HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ hvactoday.comAUGUST 2020 YOUR ROAD to Performance ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Coaching Your Team: HVAC Sales is NOT an Individual Sport Danger Will Robinson, Danger: The Importance of Carbon Monoxide SafetyAUGUST 2020 3HVACTODAY.COM AUGUST 2020 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 8 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM SALES: Coaching Your Team: HVAC Sales Is NOT an Individual Sport “Always Be Coaching” is the theme of the 2020 Summit and David Holt shares his thoughts on how to coach your sales team so they can achieve success. COVER STORY: Take the PATH to Airside Performance: Part 1 This is the first of a six-part series on the concepts of PATH and how to make it part of your company. Part 1 begins with an overview. 9 6 DEPARTMENTS Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Products .............................................................5 Photo of the Month .........................................................................19 Member Update ...............................................................................20 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................21 Ad Index ................................................................................................21 One More Thing ................................................................................22 TECHNICAL: Danger Will Robinson, Danger!! Jim Davis shares four case studies that show how important warning systems are when it comes to detecting carbon monoxide. 164 AUGUST 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY The question is – what have you been doing to protect your business and your customers? Ac- cording to the Manifest study, only about one in five businesses admit they need to devote more resources to cybersecurity and could improve the security of customer data storage. DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU The SBA article cited earlier has a number of tips on what you can do to get started. They highlight the common threats, explain how to assess your business risk, and share cybersecurity best prac- tices. Like everything else in life, cybersecurity re- quires training and practice. But you must start. One way to begin is to download a free docu- ment published by the FCC, entitled CyberSe- curity Planning Guide (ncilink.com/CySec- Manual). This provides a good initial education on the subject and can help you start and/or im- prove your cybersecurity plan right away. For many, cybersecurity can be overwhelming. Consider using a third-party specialist that can handle the details and keep your company secu- rity up-to-date and safe. There certainly is a cost to this, but think about the cost to you and your business if your data is compromised. Also consider The National Cyber Security Al- liance (NCSA), which can be found at ncilink. com/NCSA as a resource. Furthermore, I found a number of sites that provide tips on how to choose a cybersecurity partner. One, in particular, Tech Stack stood out (ncilink.com/techstack). So don’t let worry stop you. Take action. Now. While you can never make your firm completely bulletproof, prevention and planning can greatly reduce your risk. A practical plan and policy will help you bounce back much faster, should your data be breached. T he entire world has gone mad. The Pan- demic rages, politics has everyone on edge, the economy is anything but stable. Lurking behind all that is the ever-in- creasing threat of your business being attacked by cybercriminals. Back in 2014, I wrote several articles for anoth- er publication about the HVAC Industry’s vulner- abilities throughout the value chain. That’s back when the biggest headlines were about hackers grabbing up millions of credit card numbers and other data from giant retailers like Walmart. In the Walmart case, it was later discovered the breach happened because of another one – a hacker gained access to a commercial HVAC con- tractor’s servers and then piggy-backed through them into Walmart’s servers. The level of sophistication and brazen audaci- ty of such attacks has increased exponentially in the years since those articles were written. In fact, according to the U.S. Small Business Administra- tion (SBA) website (ncilink.com/SBACyber), a fairly recent FBI Internet Crime Report showed the cost of cybercrimes reached $2.7 billion JUST IN 2018!!! Today’s headlines are even worse. In the Wall Street Journal (July 17, 2020), the front page, headline screams, Russia Blamed for Hacks Tied to Virus Work (ncilink.com/RussiaHackers). I mean, is nothing safe? But this threat isn’t just targeted to major sites and social media. Did you know that new data breaches surged by 424% last year, fueled by hackers targeting more small businesses? This is based on a study conducted by an or- ganization called The Manifest (ncilink.com/ CyberStats), which surveyed 383 small busi- ness owners and managers who use mobile apps and/or websites to connect with their customers. Cybersecurity: Don’t Worry - Take Action Mike Weil is editor-in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe TODAY’S WORD By Mike WeilAUGUST 2020 5HVACTODAY.COM HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEW NCI Test Port Plugs I can still remember the first time a con- tractor friend of mine came up to me and said, “Hey John, I was on one of your jobs a couple of weeks ago.” “How do you know that?” I asked. “It had blue plugs all over it,” he said. That wasn’t the only time I was ap- proached and told about those “blue plugs.” Early in my testing days that be- came the “signature” that I had been there. What I am talking about are National Comfort Institute’s (NCI) Test Plugs. They always led to conversations with