< Previous20 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY den from others from these measure- ments. Depending on the problems you discover from the above tests, you can also add other measurements. The measurements are only one piece of the puzzle. You also need equipment paperwork and system documentation to make sense of your readings. Without the equipment specifica- tions, proper reporting, customer sur- vey results, photos, and a floor plan, it’s hard to create a detailed scope of work to share with your installation team. Documentation is your best friend to prevent any unforeseen problems. While you may customize each Air Upgrade, there are many common el- ements. Your measurements show the areas to focus on with the most significant issues. Never assume any part of the system works well until you test and prove it. Most Air Upgrades start near the air handling equipment and then contin- ue outward to the trunk ducts, duct fittings, and branch ducts. Remem- ber, you’re trying to relieve excessive static pressure and improve fan air- flow. So, start with the equipment and then work outwards. It’s incredible what you can do simply by in- creasing the return duct ca- pacity, sizing the air filter cor- rectly, and installing low total equivalent length (TEL) duct fittings. Besides the duct system, look at the supply registers and re- turn grilles. Make sure they deliver and return conditioned air in a way that helps it mix without creating drafts. Com- mon duct installation materi- als and hand tools take on new meaning once paired with test results and the correct information to develop solutions your customers desire. ESSENTIAL SKILLS TO ASSEMBLE AIR UPGRADES Once you have the tools and resourc- es, you’ll need to evaluate your team’s skills. Otherwise, there’s no way to en- sure the Air Upgrade is right. Armed with the necessary measure- ments, you can now interpret the test results. Unless you know what these readings mean, it’s impossible to con- fidently create a scope of work that ad- dresses the system issues you found. Instead, you’re guessing. Common di- agnostic skills to master are: zStatic pressure diagnostics z Fan airflow diagnostics zTemperature diagnostics zCustomer diagnostics. Don’t forget to evaluate installa- tion conditions. For example, you can only make modifications if you have enough room. First, look at the equip- ment and duct system location. Make sure you don’t prescribe equipment, repairs, or ducts that won’t fit in the space. Accessibility limitations are Once the work is complete, your cus- tomers will notice the improvement in upgraded system performance. Lower static pressure and improved fan air- flow lead to lower operating costs, in- creased system efficiency, and overall comfort once the work is complete. Ultimately, Air Upgrades change the game. Instead of only focusing on equipment replacement, you look at the entire HVAC system, including the ductwork to which it is connected. This new viewpoint helps you look for issues others are unaware of. As you begin to provide unique solutions to problems often deemed unsolvable, you focus on your craftsmanship and increase your profits and referrals. Understanding this unique prod- uct’s importance is essential to your company. However, it’s also vital to know how to assemble these custom- ized solutions based on the installa- tion conditions you encounter. You’ll need to equip your team with the right resources to ensure success. TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO COMPLETE AIR UPGRADES Most duct system repairs fail be- cause of inadequate testing and an overabundance of guessing. The first step to creating a custom Air Upgrade is ensuring you have the right test re- sults. Your findings hinge on measure- ments to reveal system and equipment defects. You’ll need a variety of mea- surements that include: zTotal external static pressure (TESP) z Pressure drops (coil and filter) zDuct pressures (supply and return zPlotted/Measured fan airflow z Temperatures (both equipment and system). You begin to see airflow defects hid- David Richardson demonstrates doing a static pressure test MANAGEMENTJANUARY 2023 21HVACTODAY.COM more advanced repairs needed? 4.Realistic – Can we achieve what we promised the customer? 5.Time frame – How long will the Air Upgrade take? 6.Results – Can we realistically meet the customer’s expectations? Considering the benefits of Air Up- grades to your company and custom- ers, consider these two additional questions. zWhat skills do I need to sharpen to ensure successful Air Upgrades? zHow can I make SMART(R) adjust- ments to our installations and ser- vice calls? Are we missing opportu- nities to serve customers better? These challenging questions re- quire you to be honest and do some soul-searching. It takes courage to move beyond the traditional pat- tern of “box-swapping” and become High-Performance HVAC Craftsmen. As you think, you’ll likely find your company has many of the pieces it needs to offer this premium product to your customers. Why not commit to elevating your company’s level of service? for. It’s a nice touch to finish the job. FOLLOW A SMART(R) APPROACH Many people use the SMART meth- od to achieve goals. It’s an acronym that describes difficulty and priority levels when working towards imple- menting a process or product. It first appeared in a 1981 magazine article written by consultant George T. Doran, and it’s gained popularity ever since. I changed Doran’s model to fit the needs of High-Performance HVAC professionals looking to succeed with Air Upgrades. The SMART(R) ap- proach includes six questions to ask as you work to implement Air Upgrades in your company. These questions act as a guide to help you gain momentum and often reveal unseen obstacles be- fore you encounter them. 1.Simple – How easy can we make the Air Upgrade process? 