Building HVAC Science

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science podcast, Eric introduces Matt Akins, the Manager of HVAC Education at the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), as they delve into Matt's journey within the HVAC industry. Matt's career trajectory, starting as a dispatcher for an HVAC company at 19, took him through various roles, from technician to operations manager. His pivotal moment came...

In this episode of the "Building HVACScience" podcast, Wyatt Smith, founder and CEO of Upsmith, joined hosts Bill Spohn and Eric Kaiser to discuss his company's innovative approach to tackling America's skilled worker shortage. Wyatt detailed how Upsmith develops software aimed at enhancing productivity in the trades industry by using strategic technology to manage and improve workforce performanc...

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, hosts Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn are joined by Grant Gunnison from Zero Homes. The discussion kicks off with Grant mentioning upcoming conferences in Denver related to home electrification and heat pumps, which he, Eric, and Bill plan to attend. Grant shares insights on the complexities homeowners face when installing electrification technologi...

In the latest episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric Kaiser and co-host Bill Spohn welcomed guest Enrico Bonilauri, an architect originally from Italy now based in the U.S. Enrico shared insights from a comprehensive study comparing various building standards across 50 projects to evaluate energy efficiency and performance. He discussed the differences between international and America...

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast recorded at the ACCA 2024 Conference in Orlando, Florida, Eric catches up with Ed Janowiak from ACCA.  Ed and Eric virtually navigate the listeners through the conference, noting the mix of technical and managerial attendees. Ed emphasizes the necessity of technical knowledge in HVAC, especially evident in a conference setting. Eric and Ed remin...

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, hosts Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn welcome Jesse Smith, a carpenter turned HVAC enthusiast. Jesse, who has written an intriguing article titled "Lies, Damned Lies, and Manometer Readings" for Asterisk Magazine, shares his journey from carpentry to specializing in high-performance building and energy retrofits. His early exposure to energy efficie...

In this episode recorded at the ACCA 2024 conference in Orlando, Eric Kaiser interviews Wes Davis, the Director of Technical Services at ACCA. Wes shares his extensive experience at ACCA, noting his nearly two-decade tenure and involvement in significant initiatives like code hearings and contractor accreditation efforts. He humorously remarks on his career progression within ACCA, crediting his r...

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, hosted by Eric Kaiser, guests Josh Crawley and Casey Prater from TruTech Tools discuss their experiences at the HVAC Excellence National HVACR Education Conference held in March in Las Vegas, Nevada. They share insights on the conference's focus on education and technology advancements in the HVAC industry, emphasizing the passionate learning e...

In this engaging interview on the Building HVAC Science Podcast, co-hosts Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn welcomed Jason Julian, owner of Julian Heating and Air in Arkansas, to discuss his remarkable journey and the evolution of his business. Julian's story is one of resilience and transformation, beginning with his entry into the HVAC industry as a recovering drug addict and felon in need of employmen...

In this podcast Bill and Eric interview their friend, Russ King, AKA Mr. Load Calcs from California. Russ has extensive background in HVAC, starting from his first job in 1988 doing load calculations and energy modeling for California's Title 24 energy code. He shares his journey from working with his mentor Marshall Hunt, through running a mechanical engineering department for a big energy consul...

Eric and Bill welcome Victor Hyman to the podcast. Victor is the Executive Director of Climate Care Cooperative, an Ontario-based HVAC contractors' cooperative focused on residential services. Victor explains that Climate Care has been operational since 1992, and he has been its Executive Director for three and a half years. He highlights the unique nature of a contractors' cooperative, detailing...

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, co-hosts Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn welcomed special guests Ed Smith and Eric Fitz from Amply Energy. The group began by sharing their experiences at the recent HVACR school symposium in Florida, highlighting the significance of personal connections and shared knowledge in the industry. Ed Smith discussed his transition from operating businesse...

