hvactoday.comFEBRUARY 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ 2023 RESIDENTIAL HVAC Market Outlook ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • 5 Marketing Plan Considerations • System Upgrades Via Service Calls • The Impact of Duct Airflow AdjustmentsMARKETING: 5 Key Considerations for Building Your Marketing Plan Colleen Keyworth of Online Access provides tips to help you successfully market your High-Performance HVAC business. 23 FEBRUARY 2023 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 2 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM DEPARTMENTS FEBRUARY 2023 3HVACTODAY.COM Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Product Review ...............................................5 High-Performance HVAC Summit 2023 .........................10 NCI Update .........................................................................................27 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................28 Ad Index ................................................................................................29 One More Thing ................................................................................30 TECHNICAL: The Impact of Duct and Airflow Adjustments Tom Turner of Austin Energy explores the power of utility/ contractor teamwork through partnership and training. MANAGEMENT: 2023 Residential Market Outlook This year can be a great year, according to economists. But there are a lot of landmines to watch out for. 6 19 TECHNICAL: System Upgrades Via Service Calls NCI Trainer Al D’Ambola shows how testing, measuring, and proper diagnostics can lead to more system upgrades. 154 FEBRUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY In an effort to help contractors face the music, a group of NCI experts are conducting educational sessions at the AHR Expo. If you plan to attend, be sure to participate in the free sessions where David Richardson, Ben Lipscomb, P.E., and Da- vid Holt are addressing: z How to cure the HVAC Equipment Failure Epi- demic with Simple Air Upgrades z Face New Market Challenges in Light Commer- cial Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing zSell High-Performance HVAC Through Home- owner Education zReal World Application ofANSI/ASHRAE Standard 221 zChoose The Right Tools to Redesign HVAC Systems for Electrification. And NCI CEO, Dominick Guarino will be on the HVACR State of the Industry Leadership Panel Discussion: Today’s Market, Challenges, Opportunities and What’s Ahead. In April, NCI Summit shows High-Perfor- mance HVAC Contractors how to be more ex- cellent to customers by teaching ser- vice as the foundation of performance. This event focuses on getting back to high-performance basics, and assisting your customers with issues like energy efficiency, IAQ, comfort, and more. Learn more and sign up for Summit today at gotosummit.com. Do you want some other ways to face the mu- sic in 2023? Reading this magazine each month is one way. Check out the residential market out- look on page 19 and Colleen Keyworth’s tips on creating strong marketing plans on page 23. Yes, there are challenges to overcome and changes to deal with. But success in 2023 is yours for the taking. To quote Bill and Ted, “Have a most extraordinary year and party on, dudes!” I n the cult classic movie, Bill and Ted Face the Music, the comedic main characters seek the path to excellence in their mission to save the world by writing the one song that unites us all. When it comes to the High-Performance HVAC Contracting Industry, we are all on a most excel- lent adventure to unite the HVAC universe. Our mission is to teach technicians to test, measure, and diagnose invisible problems that can totally solve customer comfort and energy issues. We face many challenges and opportunities in this endeavor. So as we move forward, let’s face the music and make the most of what is happen- ing in the world today. In order to put together a most extraordinary band of comfort heroes, we need to stay alert and put customers first. One way is by attend- ing trade events like theAHR Expo in Febru- ary in Atlanta, and National Comfort Institute’s 2023 High-Performance Summit in April in Branson, MO. At the Expo, experts from across the indus- try will share the latest information on hot ticket items including: z The new SEER2 Efficiency Regulations zChallenges with adopting the A2L refrigerants that impact the entire HVAC value chain zThe electrification movement zTechnical advances that impact manufacturing, distribution, and contracting zTechnician shortages and workforce develop- ment issues. Facing the Music: Challenges and Changes WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC, WE ARE ALL ON A MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURE TOGETHER! TODAY’S WORD By Mike Weil Mike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. Contact him at ncilink. com/ContactMe.HVACTODAY.COMFEBRUARY 2023 5HVACTODAY.COM The SRS3 consists of a scale and a handheld meter that wirelessly commu- nicates with the scale. The latter allows technicians to watch and document how much refrigerant they put into the system. With a rugged and durable exteri- or, the SRS3 displays various measure- ments, including pounds, ounces, kilo- grams, and grams. The handheld meter is magnetized for hands-free operation. I love that once you no longer need the scale, you can tuck handheld into it, and everything goes back into its carrying case for easy transportation. This instrument requires six AA bat- teries to power the scale and a nine-volt battery for the handheld device. Start using the SRS3 to obtain instant savings for your company and customers. If you are interested in learning more about the Fieldpiece SRS3 Wireless Re- frigerant Scale, just point your browser to ncilink.com/FPrefScale . — by Casey Contreras, instructor, Na- tional Comfort Institute Fieldpiece Wireless Refrigerant Scale I believe every business plans to make money and not give refrigerant away for free. With the constant increase in re- frigerant costs, the question is are you charging your customers appropriate- ly? If your technicians are not monitor- ing how much refrigerant they introduce into a system, how do you know if you made or lost money? The Fieldpiece SRS3 Wireless Refrig- erant Scale will enable you to charge customers the right price and track refrig- erant usage correctly. Plus, it’s water-re- sistant, provides 200 hours of battery life, and is A2L compatible. It combines wire- less electronics with a rugged design that is perfect for field work. HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT Written by HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionalsaccepted nationwide with great success. COPYING PAST MISTAKES The path the industry took in past years is un- derstandable. We must remember that our in- dustry, in hot, humid climates, began only in the mid-1960s. While meeting housing demand for the sheer number of baby boomers who demand- ed a higher standard of living, engineering values were sidestepped with shortcuts. With cheap energy prices, no one was the wis- er. As energy prices began to rise, and with the oil embargo of the late 1970s, the need for more-effi- cient housing stock became apparent. Once we es- tablished a path to improved construction meth- ods, the emphasis shifted to higher-performing HVAC equipment. In the wake of this rapid de- mand, equipment developers and installers be- gan seeking shortcuts in materials and installa- tion methodology. As a result, everyone started asking questions. Manufacturers questioned warranty returns on parts that seemed to fail prematurely with lit- tle reasoning. Green-energy gurus scratched their heads when efficiently built homes failed to perform at acceptable comfort levels. And con- tractors pondered why some systems operated poorly, for no apparent reason. EFFICIENCY EXAMINATION As far back as 2005, the Austin Energy team has advocated for studying delivered interior home efficiency. In 2011, they began a systematic search for homes where the staff and a group of contractors might be able to impact air-delivery systems with minimal expense and improved performance. The staff at Austin Energy is comfortable L ess than a decade ago, Austin Energy explored the savings that could be har- vested by adjusting only airflow in resi- dential homes. At the time, the utility had spent just over 30 years providing rebates to homeowners, looking to upgrade energy efficiency in existing homes by replacing HVAC equipment, sealing leaky duct - work, adding insulation, installing solar screens, and providing minor envelope air sealing. Austin Energy contracted with Paul Wie- boldt of Tradewinds Appropriate Tech- nologies to provide third-party testing and data validation. The idea was to separate the HVAC duct system from the entire package of upgrades mentioned above, as typically offered by utilities across the country. Tradewinds uncovered the following in- formation: For decades, the residential-environmental air conditioning community delivered substandard installation performance. The industry suffers the stigma, not from intentional wrongdoing, but rather from adopting rules of thumb that have little basis in fact. I humbly believe that if we can prove to the industry that they are on the wrong path, they will adopt the right think- ing. Today, when marketed correctly, the home- performance, house-as-a-system model is being 6 FEBRUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY The Impact of Duct and Air Flow Adjustments By Tom Turner TECHNICALopportunities should be presented to homeowners. By not informing home- owners, we only perpetuate problems in the HVAC industry. TOTAL EXTERNAL STATIC PRESSURE HVAC contractors should measure total external static pressure (TESP) as soon as they arrive at a residence. This practice should take precedence over hooking up refrigerant gauges. In almost every home Austin Energy tested during the pilot program, static pressure was a persistent issue. Most importantly, technicians should avoid using the rule of thumb. Industry engineers who design the equipment know what system out- put is required. Refer to manufactur- er specifications and compare them to measured TESP. We can forget static pressure altogether if we shortcut stat- ic pressure requirements with rule-of- thumb information. ΔTS AND INTERPRETATION Temperatures can identify issues early on; however, don’t be fooled. Like superheat and subcooling, with- out verified airflow present, readings are bogus. A ΔT (Delta T) without validated airflow requirements, can lead us down a meaningless path. Superheat and subcooling tell us only that the refrigerant charge is matched with the airflow. When the next contractor arrives to fix the issue, they’ll encourage the customer to buy a larger system, thus oversizing occurs. We can be leaving thousands of Btus in equipment capacity unharvested. Furthermore, many technicians use infrared technology to measure tem- perature. We should never count on infrared measurements to tune a re- frigerant system. Due to emissivity (reflectivity of energy), infrared gives wide variations in temperature read- ings. It’s better to use an electronic thermometer for all testing and tuning of refrigerant systems. But don’t throw away the infrared gun. These are very helpful in finding air leakage on the return side of