Episodes

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...

Today we chat with Bill Graber and Steve Rogers of the Energy Conservatory, also known as TEC, a 40-year-old company that is on a mission to unite the tools and test instruments used in the HVAC and Weatherization markets…an important quest I am also dedicated to. We’ll talk what innovation means at TEC. The dictionary says innovation is the act or process of innovating. OK, So what is innovating? “To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or prod...

In March 2022, I was invited to be a guest on the Conscious Builder Show with Casey Grey. I guess all the conversations I have been having about my modular NetZero house had reached north of the border to Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, where Casey is based. Casey’s podcast with me is available here: EP181: https://theconsciousbuilder.libsyn.com/181-indoor-air-quality-and-net-zero-custom-build-with-bill-spohn_the-conscious-builder-show_05-05-2022 With a 10-minute video excerpt of the podc...

I came to know of Ellis Prach back in the late 1990’s through his traveling classes when I was design engineering manager at Bacharach. Later in 2000, when I was with Testo, I contacted him as we had just started to market a new visual inspection scope, based on plastic fiber optics. You see, I have been obsessed for years with trying to solve the problem of more thorough inspections of heat exchangers and who better to talk to than the Heat Exchanger Expert! His first reaction was, well, les...

Learn about Andrew Greaves non-traditional career journey that took him from building maintenance to Director of Education and Customer Experience for NAVAC Global: www.NavacGlobal.com He received his HVAC training via Community College Night school but has self-taught in video and audio production. Andrew suggests if you are looking for a mentor, perhaps you first start with a collection of virtual mentors sourced from social media: Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn In our discussion he emphasi...

“Don’t let fear hold you back.” “If you want something in life, go ask for it.” These are just two of the many takeaways you will get when you listen to this Episode. Chris Hughes, now the HVAC Business Development Manager for the Energy Conservatory, is a long time HVAC/Mechanical contractor that is now tuned in to Building Performance – a technical area he was never aware of until the last couple of years. He continues to bring you along on his Building Performance learning journey through...

Listen in as we chat with Cheryl Cieko, a professional with a mission to dispel myths, create awareness, and empower both professionals and building owners, Cheryl is a one-stop source of knowledge, education, and support having been through mold exposure and illness with her own family. Cheryl describes how, as a licensed architect and industry educator, she provides strategies for professionals, building owners and individuals to better deal with water damage, mold and toxins in buildings. H...

SCIENCE - In pursuit of understanding in the moment. Join us as Rachel and Eric Kaiser, a wife and husband team from Indianapolis, share with us their perspectives on HVAC Chemistry. If you’ve attended or watched Bryan Orr’s HVACR School Symposium over the last 3 years you may have seen them present. We discuss the relative scales of time and size as well as the properties and impact of water on HVAC designs and decisions and so many other topics! We learn more about the scientific/chemical ...

We’re joined on today’s podcast by Scott Ringlein, a Clean Energy & Sustainability Specialist & Consultant. Scott was raised as a farmer and educated as an engineer with a first career path in the auto industry. He ventured out on his own creating a second career in sustainability with a focus on energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy measures. Listen in as Scott shares his journey and achievements which include work for the U.S. Department of Energy and the founding of The Ene...

If you’re in the HVAC field and you listen to podcasts, it’s likely you’ve heard of Gary MacCreadie. If not, here’s your chance to get an inside perspective on how and why Gary got into the HVAC Field and later started a podcast audaciously named HVAC Know-It-All. Throughout the episode, we flip flop as interviewer and guest. Gary has recently started his own business, as he, like many others including me, do not like taking direction from others. Follow all content of the HVAC Know It All he...

On today’s podcast we are joined by Bryan Cordill, the Director of Residential and Commercial Business Development at the Propane Education and Research Council. Bryan has decades of experience in the world of propane and in the energy industry in general. We cover topics ranging from propane as a source of space & water heating, cooking, mobile energy including school buses, to combined heat and power systems. We also touch on propane as a refrigerant (R-290). You might be surprised at the s...

Matt Golden is Founder and CEO of Recurve a company that connects the dots between efficiency, electrification, renewable energy, and DERS (distributed energy resources). Recurve’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy by integrating behind the meter demand flexibility resources into the emerging carbon-free energy grid. Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) can be described as small-scale electricity generation and storage devices that are generally connect to the gr...

Max Rohr (formerly with Rehau as the Marketing and Academy Manager for Building Solutions) spends some time explaining for us the process of creating and marketing products to move energy in water, that is radiant heating and cooling systems, as well as plumbing applications with Pex. We learn about both Max’s background and the background of the Rehau company which has 20,000 employees in 55 countries and operates in 5 distinct market areas globally. This episode was recorded in February 2020...

I was impressed with Austin Klokus when I first met him on a trip to Kalos Services (The Orr Family HVAC/Mechanical business in Clermont FL) a few years ago. He was working as a senior videographer at the time where he had soaked up knowledge from Bryan Orr and others and taught himself the skills necessary to do fulfill this role. I loved it when he used the phrase “air is stuff” in one of his videos to convey the message that air has mass. I saw him again in person recently at the 3rd Annua...

I can easily summarize this episode with a single quote from Craig’s LinkedIn bio: “Remember that we are all teachers and need to invest in others to succeed.” You may have heard of Craig; as his HVAC Training books and YouTube videos continue to grow in popularity. Find him on the AC Service Tech Channel on YouTube. He’s always been a problem solver including solving the problem of teaching himself how to write some of the most thoughtfully developed HVAC training materials out there. https...

I’m so pleased to welcome my friend Steve Coscia to the podcast! You may have heard of him; he focuses on training customer service skills especially in the world of HVAC. As a master communications trainer, he gets his points across via memorable story telling. He holds awesome in-person training sessions (he has been to TruTech Tools twice!) and has books, newsletters, materials, and videos, all of which can be found though this website and YouTube channel: Links below https://www.coscia.c...

In today’s podcast we hear from John Sheff who was the director of Public and Industry Affairs for Danfoss at the time of this recording. We learn how John’s passion about energy efficiency, decarbonization and sustainability combines with his professional experience in Public Affairs, Government Relations, Project Management and Business Development to help develop strong solutions that meet our industry's needs. We hear about the barriers to deep energy retrofits, limitations of the push for...

Tom Jackson has a passion for the HVAC Trades and it shows through in what he does as leader of Jackson Systems and Supply. Tom is a true entrepreneur following where his customers lead him. His company focuses on product development and support and solves some real head scratcher problems with products and services that you won’t find elsewhere. Services like Filter Fetch – making it easy on contractors for their customers to do the right thing. You’ll hear about his vision and perspectives...