In the episode Eric and Bill interview Chris Wisniewski, a high-end residential HVAC contractor. Chris shares his journey from having no initial interest in HVAC, influenced by his father's work, to taking over the family business after college. He emphasizes the importance of being in the field and understanding the technical aspects, leading to his interest in control systems and the evolution o...

In the podcast, Austin shares his experiences with sustainable building practices, particularly highlighting the initial venture into constructing a LEED platinum-level building to demonstrate that high sustainability standards can be achieved without excessive costs or complexity. He discusses the general approach where typical construction starts with existing methods and then adapts to earn add...

In this episode of the podcast hosts Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn welcomed Amit Gupta from AeroSeal, a company specializing in duct sealing technology. Amit shared the backstory of AeroSeal, which was originally founded based on technology invented by Dr. Mark Modera at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The technology struggled to gain traction under its initial ownership by Carrier, leading Am...

In this episode Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn review their experiences and insights from the 5th Annual HVACR School training symposium. They start by discussing the symposium's popularity, noting it had a cap of 300 attendees, indicating a high level of interest and engagement within the community. A highlight mentioned is a 12-year-old attendee, Atley D., who exemplified passion and intelligence fo...

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric Kaiser introduces Ralph Wolf, a respected figure in the HVAC industry, known for his internet presence and contributions to the field. Ralph discusses his journey, emphasizing the impact of social media on his career and his current role in education. Despite his reduced online activity since joining Ferguson, Ralph's influence remains str...

Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn share their experiences and observations from the 2024 AHR Expo, a major event for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) industry held this past week (Jan 22-24, 2024).  Main points: There were thousands of vendors showcasing new products and technologies. We mention the educational sessions, standards committee meetings, and networking op...

Bill & Eric had a great time digging into the details of all things IAQ with John Ellis.   Our conversation covered a new air filtration product developed by John in collaboration with Dustfree.    Eric queried John on the applications for and design of the product. John with his 43 years of field experience, describes the collaboration with Dustfree's engineers and the development of this novel f...

Eric and I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dominick Guarino the Chairman & CEO of the National Comfort Institute (NCI) about its mission to improve the HVAC industry through education and training. Here are the key points: NCI's origin and mission: Founded in 1998 by Dominick Guarino and the late Rob Falke. Driven by the desire to improve comfort, energy efficiency, safety, and health in...

Eric and I had a great time learning about Classset, a platform that connects skilled trades workers with potential employers. Here's a 3-paragraph summary: Classset was founded by Cooper Newby and his co-founder Nick Jones, who were inspired by their previous experience recruiting blue-collar workers and their belief in the potential of the skilled trades. They saw a need for a platform that woul...

Eric and I had the pleasure of interviewing Shawna Henderson, as self-proclaimed building science wonk: who works to keep it real in the field and make it real with online training for builders and renovators. A unique thought she shares were her remarks on building science haiku: how structure, components and requirements can create thousands of variations. Shawna, with 30 years of experience sin...

We've kept Eric Kaiser, our Industry Engagement Manager, busy for the last couple years and especially in 2023. Part of his busy-ness was related to traveling to various conferences, meetings and events. In this episode, Bill and Eric chat about these experiences and how they help us better serve customers and the industry. This episode was recorded in December 2023  

Niek-Jan's Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/niek-jan-bink-18b6203/ ACIN Products: http://www.acin.nl/ RETROTEC and ACIN at TruTech Tools: https://trutechtools.com/retrotec   Eric and I had the pleasure of interviewing Niek Jan Bink, a Dutch national who has been working in the HVAC industry for over 20 years.  He is the founder of Acin, a company that manufactures airflow measurement products...

Eric and I had a great conversation with Louise Kellar, the National Training Manager for UEi Test instruments. We share a lot of common ground with Louise on education and proper application in test and measurement. And in this interview Eric and Louise literally shared the common ground they were standing on during the interview which was conducted in the TruTech west studio in Indianapolis, IN....