the duct system. Because of the wide diffu- sion of the infrared beam, small tem- perature changes show up in a big way. RETURN AIR Return air measurements contin- ue to challenge our industry. We con- tinue to follow a trend of increased re- turn air size to provide adequate flow recommending changes in day-to-day installations. They see improvement by following a few rules. These are not actually rules, but a rediscovery of what the HVAC industry practiced in its infancy. While what they discov- ered is highly encouraging, more work is necessary. DEFAULT SETTINGS More than half the systems test- ed in Austin Energy’s system-perfor- mance pilot were set up improperly. We found incorrect fan speeds select- ed on standard blower motors; factory defaults on timed on-and-off fan op- eration (for harvesting evaporator en- ergy); incorrect fan settings on vari- able-capacity equipment; and default settings in selectable fields on thermo- stats for high-end equipment. SIZING UP SYSTEMS Several studies across our coun- try have proven more than 80% of installed HVAC systems are over- sized and deliver only 60% of rated capacity. The good news is that there are methods to identify these issues quickly. The homes Austin Energy surveyed proved this study accurate in their market area. These improvement FEBRUARY 2023 7HVACTODAY.COM8 FEBRUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TECHNICAL considers sustainability by fixing the air-delivery system, then sealing the envelope and adding insulation. Fixing the air-delivery system lat- er only calls for weatherization mea- sures to be repeated. Consumers may be slow to accept the idea. Making a real effort to advance a system-per- formance approach enables contrac- tors to provide homeowners with real options to make intelligent decisions regarding their most valuable home investment. POOR PERFORMANCE COSTS EVERYONE In conclusion, when poor system performance in the retrofit market is left unaltered, it costs everyone. It costs the consumer higher utility bills, poor comfort, and premature replace- ment. It costs manufacturers through increased warranty and lost wholesale revenue. It costs the contracting com- munity poor customer retention and lost income when managing service and retail sales callbacks. Most importantly, system perfor- mance answers how we get the instal- lation right. Almost a decade later, Austin Ener- gy continues to provide enhanced re- bates on properly installed duct sys- tems that deliver quiet and affordable comfort. material and on the internet. The chart is easy to use in general duct installations and is intended to back up Manual D and T calculations with real-world performance data. By the way, duct installation quality is even more important than equipment se- lection: duct installation quality will determine performance outcomes. In other words, we must pay attention to air duct installation as an industry. DROP THROW AND SPREAD Unfortunately, as an industry, we pay very little attention to grille loca- tion and the type of grille used. In Austin Energy’s pilot, we found same-size grilles from differing manu- facturers flowing nearly 20% more air. Some homes could be fixed with grille replacement. It is imperative to avoid air delivery to exterior walls at veloc- ities above 50 feet per minute (fpm) for homes in hot-and-humid climates. That practice can cause condensation and deterioration of construction ma- terial during mild weather. In the U.S., the overarching goal has been to weatherize structures by seal- ing envelopes and adding insulation. With less than 15% of Austin, Texas homes without a central air condition- ing system, the need to adopt a change becomes more apparent. Austin En- ergy wants to provide a program that for systems. This includes the practice of increasing the filter area. Seldom will systems of three tons (nominal size) or larger perform with only one high-efficiency air filter. Some systems require commercial grade returns to obtain flows, while others (platform return) may need extensive alteration. AIR FLOW DESIGN We can gain substantial airflow per- formance and comfort with simple changes in plenum design. These in- clude increased plenum length to ac- commodate air stabilization off the blower, a pressure-rebound zone, and an adequate take-off surface. We must also include more-efficient transitions when installing evaporators or adapt- ing existing plenums and ductwork. Austin Energy’s pilot found unexpect- ed gains by avoiding taps at specif- ic areas of the plenum formerly used without hesitation. DESIGN AND INSTALL The HVAC Industry has ignored proper airflow in individual duct runs for quite some time. Using duct trian- gles has gained traction while ignoring the costs associated with pressure and velocity. This approach might deliver airflow but miss the required velocity to make the terminal device work as designed. Duct performance flow criteria are available through a few sources. Among them are ACCA Manual D and Manual T, and these calculations are required in some jurisdictions. You should take the time to understand both ACCA Manuals before attempt- ing to design a duct system. National Comfort Institute’s duct chart is available in their course Austin Energy wants to provide a program that FIXES air-delivery systems, then seals the envelope and adds insulation. Tom Turner is an Environmental Program Coordinator for Austin Energy , Austin, Texas. A lifelong resident of Texas, Turner has worked in construction and the HVAC residential-light commercial industry for more than 40 years. He is an advocate for the “High-Performance HVAC Contracting” business model. You can reach him at ncilink.com/ContactMe .Next >