hvactoday.comOCTOBER 2024 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM If You Don’t Measure, You’re Just Guessing! ™ EXAMINING Indoor Air Quality October is National IAQ Awareness Month! ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • Anatomy of a High- Performance Sales Process • Think About IAQ from a New Perspective • PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Arzel Zoning TechnologiesOCTOBER 2024 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 10 HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Resilience and Innovation: Arzel Zoning’s Post-Pandemic Outlook What post-pandemic changes impacted this zoning system manufacturer and how did that benefit their customers? SALES: Anatomy of a High-Performance HVAC Sales Process When Contractor Dawn Mroczek prepares for her sales calls, she uses an internal process to ensure the customer comes first. She shares these processes with you. DEPARTMENTS OCTOBER 2024 3HVACTODAY.COM Today’s Word .........................................................................................4 Summit Partner Highlights ...............................................................5 NCI Update .........................................................................................23 HVAC Smart Mart ...............................................................................24 Ad Index ................................................................................................25 One More Thing ................................................................................26 116 17 COVER STORY: Thinking About IAQ from a New Perspective Nate Copeland is all about keeping customers safe and comfortable in their homes. He takes IAQ on fully to accomplish that. Here are the lessons he learned.substantial majority (80% or more) of the people exposed do not express dissatisfaction.” YOUR ROLE IN IMPROVING IAQ As High-Performance HVAC™ contractors, you certainly have a role to play. From doing the basics, like including things such as filter chang- es, equipment maintenance routines, IAQ test- ing, and ensuring that ductwork systems are not leaky, you can help customers remain safe from health concerns as well as comfortable within their homes. But there is an even bigger role that you can play, especially if you make IAQ an important part of your service offerings, like Nathan Cope- land of Copeland Home Services does. Read his article on page 17 where he talks about teaming up with an environmentalist and a mold remediation specialist to attack a rare, but harmful disease caused by mold. In that article, he shares what he and his team do to find and solve these issues before they be- come life-threatening (and they can become life threatening) and the impact that has on both his company and the lives of customers. IAQ issues include radon, tobacco smoke, car- bon monoxide, and allergens from mold, insects, and pets. By offering IAQ upgrades and control strategies, you can help customers take charge of their comfort and health within their homes. HELP CUSTOMERS UNDERSTAND WHAT IAQ MEANS TO THEM The last, and maybe most important part of this: communication. Your team should com- municate clearly any and all IAQ issues you find through testing and measuring. In the end, you are the professional that customers depend on. Happy IAQ Awareness Month. A s I write this month’s column, Octo- ber is just around the corner. Here in Cleveland, the weather is getting colder and rainier. The leaves are just starting to change colors. And my neighbors and homeowners around the city are beginning to prepare for autumn, Halloween, and eventually, winter. Also, October is National Indoor Air Qual- ity (IAQ) Awareness Month. Observed annu- ally, this month-long recognition event provides an opportunity to focus on the air we breathe in- doors. But just how important is this to your com- pany and your customers? WHY FOCUS ON IAQ? Let’s take a look at some numbers to start with. One of the more popular statistics about in- door spaces is how much time the average per- son spends there. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates it at 90% in America! In my humble opinion, the quality of the air we’re breathing 90% of the time is important, and it should matter to you. This is a fact not necessarily lost upon the HVAC Industry. After all, there are plenty of con- tractor services (duct cleaning among them) and products (filtration systems, ozone products, UV lights, and more) to address the issue. Furthermore, there are agreed-upon defini- tions for what is acceptable IAQ. Specifically, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refriger- ation and Air-Conditioning Engineers) has Stan- dard 62.1 and 62.2 that are applicable to most indoor settings. The standard defines acceptable indoor air quality as: “… air in which there are no known contami- nants at harmful concentrations as determined by cognizant authorities and with which a 4 OCTOBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY How Important is Indoor Air Quality To Your Business? To Your Customers? 