Building HVAC Science

Quotes from the episode: "Are you still learning, or did you stop learning in your career?" "I would spend more time chasing the wrong problem in an analog format because I'm not measuring everything." "Some of your best growth could come from that new employee that you just brought in that's bringing in a different perspective." Buying new technology is easy. Getting people to actually use it well is another matter. In this episode of Building HVAC Science, Bill talks with Brian Feenie, founder of ShiftLogic, about the gap between adopting technology and successfully implementing it in an HVAC business. Brian brings a broad industry perspective from 30 years spent in contracting, manufacturing, controls, software, sales, and training. Today, much of his work centers on helping contractors implement MeasureQuick® and build the processes and culture needed to make new technology stick. Brian explains why implementation often fails before the technology ever gets a fair chance. Owners and managers may see the value, but technicians, office staff, and sales teams aren't necessarily aligned around the change. His approach starts with listening to technicians, understanding their concerns, and connecting new processes to something most good technicians already care deeply about: serving the customer well. The conversation also explores the evolution of MeasureQuick® from a highly technical diagnostic platform into a tool designed to help technicians at different experience levels understand what system data is telling them. Brian discusses how better measurements, guided processes, and clearer interpretation can improve diagnostic confidence while reducing the assumption that comprehensive testing automatically means slower service. Bill and Brian also dig into the business case for better diagnostics, including callbacks, conversion rates, average tickets, and consistency across an organization. But the conversation ultimately lands somewhere deeper than software or smart tools: culture. If a company's culture doesn't support learning, measurement, transparency, and change, even the best technology can struggle to gain traction. For owners, managers, and technicians alike, this episode is a reminder that technology doesn't change a company by itself. People do. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-feenie-72a27225/ Website: https://shiftlogicsales.com/ mQ case study with Greg Kula @Sila: https://measurequick.com/case-studies/sila-services/ Brian tests his own house (video): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brian-feenie-72a27225_hvac-ugcPost-7450727542287773696-staV/ This episode was recorded in September 2026.

Quotes from the episode: "Business doesn't care about your emotions. You just have to solve the problem." "The person that's best doing the plumbing is usually not the best person selling the plumbing." "The biggest thing is: know where your shutoff valve is to your home." What does a modern plumbing company look like, and what can HVAC and building-performance professionals learn from one? In this episode, Bill talks with Max Hicks, founder of Reliant Plumbing, about Max's path from entering the trades at 16 to building a plumbing service company with roughly 55 trucks across four Texas markets. Max shares lessons from more than two decades in the trade, including residential new construction, commercial work, union experience, and eventually business ownership. The conversation explores how technology has changed both plumbing and the business of running a service company. Max discusses the importance of CRM data, knowing your numbers, documenting processes, separating sales from installation when appropriate, and building systems that allow a growing company to scale. He also talks candidly about one of the industry's toughest challenges: recruiting and retaining skilled tradespeople. On the technical side, Bill and Max discuss the evolution of plumbing tools, from modern leak-detection equipment to the widespread adoption of press fittings. Max explains how press technology has changed the skills plumbers need in the field and why his own skepticism about pressed connections faded after years of seeing them perform reliably. They also venture into heat pump water heaters, homeowner plumbing knowledge, pinhole leaks, and the very different seasonal patterns of plumbing and HVAC. One simple homeowner lesson stands out: know where your main water shutoff is before you need it. The episode closes where plumbing and HVAC literally meet: the condensate drain. Max explains why HVAC condensate lines can contribute to drain problems and why understanding that crossover can help both trades diagnose problems more effectively. Website: https://reliantplumbing.com/ This episode was recorded in August 2026.

Quotes from the episode: "The HVAC system is just designed to match the rate at which that home is gaining or losing heat." — Spencer Rosen "It's part of their job…making sure that the piece of equipment they put in the house matches what the house needs." — Russ King "Don't split hairs when your job is to shave heads." — Connor King, quoting Russ What if better HVAC design started not with the equipment, but with a clearer picture of the house? In this episode of Building HVAC Science, Bill Spohn talks with Russ King, Connor King, and Spencer Rosen about the evolution of KwikModel, the growing connection between HVAC design and energy modeling, and why making buildings visual can make good design more accessible. Russ explains why accurate load calculations remain fundamental, especially as homes transition from furnaces to heat pumps. Replacing equipment based on what was there before can perpetuate oversizing or create entirely new problems. Today, tools such as LiDAR scanning and 3D modeling make gathering building geometry dramatically easier than the tape-measure-and-sketch methods of the past. The conversation also explores the relationship between the building envelope and HVAC. Spencer describes heating and cooling equipment as responding to the rate at which the house gains or loses heat. Change the envelope, and you change what the HVAC system needs to do. That makes load calculations, air leakage, insulation, duct design, and equipment selection parts of the same problem rather than separate disciplines. For contractors who find all of this intimidating, the message is practical: start somewhere. Partner with a designer to perform load calculations on a few projects, compare the results with your existing rules of thumb, pursue building-science education, and build your knowledge incrementally. The team also shares where KwikModel is headed. With Coded Energy taking over the EnergyGauge license from the University of Central Florida, development is underway on a cloud-based version of KwikModel that should remove installation barriers and create opportunities for better guidance, training, error checking, and user-driven improvements. Ultimately, better software isn't just about faster calculations. It's about helping contractors understand the building, make better decisions, and, as Russ puts it, build confidence. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-king-m-e-70342913/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-connor-king-0b6152111/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-rosen/ Website: https://kwikmodel.com/ Contact form: https://kwikmodel.com/contact/ BPI Building Science Principles https://www.bpi.org/resources/certificates/building-science-principles/ This episode was recorded in September 2026.