cus- tomers and contractors. They allow Per- formance-Based Contractors to start the necessary conversation with customers about the “High Blood Pressure” of their HVAC system. NCI Test Plugs serve at least two pur- poses. The primary purpose is to stop air leaking from the equipment or duct system on which you installed the port. It keeps moisture and dirt out as well. Secondarily, the installer of these plugs into test ports knows that anybody from his or her company doing a follow-up just needs to remove the plugs to check equipment static pressure, or compo- nent pressure drops: coil, filter, duct fit- ting, and so on. On future service calls, every time a service technician shows up, they save time when it comes to taking static pres- sure and/or pressure drop readings. This decreases the overall diagnostic time of the call. As an added bonus, these plugs have a tapered design for superior sealing abili- ty with a “pull tab” making it easier to re- move from the test port. NCI’s test port plugs come in bags of 100, in two sizes, 3/8 ” and ½”, with a 500-minimum quantity for purchase. Use these in conjunction with NCI’s line of static pressure kits, test port tap kits, and static pressure stickers, which you can find in our store. Go to ncilink. com/BluePlugs for more information or to order. – by John Puryear, NCI Instructor6 AUGUST 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY PRESSURE Static pressure is the first step on the airside performance path. It is a foundation for airside performance and an indicator of overall HVAC system health. Total external static pressure (TESP) (ncilink. com/HartmanTESP) is the first test to master. It uncovers hidden airflow restrictions that lead to premature equipment failure and comfort is- sues. To diagnose TESP, compare your measured TESP to the maximum-rated TESP found on the equipment nameplate. If measured TESP exceeds rated TESP, you need to investigate further to fig- ure out why. A simple blood pressure comparison can help you understand why it’s important. High static pressure — just like high blood pressure — means you are getting ready to have major issues and are probably not healthy. To help visualize this relationship, you can use the NCI Static Pressure to Blood Pressure Tables. If you are a registered user of the National Com- fort Institute (NCI) website, you can download a copy at ncilink.com/SPtoBP. If not registered, it is easy and free to do so. Just go to ncilink.com/NCIWebReg and sign up. AIRFLOW Airflow is the second step on the PATH to performance. It is key to a well-per- forming and long-lasting system. With- out it, you won’t achieve rated efficien- cy and the system will suffer long-lasting negative effects. Many customers have endured low airflow issues for years but never had it pointed out through measurement. You can plot fan airflow on a fan table to be- gin the troubleshooting process. I t takes commitment and discipline to imple- ment HVAC airside performance testing. One of the biggest obstacles is to decide where to start. With so many options, it can drive you crazy figuring out what should come first. I’ve found one concept that I call PATH which helps prioritize skills you must learn to master system performance. PATH is an acronym for Pressure, Airflow, Temperature, and Heat. These are the compo- nents that airside performance revolves around. Think of each piece as a step on your pathway to building extraordinary HVAC systems. The acro- nym also represents a sequential way you can add testing, diagnostics, and system upgrades to your HVAC service offerings. This article is the first in a six-part series on the concepts of PATH and how to make it part of your company. In this first part, we will overview each step and offer some simple ways to get started. The remaining articles will dive deeper into the meaning of each PATH letter. By the end of the series, you will have some simple and practical ways to easily apply and prioritize these princi- ples for your sales, service, and installation. The PATH to Airside Performance By David Richardson TECHNICAL PART 1: AN OVERVIEW Over the next several months we will feature articles detailing the keys to the PATH (Pressure, Airflow, Temperature, and Heat). Subsequent arti- cles will go into more detail on each of the four keys and help you over- come the paralysis of trying to implement everything all at once in your company. Remember, practice makes perfect. So, as David Richardson explains, become proficient in each step before proceeding to the next. In the end, you will be able to deliver the greatest value in service and performance that your customers have ever seen. And that will help you deliver the most well-deserved profits to your bottom line. Next month David will address more details on static pressure testing. Stay tuned! The PATH to Performance: A Six-Part SeriesAUGUST 2020 7HVACTODAY.COM can’t keep up and why oversized equip- ment appears to work correctly. HEAT Heat (delivered capacity) is the last step on the airside performance path. It provides proof that your work does what you said it would. As a result, you can show that customers received what they invested in. Delivered capacity defines real air- side system performance. Btuh (British thermal units per hour) is the measurement for delivered ca- pacity. The number of Btus shows how much heat the HVAC equipment and duct system transfers. Master airflow and temperature mea- surements before you move to this last step. Then start by measuring sensible Btus at the equipment. First, plot fan airflow and record it. Next, measure temperature entering and exiting the air-handling equipment. Let the system run for at least 15 minutes and then re- cord your equipment ∆t (temperature difference). Plug these readings into the sensi- ble heat formula (cfm