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.return grilles in even the tightest of hall- ways and corridors. Again, this innova- tion is to help those focused on system performance to streamline their testing. Contractors who attended NCI’s Sum- mit learned how our staff will meet with their employees, in the classroom, or on job sites, to provide training. Our representatives used this time to observe contractor standard practices and better understand their needs. This is our first step to improving existing products and inventing new solutions to add to the product line. High-Performance HVAC contractors are valuable to Evergreen Telemetry and we produce advanced and versatile test instruments to serve these top total sys- tem performance contractors. We support contractors who strive to provide the most accurate data to the end user — that is the core of our busi- ness. How can we make your job faster, easier, and safer? When purchasing an Evergreen Telem- etry product, the contractor isn’t simply buying from a leading product produc- er — they are gaining an industry part- ner who works to keep up with their ever changing needs. If you missed us at the 2024 NCI Sum- mit, or for more information about our products and services, visit our website at evergreentelemetry.com. TEMPERATURE TRAVERSE AND RESIDENTIAL FLOW HOODS At the 2024 National Comfort Institute (NCI) Summit, Evergreen Telemetry is proudly showcased both the Tempera- ture Traverse and Residential Flow Hood kits . The temperature traverse kit allows High-Performance HVAC™ contractors and technicians to simultaneously take up to eight different wet bulb and dry bulb temperature readings on a system. This attribute is ideal for system perfor- mance testing because it allows techs to read temperature and humidity in up to eight different rooms at once! The Residential Flow Hood kits offer 16x16x24-in. and 24x24x36-in. skirts and frame options. These compact designs enable technicians to read supply and OCTOBER 2024 5HVACTODAY.COM SUMMIT PARTNER HIGHLIGHTnot simply lock down and have their employees work from home. Most of them still had to come in. “We adopted a hybrid model where a core group had to be on-site to fulfill orders and build products. We spaced out the in-person team to protect them and set up others remotely.” Employee levels are now back to normal. OVERCOMING SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES The pandemic caused more than a year of significant back orders on Ar- zel’s flagship products. “This situation forced us to look for new suppliers and partners,” Bar- ton recalls. “Through this process, we found new sources, enabling us to manufacture and distribute our prod- ucts at lower prices than before the pandemic.” Barton highlights the unique posi- tion Arzel found itself in compared to competitors. “Every other manufacturer that was having the same supply chain is- sues was raising their prices, but Ar- zel only had one price increase, which was NOT across all our products. We were able to pass those savings onto our customers and were selling prod- ucts at lower prices in many cases.” TECHNOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT AND TRAINING Arzel’s commitment to contractor education, mainly through its Com- fort College program, faced signifi- cant hurdles during the pandemic. “COVID-19 halted our face-to-face training,” Barton says. “We quickly pivoted to online webinars, partner- ing with states and local municipal- ities to ensure our contractors could earn CEUs. “Once restrictions eased, we re- sumed in-person Comfort College ses- sions, though it took time for atten- dance to pick up. Now, we’re running at capacity and sometimes need to re- fer people to future sessions.” Recognizing the changing landscape, Barton says Arzel invested heavily in creating a robust video training li- brary. These short videos cover every- thing from powering the Arzel Zoning system to troubleshooting and instal- lation tips. He says they distribute these train- A rzel Zoning Technology is a leading manufacturer of HVAC zoning systems founded in 1983. We pro- filed this company in January 2021, and in the intervening years, a lot has changed. However, the com- pany has demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability while navi- gating the challenges initially posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ken Barton, vice president of tech- nical sales at Arzel, shares insights into how they overcame supply chain disruptions, workforce challenges, and market fluctuations. The key is that Arzel also managed this while continuing to support their HVAC contractor customers and inno- vate their product offerings. NAVIGATING THE PANDEMIC “Like everyone else, we faced our struggles,” says Ken Barton, reflect- ing on the early days of the pandemic. “Initially, we managed to navigate for nearly 12 months almost unscathed because we had a plan and stocked up on necessary parts and materials.” However, he says the prolonged