Building HVAC Science

  "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." Jonathan Swift   Listeners to this podcast know, it is often very hard to explain what it is we do.   When I try to explain this, people's' eyes and ears glaze over as I get into the technical descriptions of the invisible elements that make a home more comfortable, safer, healthier and energy efficient.   (Wait, can an ear actually glaz...

"Data, data everywhere, and not a place to sync!" Eric Preston Sensor data and oftentimes, the corresponding analytics are popping up everywhere you look.   What is happening in the HVAC world?    In newer systems there are some options; most on the high end.    But are there any reliable solutions that address more basic systems and the aftermarket? Here comes SensiPredict by Emerson.       Emers...

" Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. " Michael Jordan   Years ago if someone said to me:  "I'm building a Net Zero home."   I would have thought,  "What are they giving up doing so?"   Fast Forward to 2021: In addition to me living in a prospective Net Zero Home (check out other episodes of this podcast), there are now several national Net Zero competitions with u...

"Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn Ben Franklin Bill is joined by Peter Troast of the Energy Circle and Steve Byers of Energy Logic to share their many reasons for attending the National Home Performance Conference year after year.   Sign up for the 2021 National Home Performance Conference ( all virtual) now at: https://events.building-performance.org/national...

  "I've been struck again and again  by how important measurement is to improving the human condition." Bill Gates Lend us your ears as Kaleb and Bill have a very fun interview with Ben Reed, VP of Products at TZOA, a relative new comer to the world of measurement products.   TZOA's approach with the Haven product is totally unique: a retrofittable residential air quality monitor that lives inside...

"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything." Thomas Carlyle Bill was honored to welcome Dr. Stephanie Taylor to the podcast where she shares the fascinating story of her career path from medicine to architecture to crusading for better building health by bridging these professional silos.   He had a great time interviewing Stephanie, plumbing the depths of her knowledge and...

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces." George Santayana Bill is joined Marty and David Indursky, a father and son team that have built Encon, an award winning, NJ-based HVAC/building solutions company.   Hear how David has reinvigorated the company by implementing modern technology techniques after he took it over from his father who founded ENCON in 1968.   They share best practices and wh...

"I grew up thinking that a research scientist was a natural thing to be." Stephen Hawking There's physical science. And there's a kind of science as to how the mind works and how people achieve their dreams. Blend one-part plasma fusion physics with one-part commercial real estate and stir this in an open and creative mind and you have Peter Capuciati, the Chairman and Founder of Bluon and the gue...

  "The only think I have learnt over the years is that if you enjoy your work and put in best efforts it will show. If you follow this process, things work out. But if you go chasing a formula, success will elude you." Mahesh Babu While building his own house, John Semmelhack 's innate curiosity grew as he researched the best was to design and build a home.   This lead him to start his own busines...

"True genius lies not in doing the extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well." General Louis H. Wilson, Jr. Building science principles are few and fairly straightforward; ordinary, perhaps.   HAM: A lot of it amounts to control the flow of Heat, Air and Moisture.   But, like so many things in this world, the devil is in the details. Listen in as I chat with my good f...

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. George Carlin Yep, Radon is force of evil.   Pure evil. Colorless. Odorless. Deadly.   But sneaky. It's deadly over decades.   My good friend Dick Kornbluth joins me to unravel the intricacies of all aspects of Radon – a colorless, odorless, poisonous radioactive gas.   Dick explains how and where radon is formed, how it gets into th...

  I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. Jimmy Dean While we picked a specific topic, this is a wide-ranging episode with my friend in the industry, Eric Stromquist of Stromquist.com – 2 nd generation controls distributor based out of Atlanta, GA. We discuss our thoughts and opinions on: How hard it is to actually get access to people –...

To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. Buddha HVAC and building performance contractors are seeing more homes built or retrofit to tighter levels. Blower door test outs like 3, 2, 1 ACH50 or less.   What do you do when the "house can't breathe?"   Hopefully, you see the humor in that statement.   Of course - you build it tight an...

