Building HVAC Science

Quotes from the episode:  "Theoretical knowledge will mean almost nothing until you get hands-on experience."    "You get to a stage where you're smart enough to know you don't know a lot of stuff."    "We know the goal is to be net zero on the housing stock, but how far should we take it until we hit that point of diminishing returns?"    What does it really take to become useful in building science? For Shawn Sales, the answer is a combination of education, field experience, good mentors, and eventually becoming knowledgeable enough to recognize what you still don't know.    Shawn joins Bill from Vancouver Island to share his unusual path from managing a retail business in Alberta's oil country to becoming a Canadian energy advisor, HVAC designer, and building science educator. A downturn in the oil industry pushed him toward sustainable energy, but classroom training was only the beginning. Shawn describes how working in real homes, investigating homeowner complaints, reviewing energy models, and learning from experienced professionals turned theory into practical knowledge.     The conversation also provides an interesting comparison between Canadian and U.S. approaches to residential energy and HVAC performance. Shawn explains Canada's energy advisor system, HOT2000 energy modeling, F280 heat-load calculations, and the role of organizations such as HRAI and the Canadian Home Builders' Association. Bill and Shawn compare those systems with HERS, BPI, Manual J, and other U.S. practices.    They also explore an important question in high-performance construction: how far should efficiency improvements go? Shawn shares lessons from deep-energy retrofit projects where getting most of the way toward the goal was financially reasonable, but capturing the final increment became dramatically more expensive. Bill relates a similar experience when designing his own net-zero home.    Finally, Shawn discusses the building science and energy advisor courses he developed to help others build both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Throughout the conversation, one theme keeps resurfacing: credentials and software matter, but competence develops when knowledge is tested against actual buildings, actual measurements, and actual problems.      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnsales/  Website: https://www.consideritenergy.com/  https://www.hrai.ca/  https://natural-resources.canada.ca/      This episode was recorded in August 2026. 

Quotes from the episode:    "A lot of it is design related." Daniel's reminder that piping material alone does not determine performance.     "It's all about appropriately scaling it. It's not biting off more than you can chew." On how contractors can begin using prefabrication without making a massive investment.     "Even just little incremental improvements like that have really strong downstream effects." Daniel on the impact prefab and modular thinking can have on quality and productivity    What can HVAC professionals learn from plumbing, hydronics, and the growing use of prefabrication?    In this episode, Bill talks with Daniel Worm, CPD, whose career began in carpentry before moving into plumbing design, hydronic systems, and prefabrication. That construction background still shapes how Daniel approaches mechanical systems, not simply as collections of components, but as systems that have to fit into the larger building and construction process.    The conversation starts with PEX piping and an important distinction between installing a material and actually designing a system around it. Pipe sizing, flow velocity, fittings, hot-water delivery time, energy efficiency, and occupant experience all depend heavily on good system design.    Daniel and Bill also explore hydronic heating and cooling, including why low-temperature radiant systems can pair well with heat pumps and why radiant cooling brings another major variable into the picture: dew point and condensation control.    The discussion then shifts toward one of Daniel's current areas of focus, prefabrication and kitting. With skilled labor remaining difficult to find, moving selected assembly work from the field into a controlled shop environment can reduce installation time, improve consistency, reduce missed connections, help manage inventory, and create opportunities for experienced tradespeople who may no longer want to spend every day in the field.    Importantly, contractors do not need a giant fabrication facility to begin. Daniel recommends starting small with repeatable assemblies, learning what works, and scaling gradually.  The broader lesson applies equally well to plumbing and HVAC: stop doing something simply because "we've always done it that way." Understand the math, right-size the system, and look for small process improvements that produce better quality, productivity, and profitability.    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-worm-cpd-ab98202b/  Email: [email protected]  Website: https://www.uponor.com/    This episode was recorded in September 2026. 