na- ture of COVID-19 brought unexpected challenges. “We didn’t anticipate the pandemic would last as long as it did. Eventually, we started seeing shortages of raw ma- terials and had difficulties finding em- ployees,” Barton explains. To maintain operations, Arzel could 6 OCTOBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT By Mike Weil Resilience and Innovation: Arzel Zoning’s Post-Pandemic Outlook Ken BartonOCTOBER 2024 7HVACTODAY.COM their market position. “Our partnership with NCI and their High-Performance HVAC™ contrac- tors is crucial,” he notes. “These con- tractors are knowledgeable, profes- sional, and committed to excellence. They don’t just install equipment; they test, measure, and fix underlying issues. This alignment with our val- ues enhances our market position and drives our success.” Barton recalls a memorable experi- ence with one NCI-trained contractor who reaffirmed his commitment to the system approach that NCI teaches: “During an NCI Summit a few years ago, one of NCI’s members, a contractor named Vince DiFilippo, did a workshop on how to make duct systems work right using zones. He mentioned no product brands, but his slides featured Arzel products. “My tradeshow booth became flood- ed with contractors eager to learn more.” LOOKING AHEAD Ken Barton emphasizes the dynam- ic nature of the HVAC industry, where technological advancements and mar- ket shifts are constant. “We’re in exciting times with rap- id technological advancements,” he says. “Arzel is working on new prod- ucts all the time, and while I can’t share any specifics, we think our next generation of controls is going to be very exciting.” There are still ongoing challenges left over from the pandemic years. Barton mentions the biggest remains supply chain issues, with the addition of regulatory changes. “Supply chain issues continue to crop up, but we’ve built a surplus stock to navigate these challenges,” he explains. “Regulations are also a moving tar- get, so we stay active with ACCA and AHRI, our voices on Capitol Hill. These organizations help us stay ahead of regulatory changes and in- dustry developments.” ing videos through social media, You- Tube, and their website. “This content has gained a lot of mo- mentum and has been well-received by our contractors and distributors,” he adds. OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SUPPORT Arzel’s technical support team, which is comprised of field-trained veterans, has always provided excellent help to their contractor customers. “Our technical support team, all field-trained veterans, provides direct assistance for installation or service issues,” Barton states. “They can even use video chat to help diagnose prob- lems. This rapid, knowledgeable sup- port has been a significant differenti- ator for us.” The company’s strong emphasis on customer support extends to system design and custom applications. “We get a lot of those,” Barton says, em- phasizing the importance of helping contractors with unique challenges. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND MARKET ADAPTATION Arzel’s strategic partnerships, partic- ularly with organizations like Nation- al Comfort Institute (NCI), accord- ing to Barton, have been instrumental in helping the organization to maintain PARTNER SPOTLIGHT COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION Despite the challenges, Arzel re- mains committed to innovation and excellence. “Arzel’s legacy is simplicity, easy in- stallation, reliability, and quietness,” Barton asserts. “We can put up to 40 dampers on one system, and with a dual pump, we can handle 80 to 100 dampers. This flexibility makes our systems ideal for both retrofit and new markets.” Reflecting on the company’s market approach, Barton says, “Our zoning uses air-driven versus motor-driven technology. It’s simpler and doesn’t break down as much as the more com- plicated motorized zoning systems out there. positions them for continued success and growth. Ken Barton’s insights reveal a com- pany that weathered the pandem- ic storm and emerged more robust and adaptable. Arzel’s commitment to innovation and contractor support ensures its place at the forefront of the HVAC industry as it looks to the future. For these and many other reasons, the High-Performance HVAC Today magazine team once again shines our Partner Spotlight on Ar- zel Zoning Technologies. Con- gratulations to Ken Barton and his entire team. “We have a cycle test damper that’s gone through 23 million cycles with- out failure. Based on its simplicity, customers have come up with their own slogan for us: ‘Arzel just works.’” BE ROBUST AND ADAPTABLE Arzel Zoning’s journey through the pandemic underscores the company’s resilience, innovation, and unwaver- ing commitment to customer support and contractor education. By lever- aging new technologies, enhancing training programs, and maintaining robust technical support, Arzel con- tinues to be a leader in the HVAC in- dustry. Their dedication to excellence 8 OCTOBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYNext >