ACCA Now September/October 2020

Tech Tip By Wes Davis

Indoor Environmentalists S eptember and October are prime months to perform maintenance agreements in preparation for the coming winter months. This year, due to the unprecedented COVID 19 pan- demic, peculiar circumstances support a unique opportunity to recommend HVAC enhancements. ACCAmembers who want to boost their fall maintenance agreements can visit this website for helpful resources: acca.org/ members/industry/residential-hvac:

 High performance registers to replace drafty, rattling, stamped- steel builder-grade models.  Dehumidification equipment  Zoning system  Duct sealing/duct modifications Health and Safety  Improved air filtration/purification  Dehumidification  Duct sealing Energy Efficie cy  Clean components, especially evapora- tor coils and indoor blower assemblies  Duct sealing  Duct renovations  Air balancing Technicians should also look for items purchased and installed by others like high-efficiency air filters that lower air- flow and incorrectly installed UV lights that could damage internal wiring casing and components susceptible to UV rays. Tell the Truth Yes, this is a time of uncertainty. In your customer’s eyes, you are an industry expert, and it is easy to prey on their fears. However, misrepresenting the truth is a terrible busi- ness. Avoid false claims about the efficacy of air filters, UV lights, and air purification systems. Technicians should base their rec- ommendations on proven science and inves- tigatemarketing claims in glossy brochures. We live in unprecedented times. Tech- nicians will benefit from truthful infor- mation that they can share with your customers. Plan for a few extra moments that are provided for each maintenance visit or service call, and spent to edu- cate your customers on the benefits of improvements to their HVAC system. You can help them stay healthy, improve per- formance, and be more comfortable. Wes Davis is ACCA’s Director of Technical Services. He can be reached at wes.davis@acca.org or 703-824-8847.

Now that summer vacation may become a staycation so that their home’s comfort system can get the upgrades or the TLC; it’s needed for so long. Do It Right The ANSI/ACCA 4 QM (Maintenance of Residential HVAC Systems) Standard was developed to establish the mini- mum requirements of acceptable resi- dential HVAC equipment maintenance. The standard is comprised of checklists for various equipment types; each checklist has inspection tasks and an associated rec- ommended corrective action. A committee created these checklists made up of con- tractors, manufacturers, dis- tributors, and utilities, and was ultimately vetted by the industry. The first step is to ensure your techni- cians are taught how to follow the ACCA 4 QM Standard (free PDF download). The second is to ensure your customers know the importance of following the standards procedures. Here are some resources for ACCA Members:  ACCA Comfort Tools: Preventive Maintenance = Savings  Customer Checklists: Teach Your Customers. Carpe Diem Maintenance visits and service calls are now more important than ever. They pro- vide an excellent opportunity to educate our customers who have a new apprecia- tion for their home’s environment, where they spend almost all their waking hours. Many will have an interest in improved ventilation and air filtration or purification. Use your marketing dollars to promote QM 4 Maintenance Agreements and add a little more time to offer corrective actions that will improve comfort, health, safety, and energy efficiency. Improvements like: Comfort  Air balancing (for hot/cold rooms)

 How to increase the number of fall mainte- nance agreements  Fall PM: Gain Loyal Customers Through a Maintenance Program

Market Opportunity Since March, thousands have begun to work from home. Some schools have opened, but many still provide classes online or a hybrid of classroom and online learning. More Americans are eating at home or ordering in. We stream movies instead of going to theaters. We exercise at home instead of going to the gym, and we read online rather than go to libraries. All of this means; America is at home. A lot. So now they spend their evening hours at home, and they spend their work- ing (or school) day at home. This makes their home’s indoor environment that much more essential. When you perform your maintenance visits this fall, it will be the perfect opportunity to slow down and recommend improvements that may have fallen on deaf ears in the past. It is incredible how spending all day at home varies from spending a few hours there before going to sleep and then rushing to work in the morning. All of those minor annoyances are now in your customers face all- day- long. Since many Ameri- cans will continue to work from home, their problems with their HVAC system will be in their face for months to come. This has a way of rearranging priorities.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020