Quotes from the episode:    "A fan's only as good as the ducting that's behind it."    "Condensation is really what we're after when we're talking bathroom fans."    "Design it right, make the right connections and terminations, install it properly using good process."    Ventilation is the "V" in HVAC, but it is often the part of the system that gets the least attention. In this episode, Bill Spohn talks with Bill Meyers of Panasonic about why good ventilation requires more than simply installing a fan and flipping a switch.     Meyers brings roughly 30 years of HVAC experience, beginning with mechanical and electrical technology training and progressing through wholesale distribution, manufacturers' representation, and eventually Panasonic's indoor air quality and ventilation business. He explains how Panasonic helped push the industry toward quieter bathroom ventilation and why quiet operation matters: a fan that annoys occupants, or appears ineffective, is less likely to be used.    The conversation digs into ECM fan technology and selectable airflow settings, as well as the importance of designing duct systems that allow the fan to actually deliver its rated airflow. Even a capable fan can struggle against excessive static pressure created by restrictive ductwork, sharp bends, poor routing, or badly planned terminations.    Bill and Bill then move beyond exhaust ventilation into supply and balanced ventilation. Meyers explains how ERVs bring filtered outdoor air into a home while exhausting stale indoor air, transferring heat and moisture between the two airstreams without mixing them. They discuss applications in both new construction and retrofit projects, along with the growing importance of mechanical ventilation as homes become tighter.    The episode also explores automated bathroom ventilation using condensation and motion sensing. Rather than relying entirely on occupants, properly configured controls can respond to moisture and continue operating until the bathroom dries.    Meyers closes with practical advice that applies well beyond bath fans: locate equipment thoughtfully, minimize duct restrictions, plan terminations before installation, and use quality materials. As Bill summarizes, good performance ultimately comes back to the fundamentals: design it right, connect it right, and install it using a good process.    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-meyers-b91170a9/  Website: https://na.panasonic.com/about/businesses/eco-systems    This episode was recorded in August 2026. 

Quotes from the episode:    "What we think is an HVAC problem is more so a building problem."    "My sales have never felt more ethical."    "Rebates are the byproduct of doing a very good design from the front end."    What happens when learning building science changes not only how you design HVAC systems, but how you feel about selling them?    In this episode, Bill talks with Cameron Ferguson, a third-generation HVAC professional working in Colorado's Front Range. Cameron started out running flex duct as a teenager, moved through maintenance and service, and eventually found his way into HVAC sales and system design. Along the way, Manual J, NCI training, BPI Building Science Principles, and a deeper understanding of comfort fundamentally changed his approach to homeowners.     Cameron explains why many apparent HVAC problems are actually building problems, and why his first conversation with a homeowner occurs before he heads to the mechanical room. Instead of immediately talking equipment, he asks about comfort, noise, how the home is used, and what the homeowner actually wants to accomplish.    The conversation gets into airflow and static pressure, duct capacity, load calculations, heat pumps, electrification, mean radiant temperature, and the value of showing homeowners the measurements behind a recommendation. Cameron also shares why better design has made his sales process feel more ethical and, perhaps counterintuitively, improved his ability to close the right customers.    Bill and Cameron also explore the idea of knowing when enough testing is enough, avoiding the temptation to turn every project into a science experiment, and learning to "lose fast" when a homeowner and contractor simply aren't a good fit.    Finally, Cameron explains his "Thermal Stoic" philosophy, how Stoicism and Brazilian jiu-jitsu influence his approach to work, and why he created Who Owns Your HVAC?, a growing database intended to help homeowners understand who actually owns the HVAC companies they're considering.    It's a conversation about becoming a better HVAC professional by looking beyond the box, measuring what matters, and never stopping at what you already know.    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thethermalstoic/  Website: www.WhoOwnsYourHVAC.org  The Thermal Stoic Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zN46LMijRLIQDBAbMvUaC?si=2b8c9de865dc4366  This episode was recorded in August 2026.

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.