Flex ducts could be in imminent danger. A few months ago, I wrote about a recent proposal to severely limit the use of flexible (flex) ducts. Due to poor installation methods, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is proposing to limit use of flexible duct to only five feet in length. How …
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Changes are coming. If our President-Elect remains true to his campaign promises, bolstered by a business-friendly congress, we could see a very positive environment in 2017 for small businesses — i.e. HVAC contractors. Of course, we should take campaign promises with a grain of salt, as we know politicians will usually say anything to win …
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Analytics — why are they so doggone important? To answer that, we need to know the terms and references required to understand marketing analytics, whether you are doing it by yourself or using a third-party web management person/team. Looking at analytics without knowing or understanding what you’re seeing is just like looking at your P&L …
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Let’s talk airflow. We live back in the woods on a half-acre with fifteen 100-foot tall oak trees. For years I’ve imagined sharing leaf blowing airflow lessons with my fellow airheads. Let’s take a look at the mad airflow skills you can master while blowing leaves. Fascinating Statistics “If you don’t measure, you’re just guessing.” …
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Why financing? Here is why: Whether their product is consumer goods or HVAC systems, I have two words that are the bane to all salespeople: consumer debt. These two words impact consumers’ ability to buy things. The New York Federal Reserve’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit for the first quarter of 2014, showed …
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Flex duct versus metallic duct: for decades many considered duct material the key to how well an HVAC system delivers airflow to the conditioned space. You should start paying closer attention to this discussion. Events unfolding over the next few months could ultimately determine how much flexible duct you will be allowed to use when …
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NCI Legacy Series Blog Posts In memory of those who came before, we bring you some of their best posts and articles from the past. Nita Brooks, who lost her battle with cancer 2016, was an integral part of the National Comfort Institute team for many years and was prolific in her writing. This post …
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Airflow. It’s in our ventilation sytems. It’s the media through which our weather works. Off the South-Eastern coast of the United States, bounded by Miami (in Florida), San Juan (in Puerto Rico), and the north-Atlantic island of Bermuda, is an area known as the Bermuda Triangle. For years many ships and planes inexplicably disappeared when …
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Twenty-two years ago NCI set out on a mission to help the HVAC industry move towards measured performance. At the time, we envisioned a future where most systems would perform at over 90% delivered efficiency. We believed the industry would fix most of the HVAC systems in homes and buildings once the issue was recognized. …
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Are you a member of an HVAC trade organization? I’m talking about the ones you have to pay dues to belong to. If you don’t, think about something that Benjamin Franklin once stated: an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Seems reasonable, right? Yet it occurs to me, in the HVAC contracting world, the …
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