hvactoday.comJANUARY 2024 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • HVAC Product Innovations for 2024 and Beyond • Lessons from the High-Performance HVAC Summit • Contractor Spotlight: Robert B. Payne, Inc.JANUARY 2024 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM TECHNOLOGY: HVAC Product Innovations for 2024 and Beyond Two new products being showcased at the 2024 AHR Expo can benefit your HVAC Business today and in the future. DEPARTMENTS JANUARY 2024 3HVACTODAY.COM Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 High-Performance Product Review ...............................................5 Contractor Spotlight: Robert B. Payne, Inc. ...............................6 NCI Update .........................................................................................23 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................24 Ad Index ................................................................................................25 One More Thing ................................................................................26 10 MANAGEMENT: Eight Commercial HVAC Market Trends to Watch in 2024 Editor-in-Chief Mike Weil looks at the trends that can impact your commercial High-Performance HVAC business. 15 LEADERSHIP: Lessons Learned from the 2023 High-Performance HVAC Summit Contractor John Whitehead shares how his first NCI Summit experience changed everything! 18TODAY’S WORD By Mike Weil coming to us with well thought out sessions, and from there we seek and source anything that may need supplementing.” She points out that one of many great success stories are the panel discussions that have be- come more prevalent. These panels (of which National Comfort Institute often participates in) aim to open the lines of communication to top- ics that have some effect on all areas of the HVAC value chain. “Through this we’ve seen our exhibitors fos- ter relationships with new communities, as well as our ability to support the wider growth of net- working opportunities. In short, it’s been well worth the effort and we are excited to continue on this path,” she says. The growth of their educational programming is something that Pires is very passionate about. In fact she has been at the heart of developing the programing. “As a lifelong learner myself and as a servant of this industry, it just made sense to evaluate and secure a strong foundation for long-term success of our programming as we continue to build it in partnership with the industry.” Though AHR Expo is an annual event, Pires says no two shows are alike. Their investment in edu- cation also changes with the idea to build a bigger and ever-more complimentary knowledge sharing event side-by-side with the product showcase. “The innovation, new products and technolo- gy, regulation updates, and the wealth of new in- formation that changes so rapidly in our industry can be overwhelming. AHR Expo is an ideal op- portunity to dig in and see what’s ahead.” This year’s event is in Chicago, January 22-24 at the McCormick Place Convention Center. You should plan to go, and while there stop by our booth (S9043 ) to say hello. H appy New Year and welcome to 2024. This month’s focus is on the commer- cial HVAC market. Besides looking at the outlook for this marketplace (ncil- ink.com/2024CommOutlook), and the ever growing need for High-Performance HVAC Con- tractors to take advantage of the opportunities this new year brings (ncilink.com/0124OMT), we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the industry’s largest tradeshow and educational event: The AHR Expo. Over the AHR Expo’s 75 years, the focus was on the technology, products, tools, and services of- fered to all the values chains of the industry: man- ufacturers, distributors, contractors, and more. That is still at the core of this gigantic event. However, over the last 24 years or so, the orga- nization has developed a robust educational pro- gram that is worthy of every HVAC contractor’s consideration. Back in the early days, most of the education came from endorsing organizations like ASHRAE and were often held off-site from the main event. But AHR Expo recognized the need for an on- site open educational forum and, according to Kim Pires, the Expo’s operations director, it has grown from a very small addition to the show ex- perience to a robust program. “We’ve seen the value of investing time and en- ergy in mining topics that are important to our industry audiences over the years as the program has grown. “Each year we pay close attention to our so- cial media channels, industry media outlets, and conversations with the community in an effort to serve up the discussions that will address rel- evant topics,” she says. Pires adds that AHR Expo’s endorsing asso- ciations continue to “do a phenomenal job of 4 JANUARY 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY It’s NOT Only About the Products: AHR Expo Goes All In On Education Mike Weil is editor- in-chief and director of communications and publications at National Comfort Institute, Inc. Contact him at ncilink. com/ContactMe.JANUARY 2024 5HVACTODAY.COM other products. You can use a standard painter’s pole to extend the hood to ele- vated registers in ceilings and walls. Also, Evergreen uses rare earth mag- nets on the opening frame of the skirt al- lowing it to attach to the register or grill in T-bar ceilings and metal registers. Plus, they developed a wrist record- er that, when worn by the balancer, al- lows for quick and accurate balancing damper adjustments while the hood is at the register. The recorder can be worn on your wrist or can be mounted on the hoods base for different situations. The manometer allows for a multi tool approach: it can be used as a manome- ter, and it can be attached to other flow measurement instruments that Ever- green offers. The wrist recorder and manometer can also be paired with other temperature and humidity sensors that allow record- ing specific information while balanc- ing a system. There is a learnng curve to assembling and setting up Evergreen Telemetry prod- ucts. However, those initial difficulties wash away after you get comfortable using the CH-15D and its accessories. Learn more about this hood at ncilink. com/CH-15D . — By Jeff Sturgeon, NCI