HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ hvactoday.comMARCH 2021 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: How to Determine "Live" Commercial Duct Leakage How Can You Market HVAC Performance? Partner Spotlight: "We're Not Your Grandfather's Dwyer Anymore" Commercial Commercial Market Review Market Review and Forecastand ForecastMARCH 2021 3HVACTODAY.COM MARCH 2021 VOLUME 5 NUMBER 3 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM MARKETING: How to Market Performance This Performance-Based Contracting™ firm shares how they market their High-Performance services through various media. MANAGEMENT: Bellwether Winds Shift For the Better Check out our 2021 Commercial Market Review and Forecast. Things are looking up. TECHNICAL: How to Determine “Live” Commercial Duct Leakage National Balancing Council Director Scott Fielder explains what live commercial duct leakage testing is and why it’s so important. 13 17 10 DEPARTMENTS Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Product Review ...............................................5 Partner Spotlight: Dwyer Instruments ........................................6 Member Update ...............................................................................20 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................21 Ad Index ................................................................................................21 One More Thing ................................................................................224 MARCH 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY tes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. According to the Canadian Centre for Oc- cupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), “A cold environment challenges the worker in three ways: by air temperature, air movement (wind speed), and humidity (wetness). To work safe- ly, these challenges must be counterbalanced by proper insulation (layered protective clothing), by physical activity, and by controlled exposure to cold (work/rest schedule).” If you visit and scroll through the CCOHS web- site at ncilink.com/CCOHS, you can find some very specific information about what your tech- nicians should wear, what frostbite signs to look for, and much more. Other safety concerns should focus on how to use ladders in winter, understanding the im- pact of subzero temperatures both physically and mentally, and preparing your technicians to deal with mild hypothermia issues. These are among the necessities to winterize your technicians. For even more specific information on layer- ing and the types of clothing your service and in- stallation techs should wear, check out ncilink. com/snowpatrol. Though this site focuses pri- marily on police officers, its information could be quite useful for your team. HVAC technicians are out there, right now, helping consumers, working on rooftops, and in the process exposing themselves to extreme weather elements. Take the time to prepare your workers mentally and physically to recognize cold warning signs and work safely outdoors. Apparently, my remodel contractors had been so prepared that they were able to work quickly and safely to get our projects done. Your team should be able to do the same. Stay safe out there. AA s I write this, a massive winter storm is wreaking mayhem from Califor- nia through Texas and sweeping to the Eastern shores of the U.S. Out- side temperatures are hovering in the low 20s, and wind chills are in the single digits or lower. It’s been snowing steadily here in Cleveland for nearly 24 hours to the tune of more than a foot of snow on the ground. And more is expected here and across the country. In the middle of this, my wife and I are doing some remodeling and have several contractors working in our home. I don’t envy them; espe- cially the countertop guy who has to trim the new counters in the garage. I was impressed that they made it to work when road conditions are so poor. I was also im- pressed at how prepared they are for the inclem- ent weather. I’m talking about layers of clothes, gloves with liners, good hats that cover their ears, polar-like winter coats, and so on. Being safe and warm at home is awesome for me, but this is a busy and dangerous time of year for the contracting community. HVAC technicians, especially those who work on commercial rooftops, often have to take off their gloves to handle small parts and such. It only takes a few minutes touching metal for fin- gers to get so stiff you can barely move them. The danger of frostbite is indisputable. The U.S. National Institute for Occupa- tional Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that anyone who works in a cold environment may be at risk for cold-related illnesses and injuries, or “cold stress.” The NIOSH site (ncilink.com/ NIOSH) says that workers face increased risks working in cold environments, especially if they take certain medications, are in poor physical condition, or suffer from illnesses such as diabe- Are Your Technicians Winterized?Winterized? Mike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. Contact him at ncilink. com/ContactMe . TODAY’S WORD By Mike WeilMARCH 2021 5HVACTODAY.COM HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT REVIEW world. The equipment can be the abso- lute most efficient, but when installed into a house with inadequate