2.Measurable – What measure- ments are necessary for what we want to achieve? 3.Appropriate – Will an Air Up- grade solve the problem, or are one of the toughest obstacles to over- come. You can design the perfect Air Upgrade for a customer, but it won’t work unless it fits. You’ll need to come up with an alternative solution. Communicate to your team any promises you made to the custom- er. Make sure you have a process to share the work scope. Most Air Up- grades fail when there’s a break in the communication chain between techni- cians, salespeople, installers, and the customer. Keep the chain intact by assur- ing you document any discussions or promises made. The small promise a salesperson makes to the customer but forgets to share with the installa- tion team might derail a project and undermine trust in your company. Once you have the proper diagnosis, the scope of work, and clear commu- nication between all parties, it’s time to complete the job. Most customers have never seen anything like this, so put on a show and keep the work area clean and organized. Be prepared to adjust when unex- pected issues pop up. That means don’t price the project so tightly you don’t have room for changes. Once your Air Upgrade work is com- plete, it’s time to verify the project’s success. Measure static pressures, air- flow, temperature, refrigerant charge, and combustion. Any work should have the same test procedures done during a test-out once the work is complete. Compare test-out results to test-in measurements to prove your work did the job, or uncover the need for adjust- ments. Provide a report of the job de- tails with photos as an assurance poli- cy that the customer got what they paid Based on David Richardson’s NCI Summit 2022 Presentation This article is based on a presentation given by David Richardson at National Comfort Institute’s 2022 High-Performance HVAC Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. The session was titled, “How to Create Customer Air Upgrades.” If you didn’t attend the 2022 Summit, you should plan to join us in Branson, MO for the 2023 High-Performance HVAC Summit (April 16-20). You can learn more about upcoming sessions, special events, registration savings for members and more at www.gotosum- mit.com. You can also register and book your hotel rooms now. David Richardson is NCI’s director of training. You can reach him at ncilink.com/ContactMe with any questions.22 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYJANUARY 2023 23HVACTODAY.COM TruTech website. TruTech will be featured on NCI’s website as an industry partner. “We look forward to a long-term re- lationship with the team at TruTech as we work together to help industry pro- fessionals become advanced craftsmen in their trade,” says NCI CEO Dominick Guarino. “TruTech is a great supporter of our training. They see it as instrumental to raising the bar in the HVAC indus- try. We both see the high-performance approach as a tremendous value to the industry and want to support its ad- vancement.” Bill Spohn , pres- ident, CEO, and co-owner of TruTech Tools, says, “Since I first met Dominick Guarino and Rob Falke in the mid- 1990s, I’ve been im- pressed with their technical approach to training. I believe that NCI has a ter- rific mission to help HVAC contractors and their technicians and installers be- come professional craftsmen. TruTech has a parallel mission to help provide the tools, access to education, and training to help contractors do better work. What a perfect harmonization for TruTech to focus on the tools while NCI focuses on education and training. “Our mission and purpose is to help technicians create better environments for people by using our niche to pro- vide HVAC and building performance tools and best practices. We look for- ward to this relationship blossoming as we move forward.” WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND SUMMIT 2023 National Comfort Institute’s (NCI) 20th Annual Summit is just a few months away, and it’s time to start planning to join your fellow High-Performance HVAC contractor peers in Branson, MO, from April 16th to 20th, 2023. You can find all the details here: gotosummit.com . There are so many reasons why this year’s event is so im- portant, but don’t just take our word for it – here are some comments from past contrac- tor attendees: Bill Kennihan of Kennihan Plumb- ing, Heating, and Air Conditioning in Valencia, PA, said, “More contractors need to come to Summit to see what they are missing in their work, how they can make their customers happier, more comfortable, and safe.” Greg Vickers of GV’s Heating and Cooling, Glenview, IL, said, “We learn so much during Summit and always go home fired up and ready to implement everything we learned.” Scott Getzschman, Getzschman Heating, LLC, Fremont, NE, adds , “When you attend, you learn something new that you can use. It just helps your com- pany. The more you can implement, the better you will be and the more you can set yourself apart in your marketplace.” These are just a few of the attendees’ many comments during the High-Perfor- mance HVAC Summit each year. So what are you waiting for? You can register for the 2023 Summit in Branson, MO, here: ncilink.com/23SummitReg . Don’t forget to book your rooms too. We are looking forward to seeing all of you in April. NCI PARTNERS WITH TRUTECH TOOLS National Comfort Institute (NCI) and TruTech Tools, Ltd. are partnering to provide tools and instruments to the HVAC and building performance indus- tries. As a result, TruTech joins the ranks of partners in the NCI Member Rewards Program and will join the NCI team in Branson, MO, as part of the High-Perfor- mance HVAC Summit 2023 . As part of this partnership, effective immediately, NCI will no longer direct- ly sell tools and instruments through its own website. Instead, they will link to an NCI-branded page on the TruTech web- site at ncilink.com/trutech . Through this NCI-branded store, NCI members can purchase NCI specialty products, tools, and instrument packages at a spe- cial member discount. NCI will continue selling resale prod- ucts and proprietary support materials, including CO Monitors, Duct Saddles, clipboards, labels and tags, and bro- chures through its website. They will also continue to sell hats, shirts, mugs, and other NCI branded products through their Swag Store . This partnership will also benefit stu- dents attending NCI training classes. Stu- dents will receive special discount codes for their TruTech purchases. In addition, TruTech, which recogniz- es NCI as an industry leader in advanced high-performance training, will promote its advanced technical training on their NCI UPDATE HVAC SUMMIT 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC SMART MART 24 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYAD 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 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. JANUARY 2023 25HVACTODAY.COM Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com ...................................................... 5 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 24 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 18 Evergreen Telemetry | www.EvergreenTelemetry.com ........................................................ 2 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ....................................................... 27 R.E. 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If you have never been to a Summit before, fas- ten your seat belt, it’s unlike any HVAC indus- try event you’ve attended before. We aren’t very flashy and we don’t do rah-rah rallies. We are fo- cused on solid content without the fanfare typical with many other events. While Summit has many unique features — in- cluding the way we do our general sessions, our game show, idea meetings, breakouts, and social events — one of the most standout differences about Summit is YOU, the attendee. THE SPIRIT OF SUMMIT I’ve been involved in HVAC industry events for more than 35 years, and to this day I’ve never wit- nessed the type of sharing and relationships that occur at Summit. The only way to truly grasp the openness and caring of this group is to witness it yourself. While many love to rekindle old relationships, it is amazing how this group welcomes newcomers. This conference, now in its 20th year, was cre- ated to give High-Performance HVAC contrac- tors their own unique place to gather with fellow like-minded professionals, learn from each other and NCI instructors and coaches. When we ask attendees what they like the most about Summit, the most common response is the sense of community, even family, and the open and honest sharing that goes on. So don’t delay, if you haven’t registered for Summit yet, register today at GoToSummit. com and take advantage of early-bird rates. I wish you a prosperous and healthy 2023, and can’t wait to be together this April. See you in Branson! 2 023 will be filled with many challenges including the new energy efficiency rules. Customers will be faced with soaring pric- es, not just due to spiraling inflation, but in- creased costs from SEER2-rated equipment. Contractors will be faced with tough AHRI matches, and in some cases, installing huge coils to get systems to work properly. As I wrote in December, because higher-rated equipment is less forgiving, when static pressures exceed 0.5-in., performance can drop like a rock. Unless systems are tested and fixed, you’ll have many unhappy customers and callbacks. So, what does this have to do with NCI’s High-Performance Summit? Everything! HIGHLY-PERFORMING SYSTEMS FROM SERVICE TO INSTALLATION Whether you are an NCI member, get trained and certified by NCI, or are a contractor looking for answers to the new normal, you can’t miss this year’s High-Performance HVAC Summit Week — April 16-20 in Branson, MO. This year’s conference focuses on how to ser- vice, sell, and deliver systems that perform as they are supposed to. While it’s important to make sure new SEER2 systems deliver the promised comfort and ener- gy savings, it’s equally important to educate cus- tomers about how these changes impact them. LASER-FOCUSED EVENT Each of this year’s sessions will help you achieve these goals and build a stronger service agreement base with performance testing on ev- ery maintenance and service call. This information-packed event isn’t like oth- er events with generic seminars by industry con- sultants touting their latest theories on how to 26 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY ONE MORE THING... By Dom Guarino Summit Is Around the Corner! Will YOU be There? 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. DECEMBER 2022 27HVACTODAY.COMScan the QR code for more information.Next >