Southern Cali- fornia Training Center Manager, Trainer, and Coach EVERGREEN TELEMETRY CH-15D BALANCING HOOD In every balancing class I teach, I am always asked “which balancing (capture) hood should I buy?” Because there are so many options available today, the choice can be daunt- ing. My answer is always to consider the type of projects you usually work on, what other test instruments you own, and what are their limitations? Why? Because you want a new capture hood that complements those instru- ments and compliments any other hood you already own. The Evergreen Telemetry CH-15D or the 15” capture hood is particularly of interest. This hood sets itself apart from competitive products in several ways. First, it is significantly lighter than HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCT Written by HVAC Professionals for HVAC Professionalsmanager within five years. He says that today, Robert B. Payne, Inc. is an $11 million+ company that does most- ly residential work. They do some light commercial work as well. “That has changed a lot since the 1980s when the company was more focused on commercial,” McKoy ex- plains. “Once we got into the residen- tial service and replacement market in the late 1980s, we pretty much evolved over time to an intensely focused resi- dential company.” ON-THE-JOB SHEET METAL The company has a sheet metal shop and fabricates most of its fittings and duct runs. “In the past, we had a shop foreman who was our full-time sheet metal guy. Today, we operate differently. Our six installation teams operate the sheet metal equipment in the shop. We have a Vulcan sheet metal machine, some Pittsburgh sheet metal forming ma- chines, and some bending machines. “Again, these are all operated by our installation department. They work as a team. There is no separate sheet metal crew,” McKoy says. “They pre- fabricate return boxes in bulk as well as emergency pans before they go out on jobs. We also build our commer- cial ducting here. But we take things a step further. “We have sheet metal machines on our trucks, enabling us to fabricate metal on the job site. Every instal- lation vehicle has a Pittsburgh and a sheet metal brake. “Our installation fleet includes large box trucks, and they have room for this equipment plus all the materials needed for the job. In other words, most of our fabrication happens in the field,” he continues. In addition to the HVAC work, the company continues in its original role as a fuel oil delivery service. McKoy says, “In our area, delivering fuel oil is a service that is still needed for existing customers. This part of the business helps us take care of existing oil customers. We’re a one-stop shop for them. We are one of the few com- panies still delivering fuel oil and ser- vicing oil-fired equipment.” Robert B. Payne employs 19 service technicians (including McKoy). This team consists of four maintenance and 15 service technicians. They have 13 installers and a fuel oil delivery driver. I t’s not every day that you meet an HVAC contracting firm that has been in business for 93 years and is still going strong. Located in Fred- ericksburg, VA, Robert B. Payne, Inc. has almost as colorful a history as its historical hometown along the Rappahannock River. The company was opened for busi- ness by Robert B. Payne in 1930 as a residential wood and ice delivery ser- vice using horses and buggies. That led to the delivery of coal in the late 1930s. In fact, according to Wes McKoy, service manager for the company to- day, the company purchased its first box car of coal on credit in the late 1930s, during the Great Depression. Then, in the 1940s, the company ex- panded to deliver fuel oil. “That began to change a bit when, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the company expanded into central air conditioning system installation and service,” McKoy says. “Shifts in technology have nev- er been a problem for us,” he con- tinues. “Today, we are seeing a big move toward all-electric comfort sys- tems. Though gas efficiency is still big around here, heat pump technolo- gy and efficiency are to a point where they can work well in our climate.” ROBERT B. PAYNE TODAY McKoy, who began working for the company in 1994 as a service tech- nician, worked his way up to service 6 JANUARY 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHT By Mike Weil Embracing Change by Doing What’s Right for Customers Delivering fuel oil and servicing oil-fired HVAC systems remains a profitable business for Robert B. Payne, Inc.thing we do. People want to stay and work here because we invest heavily in it. We always have,” he says. At the time of this writing, the com- pany had only been a National Com- fort Institute (NCI) member for a month or so. But in that time, accord- ing to McKoy, they brought in an NCI instructor for a week to conduct an on- site training program. “We also bought 15 carbon monox- ide (CO) analyzers,” he says. “We know that the investment benefits our cus- tomers and will pay for itself over time. We have always tried to deliver a supe- rior product to our customers and be- lieve the system performance approach will allow us to better do that. We use analyzers to measure and test and now understand what those readings mean and how to apply that information to help customers. This approach sets us far apart from competitors. “We can share real numbers show- ing customers how their systems op- erate before we do any work and after we finish. That’s the key. “Frankly, I believe our team loves the analytical side of HVAC, the sci- ence behind it. With the NCI training and a high-performance ap- proach to our work, we have evidence to back up what we tell cus- tomers is wrong with the system, what repair is needed, or why they need to replace it,” McKoy says. He adds that they have seen “mas- sive results from it in the short period since that training.” TECHNICIANS LOVE THE HIGH- PERFORMANCE APPROACH “In my opinion, the technicians us- ing the new instruments have taken to them and are finding what NCI calls the invisible repairs we missed before.” McKoy says that as service manager, he reviews all the service tickets and sees the increases in work. He shares an example of how they re- cently replaced a fully func- tional water heater