x Δt x 1.08) and see how close you are to manufacturer specifications. If your readings are within ±10% you’re doing great. DON’T FREEZE Unfortunately, it’s easy to freeze when you stare down the performance PATH. Don’t make the mistake of try- ing to do everything at once — it re- sults in paralysis. Also, don’t believe the multitasking myth (ncilink. com/MultiTaskMyth). It is prov- en untrue. You can achieve airside perfor- mance success one step at a time. You need a strong purpose and vi- sion for how you want to use these measurements. You have to share that purpose and vision with your team. Otherwise, their importance will quickly fade for the team mem- bers in your company. Look for the remaining articles in this series as I focus on one step of the path at a time. I hope these arti- cles will help you steadily reach your goals. Remember, small consistent steps and habits pave the way to ex- traordinary HVAC systems. Once you measure TESP, plot it with the fan speed setting on a fan table to estimate fan airflow. This helps you see approximately how much air the fan is moving. To diagnose, compare plotted fan airflow (ncilink.com/PlotFanAir) to what the equipment needs for prop- er operation. You can also look at a fan table to see the relationship between elevated static pressure and airflow. TEMPERATURE Temperature is the third step. It is an important aspect of system performance that you might overlook. The air han- dling equipment could have correct air- flow, but without proper temperatures, comfort and efficiency won’t happen. Start with four temperature mea- surements to see how much influence the duct system has on the system’s de- livery of comfort and efficiency. Mea- sure the following air temperatures while the system is running to show their impact: u Temperature entering equipment u Temperature leaving the equipment u Temperature at the farthest supply register u Temperature at the farthest return grille. Once you have these four readings, use them to calculate duct system tem- perature losses (ncilink.com/Duct- Loss). Such losses provide a lot of in- sight into why a properly sized system David Richardson serves the HVAC industry as a curriculum developer and trainer for National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI). NCI spe- cializes in training focused on improving, measuring, and verifying HVAC and Building Performance. If you’re an HVAC contractor or technician interested in learning more about airside performance, contact David at ncilink.com/ ContactMe or call him at 800-633-7058. NCI’s website www.nationalcomfortinstitute.com is full of free technical articles and downloads to help you improve your professionalism and strengthen your company.HVACTODAY.COM W hen asked “who’s in sales around here?” most HVAC company team members point to their “comfort advisors.” WRONG answer! Every- one on the team plays an important role in the sales process and they all need coaching to be successful. Sales coaching is all about developing your peo- ple, improving performance, and achieving sales goals. It is best thought of as a behavior rather than a task. The focus must be on helping team members self-assess and self-discover ways to solve problems and grow. The main objectives of sales coaching are to: s Strengthen relationships s Inspire self-motivation s Assess strengths and areas for improvement s Develop knowledge and skills s Change behaviors s Measure performance and provide ongoing feedback. Ultimately, the goal of sales coaching is to cre- ate an environment where team members feel self-motivated to grow, excel, and take greater re- sponsibility for what they do. Effective sales coaching is the key to long-term performance improvement and organization- al success. In fact, it is one of the most important jobs an owner/sales manager has. SALES MANAGEMENT It takes a certain kind of individual to step into a sales manager role — and an even more unique one to be successful at it. While most HVAC busi- nesses are small companies that can’t justify hir- ing a dedicated sales manager, the need for sales management and coaching still exists. In the absence of a sales manager, the compa- ny owner, general manager, or comfort advisor assumes the role on a “part-time” basis. Unfortu- nately, coaching their team (and themselves) to high-performance sales results is not something they know very much about, so their efforts are limited and typically fall short. Out of frustration they focus more on closing sales with the one customer in front of them, not developing everyone on their team to improve the overall sales experience for all customers. This leads to burnout and lackluster long-term sales results. So here are some thoughts on how to avoid this issue and get the sales results you need and deserve. BEGIN WITH A TEAM GOAL IN MIND Sales managers know they must drive perfor- mance through their team if they are to ever meet the company’s long-term growth and sales goal. Sales success always begins with setting SMART goals. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Following the SMART goal for- mula, the entire team understands specifically what must be accom- plished; how related activities and results will be measured; that the goals are very achievable and relevant to the company’s success; and the timeframe within which the goal is to be accomplished. Teams Require Players – A “team” goal can’t be achieved by a manager alone, yet many sales managers often resort to her- culean efforts to win deals for their compa- ny individually. When managers don’t en- gage their entire team, co-workers begin to believe that their efforts aren’t needed. This is very dangerous. Your sales team includes multiple players Coaching Your Team: HVAC Sales Is NOT an Individual Sport By David Holt SALES AUGUST 2020 9Next >