Episodes

In this episode, Bill chats with Kevin Hart, the founder of HAVEN, a start up that makes a unique IAQ sensor/control system. Hear from Kevin about his background as an electrical contractor and how he came up with the idea for Haven, as well as all the iterations the product has been through. In the episode he describes RDCV: Residential Demand Control Ventilation and why it is important for contractors and homeowners to understand details on this subject. Learn how a simple chemical compound...

In this episode, Bill explains some of the activities that are keeping him busy lately. The National HVACR Education Conference https://www.escogroup.org/hvac/nhetc/default.aspx The National Home Performance Conference https://building-performance.org/events/national/ The National Comfort Institute (NCI) HVAC Summit https://www.gotosummit.com/sessions/ Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business FREE educational program https://www.10ksbapply.com/ This episode was recorded in March 2023.

What’s it like to build a tech product from the ground up? How do you validate that a market exists? What tools can you use to gain confidence that you are on the right track? In this week’s podcast, Bill Spohn is joined by John Hoehn, CEO of Duckling. Duckling’s mission is to help contractors help their customers on their journey to electrifying their homes. John and his co-founder, Sudeep Yegnashankaran have deep backgrounds in software development. They have been working on Duckling over...

What do we do with our time? What did I do with my time in the last week? The Bangles said it best: … Time, time, time See what's become of me While I looked around for my possibilities In this episode, Bill is joined by Eric Kaiser where they share observations on products and events and the interesting people they engaged with during their 4 day excursion to the AHR Expo 2023. The AHR Expo: https://www.ahrexpo.com/ SUPCO TradeFox site and application: https://www.supcotradefox.com/ TruT...

In this episode, Bill explains some of the activities that have kept him busy in the first few weeks of 2023. The HVACR Symposium: https://hvacrschool.com/events/4th-annual-hvac-r-training-symposium/ The AHR Expo: https://www.ahrexpo.com/ Installing a new operating system at TruTech Tools: EOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpXL2SGfkBc https://www.eosworldwide.com/ This episode was recorded in February 2023.

Today, I feel very in tune with this podcast’s stated mission: Building HVAC Science covers a broad array of topics in building science and HVAC diagnostics, as well as human comfort, health, and safety….; this show will take a deep dive into all things that relate to buildings and people in the built environment. I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Joe Allen, an esteemed Indoor Air Quality researcher, presenter, and author, as we covered what Joe has observed and educated us on regarding th...

For several years, in southern Maine, a small group of building professionals have been getting together monthly to discuss building science. Many topics are brought up for discussion: high performance windows, venting cathedral ceilings, moisture migration in wall assemblies, slab on grade details, etc. The conversation is informal and roams a bit. At one of those meetings, one of my guests today, builder, Dan Kolbert, expressed frustration with the status quo, and even more frustration with ...

Today’s guest, Anna Desimone has done an awesome job compiling resources for consumers to learn about factors, features and benefits of building an Energy Efficient home. Anna is author of Live in a Home that Pays You Back--A Complete Guide to Net Zero and Energy Efficient Homes, featuring national building programs in the U.S. and Canada. This is not a technical deep dive, but more of a consumer reference for understanding the blueprints of Building Envelope, Thermal enclosure, HVAC, Lighting...

My three esteemed guests/amigos shed some light on common misconceptions in the HVACR industry. Catch the video version here: https://youtu.be/ZL5-sEOJj0c We talk about fun topics like: -Heatpumps are only for the south of the Mason-Dixon line -A1 refrigerants are Non-Flammable -A2L refrigerants are Flammable -R32 is a replacement for R410a -Reclaimed refrigerant does not have any value -SEER2 has taken us by surprise -Equipment brand names determine the quality, performance and longevity of se...

Listen in as Phil Zito describes the journey he has taken from being bored, to blogging to building a business that provides top notch online training and workforce development programs. Formerly known as Building Automation Monthly, a newsletter and podcast in its early years, The Smart Buildings Academy has experienced rapid growth. As the SBA says on their website: “If you’ve been looking for a way to take yourself or your building automation team to the next level. Then you’re in the right...

I was thrilled to get the opportunity to interview Shawn McLaughlin, after having been impressed with the simplicity and value of using an Emporia Vue Energy Monitor for a year or so before I met him. Shawn shares with us his back story that led him from commodities trader to company builder: designer and manufacturer of a suite of powerful, yet inexpensive products used for smart home energy management. Learn some new acronyms that you will be hearing more of in the future, such as disaggrega...

I met Griffin at the conference several years ago and found him to be thoughtful, insightful and a quiet but powerful champion of the principles he believes in. In todays’ podcast we discuss electrification in Alaska, the deep retrofit work...