because they showed the customer how inefficient it was through testing and measuring. “We compared her 18-year- old water heater’s functional efficien- cy to today’s standards, and she ap- proved the purchase and installation without even asking about price,” he says. “Though that type of sale is rare, showing how a system performs plants a seed. Not everybody will do the re- pair or the replacement, but they know it’s coming. So they can prepare.” TECHNICAL TRAINING IS #1 According to McKoy, in a recent ACCA (Air Conditioning Contrac- tors of America) MIX group meeting, In total, they employ 51 people, including their office team, fuel manag- er, and salespeople. LONGEVITY IS A CORNERSTONE Let’s face it. Any HVAC company that has been around for nearly 100 years has excellent longevity. McKoy him- self has been with the firm for 29 years and says many others have been around even longer. Why do people stick around so long? “Robert B. Payne has great benefits, which certainly has a role,” he says. “I often hear that people who work here love that management wants all of us to take pride and do excellent work to ensure 100% customer satisfaction. “Doing things right is our commit- ment to quality and our customers. We’ve always believed that if you do the right thing, charge a fair price, and provide val- ue, the money will come. They love this people-first approach that has existed through all three generations of Payne ownership.” Again, Robert B. Payne started the company in 1930. According to McK- oy, Payne’s daughter’s husband, Cam- eron Thompson, is the second genera- tion. The couple’s children, Cameron Thompson III and Robert Thompson, run the company today. McKoy adds that such consistency in management and philosophy is one key driver to the company’s longevity. Another is their focus on training. TRAINING IS FOUNDATIONAL “Training is the foundation of every- JANUARY 2024 7HVACTODAY.COM Robert B. Payne installation teams fabricate much of the sheet metal for each job, onsite — a winning approach to better servicing their HVAC customers.learn more about technol- ogy and products. MARKET CHALLENGES The city of Fredericks- burg once was a central hub for commerce and an important port in Virgin- ia during the colonial era. In the early 20th century, it was less important as a port but grew as a bedroom community for Washing- ton, DC, and Richmond, VA. McKoy, who grew up in the Frederick area, says it was mostly a rural area with a solid population. “But over the years, it has become more of a suburb for Washington, D.C. as well as Richmond. People move here to get military jobs and commute to both cities. Military families usual- ly move out in five years. We’ve had to adapt our marketing for that. Only 25 years ago, 90% of the town knew the Robert B. Payne Company. But that’s not the case anymore. “With so many people moving in, we must continually establish who we are because the newer residents don’t know us the way the older community did in the past.” To battle this, the company uses many vehicles like radio, TV, digital, direct mail, and social media – partic- ularly Facebook – to build its brand. They continue to sponsor area sports affiliates, including the Fredericks- burg Nationals minor league baseball team. “Even so,” he adds, “we are heat- ing and air conditioning profession- als, not professional marketers. So we try to enlist the help of different ven- dors. But now, as we get more adept at High-Performance HVAC contracting, we see how that can differentiate us, and we want to make that a part of our marketing message. “This approach helps us show real value to our customers. In the world of testing and measuring, we can start engaging in that conversation, which impresses customers.” WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED McKoy says he can’t stress enough how real and intense NCI training is. “Our technicians sense that and love it because it has everyday application. It makes them better and helps them help the customer more than anything else. As a team, we feel we are much better off than before taking the NCI combustion class.” It is so interesting how excited and driven the Robert B. Payne, Inc. team is in testing, measuring, and proving what they say is true. They are new to the High-Performance HVAC ap- proach, and in Wes McKoy’s words, they are just getting started. For these and many other reasons, High-Performance HVAC Today shines its January spotlight on Robert B. Payne, Inc. Congratulations to Wes McKoy and the entire team. another MIX Group member – Clint Solliday from Jack Lehr Heating and Cooling of Allentown, PA- was very enthusiastic about the training they received from NCI. “He strongly recommended we jump into High-Performance HVAC train- ing. And we did. We did a CO and com- bustion onsite for our service team and now have our eyes on doing an- other onsite for our installers. We will include our sales team in that class as they work closely with our installation team.” The company’s training focuses mostly on the technological side of the business. McKoy explains that as a Trane dealer, they always receive training on Trane products. “We also carry some Carrier prod- ucts and do a lot of work with duct- less mini splits from Mitsubishi. So, we send our technicians to manufac- turer-based training. In addition, our service department meets every other week on Wednesday,” McKoy explains. “Sometimes that meeting focuses on specific product or equipment train- ing. We’ll show specific training vid- eos, or sometimes more generic ones like troubleshooting on low voltage issues. “We also send techs out for train- ing. In November, we sent two guys to an oil school in Pennsylvania. I can’t stress enough how strongly we believe in training. We spend so much mon- ey on it.” In addition to residential HVAC training, Robert B. Payne, Inc. trains its team in the technology behind geo- thermal products. “We sell, install and repair Water- Furnace geothermal systems as well,” McKoy says. “We never hesitate to 8 JANUARY 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHT Robert B. Payne, Inc. service technicians take part in the company’s first NCI combustion class with Casey Contreras (center) as the instructor.JANUARY 2024 9HVACTODAY.COMNext >