Quotes from the episode: "You can't really separate good air quality from good HVAC performance." "I wouldn't recommend to someone something I wouldn't recommend to my grandma." "Once you've seen them both, they can't be separated." What does professional duct cleaning look like when you approach it through the lens of HVAC performance and building science? In this episode, Bill talks with Zach Ortwine of Southeast Clean Air, a duct-cleaning contractor who has deliberately expanded his understanding beyond cleanliness and indoor air quality into airflow, static pressure, duct leakage, system performance, and building pressure. Zach describes how his involvement with both NADCA and the National Comfort Institute (NCI) changed the way he evaluates homes. His early work focused primarily on indoor air quality concerns such as particles, odors, filtration, and ventilation. But as he learned more about HVAC performance, he realized that air quality and system performance are difficult to separate. That realization led him to add tools such as thermal imaging, airflow measurement, static pressure testing, the TrueFlow grid, duct leakage testing, and video inspection to his process. Instead of automatically recommending duct cleaning, Zach now looks for the underlying conditions that may have contributed to the problem in the first place. The conversation also explores what separates professional duct cleaning from poor-quality work, including NADCA certification, the ACR standard, technician experience, and knowing who will actually perform the work. After the recording, Zach sent along one more thought that fits the conversation especially well: good collaboration also requires clear boundaries. When duct cleaners and high-performance HVAC contractors work together, both sides should agree in advance on what the duct-cleaning company can handle and when work should be referred back to the HVAC contractor. Zach shares examples from past partnerships where those limits were clearly defined, including how much duct replacement he could perform and when equipment or filtration recommendations were handed back to the HVAC company. The larger lesson is that collaboration works best when it is built on measurement, trust, communication, and clearly defined roles. Done well, duct cleaners and HVAC contractors can make one another more valuable while giving customers a more complete solution. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyortwine/ Website: https://southeastducts.com/ EP273 with Dan Stradford: https://www.buildinghvacscience.com/ep273-think-like-an-air-molecule-with-dan-stradford-may-2026/ This episode was recorded in August 2026.

Quotes from the episode: "You don't know what you don't know." "That knowledge outside of energy efficiency is key for anyone working in the built environment." "If you are engaged and want to keep learning, this is a great space to be in." Eight years after her first appearance on the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Amanda Hatherly returns in a new role: CEO of the Building Performance Institute (BPI). Amanda and Bill start by clearing up a common misconception. BPI is not a training organization. It is an ANSI-accredited standards and credentialing organization that brings industry experts together to develop standards and certifications for residential energy efficiency, home performance, weatherization, and healthy housing. Amanda shares what has changed since taking the helm at BPI, including updating standards and certifications, simplifying technical language, expanding Spanish-language materials, refreshing the website, and making the organization and its staff more visible and approachable. A major theme of the conversation is the continued convergence of HVAC, building performance, healthy homes, weatherization, and electrification. Amanda argues that understanding the house as a system shouldn't be limited to people working in traditional energy-efficiency programs. HVAC professionals can become much better problem solvers when they understand how mechanical systems interact with air sealing, insulation, moisture, ventilation, and occupant health. They also explore BPI's Healthy Housing Principles and Building Science Principles programs, workforce development efforts, contractor resources, and the growing opportunity for HVAC and home performance professionals to learn from each other. Amanda closes with a reminder that the building performance industry remains unusually collaborative and knowledge-rich. For people willing to stay curious, there is always something new to learn. And one question finally gets answered from Amanda's original 2018 appearance: Is PowerPoint really dead? Apparently not. But terrible PowerPoint probably should be. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-hatherly/ Website: https://www.bpi.org/ Contractor and Test Center Locator tool: https://www.bpi.org/pages/locator https://www.bpi.org/resources/certificates/healthy-housing-principles/ www.BetterHVAC.org https://www.bpi.org/bpi-news/newsletters/ This episode was recorded in August 2026.