasks are con-sistently completed the same way. Track their results so they know how they’re doing and you can identify patterns in their work.Reinforce the new practice by regu-larly inquiring how the test has fit into their daily work. Accountability con-tinues to build strength and habit. Step Five: Sow. In the last step, it’s the team members’ turn to teach others in the company. This is when they multiply the skills you taught them and spread their knowledge and experience. It’s important they teach the same pattern they learned for consistency.As you continue working with your technician measuring static pressure, let them perform all the necessary tasks and measurements on their own. Be sure you ask them why they’re doing it a certain way and look at it through their eyes. You might discover a better way to measure. At this point, the team member be-gins to take personal ownership of the skills you’re teaching them.Step Four: Strengthen. In the fourth step, remove yourself from the task and let the team member go at it on their own, without any help. Next >