ductwork, its efficiency will not be the same. And if you install it incorrectly, it’s even worse. The brochure is a powerful way for us to explain our training, certifications, and expertise. It backs up our selling story. Besides all the great content in the brochure itself, “SER RATING: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?” BROCHURE FROM NCI SER stands for System Efficiency Ratio. It differs from SEER in that it is the rat- ing for the entire HVAC system (includ- ing ductwork and building construction conditions). The “SER Rating: What Does it Mean?” brochure from National Comfort Institute (NCI) is a great tool that our team uses to help explain what this means to our cus- tomers. It explains how the manufacturer’s rated efficiency on air condi- tioning units and furnac- es are based on laborato- ry testing conditions. Laboratory conditions just don’t exist in the real Written By HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionals I circle the myhomecomfort.org web- site and tell customers to go there to learn even more. This URL leads to NCI’s consumer-focused website. The brochure and website give us more credibility because they represent a third- party resource. Customers trust that. This brochure is part of NCI’s Home Comfort Series of brochures that address almost all consumer questions on why Performance-Based Contracting™ is so important. You can find these brochures at the following link (along with a wide array of other support materials): ncilink.com/ SupportMaterial. You can order bro- chures here or call NCI Customer Care at 800-633-7058. – By Gary Katz, owner, Total Comfort, Minneapolis, MN6 MARCH 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY “Also, Dwyer works with distribu- tors that cover sales internationally outside of the U.S. Plus, we work with channel partners domestically.” EVOLVING MARKET STRATEGY In the very beginning, Orlowski says Dwyer’s market approach was all di- rect sales. “We still do some of that today. But as the company grew, we expanded into international markets. Developing strong distribution net- works became vital. “So today, we work with channel partners, and then they work directly with the customers,” he says. “We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to grow these relationships, which led us into the partnering programs such as the one we have with National Comfort Institute (NCI).” Dwyer serves two distinct vertical markets: HVAC and Process Control. Under HVAC, Dwyer produces prod- ucts for building automation, test- ing-and-balancing, and clean rooms. They also work with original equip- ment manufacturers of air handling equipment, chillers, and more. On the process side, Orlowski says Dwyer makes products for the water and wastewater markets, the powder and bulk markets (manufacturers of dust collectors and pneumatic con- veyance systems), and the oil and gas markets. But like everything else, strategies change in concert with advances in technology and market needs. With the advent of wireless and Bluetooth technologies, Dwyer evolved and now has products that take full advantage of this technology’s best attributes. WE’RE NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S DWYER ANYMORE Jaden Lane is Dwyer’s test business development manager covering all test equipment product lines in the U.S. She says that “Over the last decade, wire- less has advanced exponentially. For the most part, espe- cially when it comes to test equipment, everyone wants to save their data in the cloud to access it later. “That’s been a huge focus for us, not just with the test equipment portfolio, but with some of our other products used to measure air quality and pres- sure as well.” Lane began working with Dwyer in 2016. She interned for them while working on her mechanical engi- neering degree. After graduation, she joined Dwyer full-time. She says Dwyer works hard to in- corporate Bluetooth, IoT (Internet of Things), and other technologies to help make products more techni- cian-friendly, easier to use, and take advantage of cloud-based data storage. “It’s important to note that we’ve Jaden Lane PARTNER SPOTLIGHT By Mike Weil We’re Not Your Grandfather’s Anymore I n 1931, in Chicago, IL, F.W. Dwyer Manufacturing Company was founded to produce liquid-filled manometer test instruments. In 1953 they developed the Magnahe- lic™, which grew in popularity and became the manufacturer’s flagship instrument. Over the years, their growth led Dwyer to move its head- quarters from Chicago to newly built and greatly expanded facilities in Michigan City, Indiana, where they remain to this day. The company has three more facil- ities in Indiana and manufacturing in Fergus Falls, MN and Kansas City, MO. According to Andy Orlowski, senior customer experience manager, most people know Dwyer because of the Magnehelic. “It’s been called the best differen- tial pressure gauge on the market,” he says. Orlowski, who began his career with Dwyer after graduating college in 2004, adds that its product line expanded through de- velopment and acquisitions. He says Dwyer bought brands like Mercoid, W.E. Anderson, and Proximity. “In addition, we’ve expanded our reach. Today Dwyer is a global com- pany with sales offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Andy OrlowskiMARCH 2021 7HVACTODAY.COM This app communicates with many