< Previous20 AUGUST 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY with no penalties or loss in value. As a member, NCI Bucks can reduce or even eliminate your training costs and are a key benefit of your membership. Click here (ncilink.com/bucks) to learn more about NCI Bucks. Visit Trinity’s Partner Page to learn more about them. Go to ncilink.com/ Trinity (you need to be logged into the NCI website). Be Sure to Get Your August PowerPack!! We hope you were able to take advan- tage of all the great tools from your July PowerPack. This month we are focusing on field measuring tips and tools. These include the following: ■ System Temperature Measure- ment Basics (Online Training) ■ Enthalpy Chart (Download) ■ CoolMaxx Report and Procedure (Download) ■ Measuring Wet Bulb Temperature Tech Tip (Download). We think you’ll find these tools and training materials very helpful as you continue to grow your High-Perfor- mance HVAC business. Be sure to share your August Power- Pack with your entire team! So get start- ed today. Click here to log into the Au- gust Power Pack: ncilink.com/PwrPak. Virtual HVAC Summit: Registration Opening Soon! With all the challenges the nation faces because of the pandemic, espe- cially regarding travel, social dis- tancing, and the recent surge of in- fections, National Comfort Institute (NCI) has decided to make the 2020 High-Performance HVAC Summit a virtual live event. It will take place online October 5th - 7th. You and your whole team will be able to at- tend via the safety and comfort of your homes or offices. Though the event is still being “as- sembled,” just about every feature of the regular in-person Summit that you have all enjoyed over the years will be “virtualized.” This means they will be live online with open interaction be- tween the audience and the presenters, our partners, and each other. The theme remains centered around Always Be Coaching your team to high-performance with sessions all geared to helping you improve how you communicate and coach your team. Other features to look forward to: ■ Interactive Panel Discussions ■ The Virtual Tradeshow with our Partners ■ General Sessions / Breakout Sessions ■ NCI Contractor / Individual Awards Presentations There is more to come! Find the latest info at GotoSummit.com. Welcome to Trinity Warranty Services! Trinity, located in Lombard, IL., is an Ex- tended Service Agreement (ESA) firm. They join the National Comfort Institute family of preferred partners this month. Trinity offers HVAC contractors residen- tial and commercial programs to help you protect your customers’ comfort sys- tems investments. The Trinity Extended Service Agree- ment (ESA) is for new residential equip- ment with either a five-year or 10-year parts and labor coverage. The commercial new equipment ESA provides five or 10- year parts and labor. The company also offers existing equipment coverage on a case-by-case basis based on it being cer- tified to be in factory-like condition. Their ESA programs cover most all manufacturer brands of equipment and allow you to pick the level of coverage and reimbursement rate that best suits your company. Plus it offers easy online administration, 100% coverage (no de- ductibles), and more. As a National Comfort Institute mem- ber, you get 6% back on purchases in the form of NCI bucks through the TIPP (Train- ing Incentive Partnership Program). You can use NCI Bucks to pay for any live NCI training class (ncilink.com/ LiveTraining) , online training (ncilink. com/OLTraining), or conference (ncil- ink.com/Conference) . By the way, NCI training bucks never expire. They carry over from year-to-year NCI MEMBER UPDATE NCI Welcomes It’s Newest Member Rewards PartnerAUGUST 2020 21HVACTODAY.COM HVAC SMART MART Advertiser Index HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM AD INDEX To 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. Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Mike Weil Art Director Connie Conklin Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany- Garsed Editorial Assistant Marge Smith Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.arzelzoning.com ..................................................... 11 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 11 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 18 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ......................................................... 2 Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ............................................................................................ 12 Online-Access, Inc. | www.hvacwebsites.com ..................................................................... 13 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com ............................................................................ 5 The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ................................................................ 21 To Your Success | ToYourSuccess.com ...................................................................................... 21 United Refrigeration Inc. | www.uri.com ................................................................................. 1922 AUGUST 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY RISE TO THE CHALLENGE While design is important, verification is where the rubber meets the road. Over the years, NCI contractors have reported incorrect readings from some of the most sophisticated sensing systems in high-end buildings – including medical facilities, government facilities, and laboratories. One common problem is when a control/mon- itoring system inaccurately reads a pressure dif- ferential, velocity, or airflow because a sensor is defective or improperly installed - or it’s installed in the wrong location. No sophisticated computer- ized system is infallible. Verification through di- rect measurement is the best backup plan. That’s why our motto for more than 25 years has been, “If you don’t measure, you’re just guessing.” Who better to verify a system works properly than an NCI-certified Commercial Air Balancing or Commercial System Performance Specialist? Direct measurement and knowing how to inter- pret readings with confidence are at the core of these certifications. If you employ NCI or NBC-certified commercial technicians, now is the time to bone up on the lat- est IAQ standards. Be sure to have them review their certification class manuals and Field Ref- erence Guides, and look for ways to apply their knowledge and skills to this critical area. Next it’s important that you let customers know about your capabilities, and how you can help guide them through the right decision-making process to help keep their buildings healthy and safe. Be sure to market your unique abilities and training. This includes sharing information on your website, social media platforms, etc. Put together a packet that illustrates the testing services you offer, and how they can help keep fa- cilities safer and healthier during these difficult times and beyond. Remember to use simple lan- guage, and focus on what’s important to them. Now is the time to sell your verification capabil- ities to help both your company and your custom- ers get through these challenging times. M ore than ever, building owners and managers need to make sure that their HVAC systems are helping to keep their buildings healthy and safe. Many are running scared, frantically looking for ways to safeguard employees, tenants, and custom- ers in this current pandemic. The logical reaction is to seek out devices and products that promise to make building air safer. The good news is there are many great filtration and air quality control products on the market to- day. The bad news is when misapplied or improp- erly installed, these devices can inadvertently make buildings less healthy or safe. At NCI (National Comfort Institute), we regularly hear horror stories of owners and managers adding Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) devices to their HVAC sys- tems that don’t work or make things worse. This can happen because they are installed without a knowl- edgeable person on their team to carefully weigh the potential adverse effects on the overall building pressure balances and air distribution. For example, many filtration products are being touted as a panacea to the spread of dirt, germs, and viruses. In a lab these products may perform opti- mally. But before they are installed on an HVAC sys- tem, it’s imperative that a properly trained profes- sional studies their impact on system pressures and airflows, as well as building pressures. Replacing media in a filter bank with more restric- tive filter material, for example, can have negative un- intended consequences. These issues can be mitigated ahead of time with thoughtful planning and redesign. The solution might include adding more filter sur- face area or increasing blower capacity to deliver the right airflow even with the increased filter pressure drop. Of course, there are other factors to consider in- cluding higher velocities which could cause moisture blowoff on coils, and/or create heat transfer issues. While this editorial is not intended to be a tech- nical instruction on redesign, it is a cautionary tale on how changes made to HVAC systems can impact how they operate, and how healthy or safe they are. Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe ONE MORE THING... By Dominick Guarino Buildings Need Your Help!Next >