At the High-Performance HVAC Summit this past September in Asheville, NC, we illustrated how our industry is shifting towards high performance.

In a general session, I played a famous clip from the first “The Matrix” movie where Morpheus is sitting down with Neo to show him the truth about the Matrix. He explains that no one can be told what the Matrix is — that you have to see it for yourself.

Morpheus describes the Matrix as the perceived reality that things are fine, that everything around them is working perfectly. He offers Neo a choice between taking a blue pill and a red pill. If Neo chooses the blue pill nothing will change and life will seem to be just fine.

In our industry, Blue Pill contractors often unknowingly live in this type of fantasy world. They do the minimum necessary to service and maintain equipment, and they sell and swap boxes when they break down or age out. These companies represent nearly 90% of our industry!

If Neo chooses the red pill he will see things as they really are. In the presentation, I shared a picture of a typical home where everything seems to be working just fine (blue pill). But the next picture peels back the veneer and, like in the Matrix, we are able to see what is really going on.

The red pill is performance testing. Like having X-ray vision, it allows us to see how an HVAC system and a home are actually working.

When we see data on system pressures, airflows, temperatures, enthalpies, pressure imbalances between rooms, poor insulation, building and duct leakage, we begin to know the truth that all is not as it seems.

When we test combustion and check for potential carbon monoxide issues we often learn the home isn’t as safe as it seems.

High-Performance is the Red Pill

Those who’ve made the decision to test and measure system performance have taken the red pill. You truly cannot unsee the reality beneath the veneer.

Once you start measuring, like in the Matrix, you embark on a journey down the rabbit hole and discover the truth. Few, in good conscience go back and swallow the blue pill to just ignore it.

But unlike in the Matrix, choosing the red pill doesn’t lead to a dark and ominous, seemingly hopeless world. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

When you see HVAC systems and homes as they really are, a world of possibilities opens up to you. You have the opportunity to educate your customers and help them make better choices.

The High-Performance red pill can make you unbeatable. They key is to follow a good process that involves testing, customer education, and doing the right thing – always and ethically. By taking the red pill you can truly outperform your competition!

While it might seem a bit overwhelming, if you take it in baby steps you can easily get on this path. In the months ahead we will share these steps in a number of different ways, through webinars, articles, and ultimately at next year’s Summit.

Our theme next September is, “Navigate Your Path to High-Performance.” Each of the sessions will be focused on different steps along the path.

Whether you are just starting out, or somewhere along the path, please know the NCI team is here to help you along the way.

This approach will help your company differentiate itself, and ethically make the profits you deserve, while helping your customers live in safer, healthier, more comfortable, and energy efficient indoor environments.