of our wireless handheld devices, in- cluding our hot-wire anemometer, vane probe, hygrometers, and more. They all communicate via Bluetooth to our mobile app,” she says. Lane explains that Dwyer designed the app so contractors can log data in a folder that represents a job. For ex- ample, if you are working on airflow at XYZ Hospital in room 12, you can save your traverse result data for that duct in the app, which connects to the Internet or Wi-Fi, and uploads it to the cloud. That data remains backed up in the cloud, and technicians al- ways have access to it. DWYER AND PERFORMANCE- BASED CONTRACTORS Both Orlowski and Lane say that High-Performance HVAC contractors trained and certified by NCI are vital users of the Dwyer product lines. “We want to make sure that our tools are optimized for High-Perfor- mance HVAC contractors to use,” says Orlowski. “These are tools they use ev- ery day, so the instruments must be reliable, rugged, and cost-effective. If the tools don’t work, the technicians can’t work.” Lane concurs. “Some of the sharp- est contractor minds are members of NCI,” she adds. “Their input, through the products they buy and the feed- back they share, is instrumental to the changes we’ve made. So being able to partner with NCI members is amazing and valuable.” That kind of feedback was one of the drivers for Dwyer to partner with NCI and its membership. Lane says that the feedback they receive from the Performance-Based Contracting com- munity is very valuable. THE PANDEMIC IMPACT According to Orlowski, the outbreak of COVID-19 impacted the manufac- turing community in many ways, and Dwyer was no different. But he says the company has a few things in place that eased the burden. “One key factor,” he explains, “is that most of our manufacturing and suppliers are domestic. We didn’t have to struggle with pipeline issues from different countries like so many other industries did. “Another criti- cal factor is that we saw an increase in demand for some of our low-pressure products for filtra- tion, flow meters, always designed and manufactured products in the U.S., and our designs come directly from our Michigan City headquarters,” adds Orlowski. “We’ve doubled down on that and are com- mitted to innovation as one of our core values. We have over 650 patents. It’s part of who we are.” He adds that in addition to techni- cal prowess, Dwyer has always worked hard to understand customers better. Today, more than ever, product design is based a lot on customer input. And today, he says customers are looking for wireless technology. “We trust the voice of the customer,” he says. “We try to understand better what the market needs.” These efforts led to creating tools and products with the highest quality and ease of use, as well as a “cool” fac- tor, especially in the HVAC industry. THE CLOUD, APPS, AND MARKET CHANGES Lane says another objective for Dwyer is to create tools that attract a younger crowd. “There’s an age gap. We see contrac- tors who have 20 to 40 years of experi- ence. We see millennials who are com- ing into the field and just learning the HVAC trade,” she says. “Millennials are full-on with this technology and they’re running the lat- est and greatest, most innovative tools. So that is one of our market focuses. “In that light, we are working more with cloud-based software. Specif- ically, we’re redesigning what we call the mobile meter app (ncilink.com/ MobileMeterA for Google, ncilink. com/MobileMeterB for Apple). Dwyer headquarters in Michigan City, IN. Adam Burton is Dwyer’s Distribu- tion Sales Manager.8 MARCH 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY and support for our cus- tomers. “The bottom line is that we look forward to 2021 and getting past the pan- demic,” Orlowski says. AND REGARDING THE FUTURE … Dwyer strives to be a company on which contractors can depend. Jaden Lane says they want to be the con- tractors’ support group. That means supporting them from not only a product design standpoint but also regarding service support. She says, “Between our support team and our channel partners, we want to make sure they know we have their backs, and they can de- pend on us to make sure they have everything they need. Dwyer is pleased to have evolved beyond being the manufacturer for an older generation. With products aimed at improving a contractor’s ability to test, measure, and diagnose performance issues with HVAC sys- tems, they can proudly say they are reaching out to the next generation. For these and many more reassons, Dwyer Instruments is the focus of our spotlight in March 2021. ventilators, and so on. This demand helped to balance out some of our oth- er areas where the market lagged. Because of the shutdowns and social distancing, Dwyer tightened down. Processes and daily regimens changed significantly – from deep cleaning and social distancing at the manufactur- ing plants to moving to a more work- from-home environment. Orlowski says that despite these changes, the manufacturing plants were able to keep up with demand. He adds that the Dwyer office and sales team were already familiar with working remotely, so work-from-home orders had little impact. “We embraced the Google platform. We all had laptops. So we were able to maintain our normal level of service PARTNER SPOTLIGHT Jaden Lane trains with contractors during an NCI Hydronics class.Next >