In this age of high technology and Jedi Knights, we often overlook the need of personal involvement, but we do so at our own risk. William H. McRaven (American Solider) Attention all HVAC Techs: Soon someone will be looking over your shoulder.   Not it's not the Homeowner, with severe coffee breath and a million little questions, it's going to be a Home Energy Rater giving a grade to your HVAC ins...

Looking to be a better HVACR Tech?   One key aspect is keeping up to date with changing equipment, products and techniques. And that is no mean feat.   In order to do so, you need to help yourself to training and education where ever you can get it. Like this podcast… especially because it is on a lesser known topic: HVACR Chemicals and sealants.   Mike Walton of CoolAir Products in Maryland, join...

Today we turn the tables and your host becomes the guest! As you may or may not know Marilyn and I are building a new high-performance home this year (2019).   Even though I have been involved in home performance for 30 years, it was in the narrow field of test and measurement, not in construction detail and aspects.   And because it is our home and our money, everything about it is personal and I...

I've never thought about entrepreneurship when it comes to trade associations. I just thought they always existed.   Well, in the nascent world of building performance, I should have known better.   Listen in as we chat with Ryan Miller, the founder and executive director of the North Carolina Building Performance Association, as he describes his vision for the future of building performance.   He...

Some of our listeners have likely heard of the term Home Performance.   But have you heard of Home Performance 2.0?   Michael Housh and Neil Comparetto join us to describe how they are helping to develop this new approach to serving customers with total home performance. This is a systems being developed by Nate Adams and Ted Kidd.   They describe a well performing home as one that is healthy, com...

You may know the answer to this question: "Why would I want to use an air flow hood?"   You might not know the answer to this one: "How do I find a good air flow hood?"   Steve Rogers, President and Owner of the Energy Conservatory, joins us to answer both of these questions as well as provide a rich background to his company and his career.   We hear how a customer ride-along stimulated a multifa...

Smartphones are great communications tools for contractors and techs.   But how do you organize and effectively share the right photos at the right time?   Listen in as Luke Hansen, former roofing contractor and inventor of the CompanyCam App, explains his journey from concept to successful business.   His low-cost service allows techs to share rich photo information without clogging up their phot...

How can an IOT (internet of things) based device help home dwellers and home performance contractors?   Listen as our guest Jacques Touillon, inventor of the foobot describes what got him started on the journey from a concept to a successful product sold around the world.   Jacques' describes his vision of a future homes that has "invisible" sensors control systems to maintain superb indoor air qu...

Curious about what it takes to be an entrepreneur?   Well, so are these three guys.   Listen in as business owners Tersh Blissett ( Icebound HVAC & Refrigeration ), Bryan Orr ( Kalos Services ) and Bill Spohn ( TruTechTools, LTD ) discuss what it means to them to run their own businesses.   This wide-ranging discussion produced many good nuggets of info as we discuss visionaries, idealism vs. real...

We veer a little off the technical path in this episode as we discuss with Bryan Orr his educational missionary work in Haiti.   For the past 2 years, Bryan has led a small team of volunteers to first scope out and recently (November 2018) begin delivering basic trade education to native Haitians as young as 8 years old.   We hear about the leap of faith he has taken and how it has proven out in t...

You'll note no last names in this episode title, as I know Grace & Corbett so well.   And I think you need to know them better, too.   Grace McPhillips Lunsford and Corbett Lunsford have embarked on a road to change the culture of how home performance is perceived by homeowners and galvanize them into action.   A major section of this road opens in January 2019, where their TV Show, Home Diagnosti...

In this episode, Bill chats with James Childre, founder of RedPointMontana.com, a home performance specialist.   James shares with us his enthusiasm for the field and describes his persuasive persistence in preaching home performance in his role as a rater and a home inspector.   James discusses his approach with contractors and consumers as well as where he looks for improving at his trade.   We...