< PreviousHVAC SMART MART 20 DECEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYArzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com ...................................................... 5 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 20 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 18 Evergreen Telemetry | www.EvergreenTelemetry.com ........................................................ 9 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ....................................................... 23 Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ............................................................................................ 21 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com .......................................................................... 16 Sauermann | www.sauermanngroup.com .............................................................................. 2 The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ................................................................ 20 To Your Success | www.ToYourSuccess.com .......................................................................... 20 Advertiser Index AD INDEX HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Mike Weil Art Director Judy Marquardt Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany-Garsed Advertiser 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; or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online. Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. DECEMBER 2022 21HVACTODAY.COM22 DECEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY keep our industry from getting yet another black eye? While the solution is simple, it is challenging to be certain: It’s more important than ever that installers and technicians properly measure stat- ic pressures, airflow, and delivered Btus on every system they install and service. Unfortunately, we have a huge knowledge and skills gap — it’s estimated that less than 10% of our country’s 500,000+ field personnel have the training, tools, and skills to properly test, diag- nose, and correct these issues. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? First, we have to train all field personnel, in- cluding salespeople, to measure and interpret static pressures so they understand what they are dealing with on every system they touch. This initial step needs to become as second nature as checking temperature drop across a coil. Second, whether through fan tables or other testing methods, they must be able to assess air- flow at the equipment. By knowing airflow and temperature drop (or rise) across equipment, they can calculate delivered Btus. By measuring enthalpy, they can accurately determine both la- tent and sensible Btus. Third, they must learn how to accurately di- agnose the causes of high statics and insufficient airflow, and perform the necessary work to get these parameters into an acceptable range. This can be one of the toughest steps — it also requires getting customer buy-in. This is one of the biggest hurdles for contractors to overcome. To succeed, their field people must be trained to educate customers in a non-threat- ening and persuasive way so they understand the benefits of getting their HVAC system updated to work with today’s equipment. Go to ncilink.com/SEER2 to continue. I n roughly 30 days, HVAC equipment sold in the U.S. must meet the newest energy efficiency rat- ings known as SEER2, EER2, and HSPF2. These ratings reflect the Department of Energy (DOE) M1 testing standard by which all manufacturers are now required to test and rate equipment. There are a number of regional differences in specific minimum requirements, so it’s important to learn what is required in your market. Here is a link to HARDI’s page on the standards: ncilink.com/RegStds. In all cases however, the new standard requires air-handling equipment to be tested at Total Ex- ternal Static Pressure (TESP) of 0.5-in. of water column. This is five times the unrealistic 0.1 inches of TESP which was used up to now! This is definitely a step in the right direction, but the truth is measured external static on most systems typically ranges from 0.8-in. to well over one inch! The bottom line is it’s still up to techni- cians in the field to get statics under 0.5-in. Besides higher-priced equipment, one of the main challenges facing contractors, distributors, and manufacturers, is the razor thin forgiveness of these new ratings. With inverter technology and other methods of achieving higher SEER rat- ings, the “bell curves,” within which equipment can effectively perform, look more like upward pointing arrows with a very small sweet spot. Installed conditions have to be near perfect, as anything less, and performance drops like a rock. Unless equipment is installed under real field conditions of 0.5-in. of TESP or less, cus- tomers will experience comfort and efficiency is- sues that could haunt our industry for decades to come. HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR REPUTATION? With all this change and uncertainty, how do we ONE MORE THING... By Dom Guarino Are You Prepared For SEER2? Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ contactmeDECEMBER 2022 23HVACTODAY.COMNext >