< Previous20 MARCH 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY deposited into your training account in the form of NCI Bucks. Earn bucks in several ways. One is to make purchases from vendor partners via the Member Rewards TIPP . Visit our partners here: ncilink.com/mrpartners. You can also earn bucks when you buy seats in training classes. In addition to any member discounts you receive, members earn five NCI Bucks for every $100 in training they purchase. That number goes up if you subscribe to our Learning Excellence Live Online or Premium memberships. Learning Excellence Member subscrib- ers get 100 NCI Training Bucks every month as long as they are current on their monthly or annual dues. If you sub- scribe to Learning Excellence Live or Learning Excellence Premium , you get 350 NCI Bucks each month. You can use these funds to pay for any live or online training class and event. You can also use NCI bucks toward the purchase of tools and instruments from the NCI store. Find more information on NCI Bucks at ncilink.com/bucks . Or call 800-633- 7058 and speak to a Customer Care rep- resentative to learn more about TIPP, Bucks, and every other benefit that your membership provides. NEW Residential Air Balancing Online Live Certification NCI members now have a new benefit: An online live certification class for resi- dential air balancing. This online course features several hands-on demonstra- tions that include how to use the test instruments, how to determine proper testing locations, as well as live system testing and interpretation of readings. One of the key benefits of this online certification class is it enhances your company’s professional reputation and establishes yourself in your marketplace as the true air balancing expert. To qualify for Residential Air Bal- ancing training , the student must hold a current NCI certification (or must be registered to complete a class and cer- tification exam) in either Duct System Optimization and/or Residential System Performance. Also, the student must pass NCI’s Residential Air Balancing on- line exam. This class is eight hours of live, online training provided over two days. Day one focuses on the history and purposes of air balancing and how to do an airflow traverse (includes a hands-on demon- stration). Day two teaches you how to prepare for system balancing, goes over air test- ing and balancing procedures, and high- lights how to overcome balancing obsta- cles. Then you will learn how to conduct a final system test and fill out documen- tation correctly. As more HVAC and energy profession- als discover the importance of testing and balancing, the better equipped they can be to answer the needs of clients and the demands of building depart- ments and utility programs. If you are interested in learning more, go to ncilink.com/RezTabOL or call 800-633-7058 and speak to one of NCI’s Customer Care representatives. March 2021 PowerPack is Here The PowerPack is designed exclusive- ly for National Comfort Institute (NCI) members and includes access to some of NCI’s recorded webinars, online train- ing, and downloads. Be sure to share them with your team during the month of March. We think you’ll find these tools and training materials very helpful as you continue to grow your High-Performance HVAC business. Here is a peek at the March offering: ✔ How Air Balancing Saves Money (Article) ✔ Generic Fan Performance Data (Download) ✔ Traverse Grilles and Registers (Webinar) ✔ Value and Comfort Pre-Season Balancing Hood Basics (Online Training). Just go to ncilink.com/PwrPak to access your PowerPack today. If you have any questions or are unable to ac- cess any of the tools in this program, please contact us at 800-633-7058. Do You Reap the Most from Your Membership? One of the best benefits of being a National Comfort Institute (NCI) mem- ber is the Member Rewards TIPP (Train- ing I ncentive P artnership Pr ogram). As a member in good standing, your compa- ny is eligible to participate in TIPP. Incen- tive dollars from our vendor partners are NCI MEMBER UPDATEMARCH 2021 21HVACTODAY.COM HVAC SMART MART Advertiser Index HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM AD INDEX 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: 800-633-7058; 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 Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com ....... 12 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com .............. 19 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com .......................................... 8 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ........... 2 Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ............................................... 16 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com ............................... 5 The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ................... 21 To Your Success | www.ToYourSuccess.com ............................. 21 United Refrigeration Inc. | www.uri.com .................................... 2122 MARCH 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY never trained to do any of those things. Since I was flying out to visit my new grandba- by later that week, I instructed my son-in-law to hold off making a decision. Just in case, we or- dered a board for $100 which came in a few days. Here’s what I found: First, the board wasn’t the problem. An advanced thermostat setting took control away from the furnace and turned on the blower when the stat called for heat. I switched it back to furnace. I also tested the high-limit switch, which was fine. Next, I cleaned the blower which had 15 years of caked-on dirt. It looked like it had never been cleaned. I set the blower speed to medium-low as some rooms were not getting enough heat. Unfor- tunately, I didn’t have any instruments with me so I couldn’t check airflow or static pressures. What he could have done differently: 1. Checked the thermostat programming and changed the setting back to furnace control. 2. Inspected the blower and offered to clean it. 3. Offered a service agreement to lock in a long- term customer and future replacement work. 4. Mentioned the furnace was 15 years old, and they may want to consider replacing it before it breaks down. He could have then quoted differ- ent replacement options and financing. It was obvious this service call had little to do with doing the right thing for the customer. It was a high-pressure, robotic changeout approach taught by many industry organizations. Is this any way to treat a customer? Is this ap- proach really necessary for a service company to make a profit? My answer is a resounding NO. There‘s a better way to add value, increase reve- nues, and make a great profit while still doing the right thing for your customers. If you haven’t already, think about changing your mindset to becoming a High-Performance contractor who trains your people to test — and always put the customer first. L ast week my son-in-law called me from St. Louis at 4 AM saying the furnace stopped running and the house was getting cold. I walked him through restarting the furnace. We checked the ignition sequence, and I surmised the flame sensor was dirty or had gone bad. We got it working intermittently, but I was con- cerned about my newborn granddaughter staying warm, so I told him to get a tech out to look at the flame sensor. He called a local HVAC contractor recommended by a friend. Here’s a detailed accounting of what hap- pened next: It was Saturday, and -4°F outside and they had a newborn in the house. He was told no one could get there until Monday. Really? Since the heat was still mostly running we decided to risk it and wait till Monday – unless it went out altogether. What the technician did: The tech cleaned the flame sensor – which was the cause of the lockouts. He also noticed the blower came on immediately upon a call for heat. He told my son-in-law they had a bad board that would cost $1,100 to replace! He then offered to replace the 80% furnace for $3,600. My son-in-law told me the tech never looked up the board replacement cost – he gave him a price off the top of his head and then rattled off the $3,600 replacement price. It was obvious the tech was trained to quote a high repair price and follow up with a replacement price to get a quick change- out and commission. This technician missed an opportunity to dig fur- ther. He could have taken five minutes to inspect the unit more thoroughly, and maybe five more minutes to install static pressure test ports to actu- ally test and verify how the unit was working. By testing and asking the homeowner a few ques- tions, he would have found real issues that need- ed to be addressed. A typical customer would have appreciated the extra care, and may have consid- ered different repair or replace options. But the op- portunity was lost, as it was apparent this tech was 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 Why Our Industry Keeps Getting a Bad NameNext >