Episodes

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, joins us on this episode to focus on 2 of the products he has brought to the US market: AC SmartSeal Extern...

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 have a real hunger for the details which tends to complicate decisions! So, I asked my thoughtful p...

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 believes poor building performance is one big problem to solve and he aims to do it in his state by co...

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, comfortable, safe, durable and, as a side benefit, uses less energy. Michael and Neil are both trained an...

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 multifaceted investigation into the critical parameters involved in making great residential airflow measureme...

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 photo library. Rich info accompanies each photo: date, time, GPS location, user info and mark-ups & notes ...

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 quality. We discuss the importance of data and data processing, as well as recent environmental events ...

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. realism, and breaking from the status quo amidst tons of other topics. You can reach these members of the BlueCo...

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 the overwhelmingly warm feedback from the people he has touched. Learn how he addresses the logistical...

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 Diagnostics launches on PBS. You can help spread the word on this topic by asking your local PBS station progra...

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 explore the topic of making change happen and not losing faith in spite of the apparent slow movement i...

After 31 years in business, 3 major career changes and 10 products (and counting) later, John Pastorello shares with us how, and more importantly why he built his business, Refrigeration Technologies. John shares with us how growing up in the Atomic Age spurred his curiosity about the atom and yearning to be a nuclear physicist. Fast forward 30 years later and John has managed to create a successful family owned and operated specialty chemical business focusing on all aspects of the air condit...

Blake Reid shares with us the challenges and rewards of doing home performance work in Hawaii which has the most expensive energy, 12 climate zones, no energy code, an active volcano, and an aggressive state climate goal. As a knowledgeable, ethical and honest “wiz kid” contractor, Blake made a huge decision and moved his family from Ithaca, NY to Hawaii to “set up shop” as a home performance contractor. Listen to Blake describe some of his motivations to move as well as why he choose the name...

What is LEED? Who is involved in LEED? Why should I care about LEED? In today’s episode, Bill Spohn welcomes one of the leaders in the green building industry, Charlie Cichetti, Owner of Green Building Education Services (www.GEBS.com) and the Sustainable Investment Group (www.SIGEarth.com). Charlie covers the history of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) as well as recent changes and where things are headed in the future. We hear about the shift in focus from buildings to th...

What will housing look like in the future? Who are some of the leaders? What are some the topics driving this industry? Bill Spohn welcomes back Chris Dorsi, contractor, educator, author and founder of HabitatX.com to give an overview of all the great discussions held at the 2018 HabitatX conference. We discuss the human aspect of housing which ties in intimately with the nature of this conference; it’s about the people. We take a walk through the 3 days of the conference* discussing how the s...

Bill Spohn welcomes Chris Dorsi, contractor, educator, author and founder of HabitatX.com. Chris describes the current arc of his career which he describes as serial interventions starting with cutting timber for housing. Chris shares with us his very thoughtful, respectful and practical perspectives on the housing industry, with a focus on building better habitats for people. We discuss passive houses, factory-built homes and the lost cost of space that no one wants to live in. You’ll also be...

Show notes AirQuest 4 In this episode, Bill Spohn continues where he left off in Episode 3 of his AirQuest series, discussing airflow measuring methods and techniques. Bill covers vane anemometers as well as the garbage bag method (bag inflation device or BID) For a free copy of the ANSI standard mentioned in this episode go to www.bit.ly/RESNET-380 If you’d like to see a BID in action, the EPA Energy Star program created this explanatory video which can be viewed at this link: www.bit.ly/380-BI...

Show notes AirQuest 3 In this episode, Bill Spohn continues where he left off in Episode 2 of his AirQuest series, discussing airflow measuring methods and techniques. Bill Covers the TrueFlow measuring grid, air flow capture hoods and thermal (hot wire) anemometers. For a 4 part video lesson by Bill, start with lesson one on YouTube, at this link: http://bit.ly/AirFlowVideos If you are interested in learning more, you can contact Bill at Bill_Spohn@BlueCollarRoots.com

Today Ed Kisiel of EKABuild Corp. joins us to discuss the way he goes about constructing super tight homes using standard construction techniques. Ed describes his process and his respect for the House as a System concept: that is the envelope, mechanicals and architectural design all need to work together in harmony. He’s an open minded civil engineer turned builder who has a thirst for learning more about building science, building materials and modes of construction. Some of Ed’s favorite res...

Bryan Barnes of Aeroseal, LLC joins us today to discuss two revolutionary technologies that greatly impact Building Performance: AeroSeal for sealing ducts from the inside out and AeroBarrier for sealing a building enclosure in the same manner. We hear about the science behind Aeroseal and the dramatic performance increases in comfort, energy and the health of the environment. Their smart-liquid sealant turns into an aerosol in their machine and actual finds and seals holes and gaps up to ⅝” in ...

In this episode Bill chats with Ted Kidd and Nate Adams, two people who share an extreme passion for making better home performance the norm and not the exception. Our conversation gets tough on state energy programs, utility-based programs as well as BPI where we develop out the pros and cons. You can learn more about their aspirations and get some great tools and free resources by visiting www.NateTheHouseWhisperer.com You can reach Ted through Nate by emailing at Nate@EnergySmartOhio.com or c...

In today’s episode, Terje Gronas tells us about his 2-year struggle to get the healthy, comfortable and energy efficient home he wanted for his family. He discusses the heavy study and personal interventions he had to make to get what he wanted and paid a premium for. “T” talks about the big picture for contractors and techs: the air in a home can greatly affect you're families health and even, perhaps, health care costs overall. As more and more technicians take pride and care in their work, Te...

On today’s show, Bill welcomes Matt Rivers from Onset Computer, manufacturer of the world famous line of Hobo Data Loggers. Matt describes their three main markets: Indoor, Outdoor (Weather) and Water Quality. We hear of the long list of parameters that can be logged that allow technicians, engineers and researchers to collect meaningful time stamped data to do better work. Also discussed is the positive impact of BlueTooth connections, cloud-based data services as well as cellular and gateways ...

Today we learn about how Amanda Hatherly has morphed the traditional approaches of technical training into something much more interactive and interesting. Over the last 8 years she helped to develop the Energy Smart Academy at the Santa Fe (New Mexico) Community College. She described some really cool online tools that help people understand the invisible and confusing aspects of heat and moisture flow in a building. Check them out for free at www.SimBuilding.info You can connect with Amanda by...