Adam is a man full of energy and drive and is always eager to help. Listen in as Adam describes the arc of his career that started in political activism and currently involves him in software, home decarbonization and net zero retrofits. Adam shares his insights into the cost vs. benefits of measures as well as a future job classification; Home Project Advisor Adam’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamstenftenagel/ Info on The Geos project: www.DiscoverGEOS.com Info on SnuggH...

Katelyn Woodling joins us on today’s podcast to discuss the background and development of Bosch IDS Heat Pumps (Inverter Ducted Split). Katie is the manager of Product management for Bosch Heating and Cooling, North America and works out of the greater Boston area. Bosch watched market and regulatory trends, listened to customer input, and spent countless hours in the lab testing and perfecting their heat pumps to offer inverters for all. Bosch is achieving a simplified product line with terr...

If you are in HVAC, Home Performance, IAQ or follow “electrification” and you HAVEN’T heard of Nate Adams, you will do yourself good to listen to this podcast or follow some of the links below. Oh, and we did not get into the awesome AirBnBs he and his wife Rachel have created: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/613585624792425971?source_impression_id=p3_1666127682_6kZMNcYeUIBpWHPr https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/689091116595593514?source_impression_id=p3_1666127730_%2BjEglaesD2Edl9UC https://www.airb...

“A day in the life of a smart building. Now spaces have memory and identity.” Now more than ever, facility owners and managers are incorporating smarter and more connected building technologies to improve proactive maintenance, reduce energy use, and create operational efficiencies. On todays’ podcast, Vineet Sinha, VP of Product management at Johnson Controls joins us to shed light on how connected building systems are operating holistically and working together to create a truly smart enviro...

“Making building IAQ better is a long-term process.” “We had all the answers before the COVID-19 pandemic, we just didn’t implement them.” Bill Bahnfleth has a long and distinguished career as a professor of architectural engineering at Penn State University, a consulting and for the US Army Corps of Engineers. In early 2020, ASHRAE tapped him to become the chair of a rare emergency task force to address managing IAQ in buildings considering the COVID-19 pandemic. We will hear from Bill as h...

Previously a commercial diver working offshore on all work below the water line Bill now works a lot around the dew point. Bill’s roots are in residential construction, yet when he returned to that field he realized he lacked sufficient training he became a sponge for knowledge. He’s spent many hours working at the LSU AgCenter work on rebuilding initiatives after Hurricane Katrina. In this episode he describes the LA House and the challenges to building in the hot humid climate he lives in. ...

In this episode with Ben Poole, a 3rd generation HVAC contractor and founder of HVAC Tactical, we hear a lot about motivation and mindset. “It’s you who decides who you want to be.” Ben runs Trusted Heating and Cooling in Austin, TX, yet found time to start the HVAC Tactical Apparel brand as he was searching for a new challenge. You can easily hear from Ben how he practices what he preaches, lays out a plan, and acts on it never letting self-doubt creep in. And in 2020 he doubled down and cr...

The best way to describe Brett Dillon, it the quote his LinkedIn profile: “I am an entrepreneur. Intensely curious, I transform industries because I see connections that others don't, relentlessly pursue better ways of doing things, and then use my influence to effect the desired change. My action-oriented background and experience provides understanding in a broad range of subjects, and deep understanding in residential construction and building science. An international award-winning forme...

Ray Wu, founder of WYND joins us to stress the importance of an optimal air quality by utilizing modern, innovative technology. But not just technology alone, Wynd uses the subsequent data to inform IAQ decisions, allowing consumers and building managers across industries to realize a healthier, cleaner tomorrow. Ray backs up these claims with case studies, in particular one run in a Las Vegas hotel. Wynd also makes their own UV laser particle sensors which yield enhanced capaiulites that Ray...

Better Marketing for Better Building Companies- Creating Leads, Lifting Conversions Driving Growth. That’s the motto of the Energy Circle, the brainchild of our guest today, Peter Troast, a rare marketer who’s taken technical training in building science, a central topic amongst most of his clients. He’s also upgraded his office space for better IAQ and he monitors it. The Energy Circle has been in business for 12 years, and I have known Peter for nearly that whole time. We even started a “Ma...

“Who is that guy and what did he just do?” My first formal introduction to Keith was shortly after he crashed his drone into a tree at the HVAC Symposium in Florida a couple years ago. While we did not discuss the drone incident in this podcast, we had a wide-ranging conversation that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I hope you will too. Keith is one of the most unique and fun people I know in the HVAC world. From his hobbies to his projects to the disciplines he employs in his personal and profess...

If you weren’t aware up to now, I am very passionate about Home Performance. So passionate, that I volunteer my time as a board member of, and now, Treasurer of the Building Performance Association or BPA. Among many other things, BPA runs a series of excellent trade shows call Home Performance Conferences (HPCs) (formerly called the Affordable Comfort Conference that started in the late 1980s). It was at a recent HPC that I heard several people remark that they were not clear on what exactly...