How To Be a REAL Comfort Consultant

Key takeaways

Comfort consulting involves a holistic approach to HVAC, treating the home as a system rather than focusing solely on equipment.
Thorough diagnostics including air quality testing and energy audits are essential to identify and solve comfort issues.
Client preparation and expectation management are critical for a smooth comfort consultation process.
Utilizing advanced tools and technology enhances the quality of service and data collection during comfort consultations.
A thorough follow-up report after diagnostics helps clients understand the next steps and how to improve their home's performance.
Comfort consulting can be a sustainable business model that emphasizes ethical selling and data-driven recommendations.

Summary

Comfort Consulting and Performance Contracting

The episode’s focus is on the transition from traditional HVAC practices to advanced comfort consulting and performance contracting. Tim De Stasio shares his journey from operating an HVAC contracting company to efficiently diagnosing home performance issues. He emphasizes treating each house as a complete system rather than merely focusing on equipment. Tim discusses his systematic approach that includes comprehensive home performance testing, rigorous data collection, and ethical selling, aiming to provide long-term solutions to comfort and air quality issues.

The Importance of Thorough Diagnostics

Tim elaborates on the importance of conducting extensive diagnostics beyond traditional HVAC service calls. He describes methods like blower door tests, thermal imaging, and building pressure measurements to gather significant data about a home's performance. Unlike quick service calls, his comfort consultations may last an entire day, allowing him to closely examine every aspect of the HVAC system and beyond.

Client Preparation and Expectation Management

A key theme discussed is how to prepare clients for the comfort consulting process. Tim uses pre-visit questionnaires and brief videos to set realistic expectations for the extent of the evaluation, which can disrupt normal household activities. By communicating the thorough nature of the assessments, he helps clients understand the rationale behind in-depth testing and the investment required.

Implementation of Tools and Technology

Tim mentions various tools and technology that enhance the effectiveness of his comfort consultations. Apps like Safety Culture help document findings with annotated photos and notes. He also emphasizes using advanced instruments for testing air quality, system performance, and environmental conditions, all contributing to informed decision-making for both clients and contractors.

Delivering Recommendations and Follow-Up

After an extensive evaluation, Tim discusses how he provides clients with a field report and a subsequent comprehensive analysis after two weeks. The reports detail observations, diagnostics, and recommendations prioritized by their impact and return on investment. This method ensures clients understand what improvements are beneficial and can be implemented over time.

The Business of Comfort Consulting

Tim outlines the business model he has implemented, which includes comfort consultations, HVAC design for contractors, and training programs. He highlights the shift from focusing merely on sales to providing valuable insights and data-driven solutions for contractors and homeowners.

Show notes

In this comprehensive episode, Bryan Orr sits down with Tim De Stasio to explore the world of comfort consulting and performance contracting in HVAC. Tim, who sold his contracting company to focus on this specialized field, shares his methodical approach to diagnosing home performance issues that go far beyond traditional HVAC troubleshooting. Working primarily in the humid coastal North Carolina market, Tim has developed a thorough process that treats the house as a complete system rather than just focusing on equipment.

Tim's journey into comfort consulting began when he recognized the value of comprehensive home performance testing after seeing the work of practitioners like Michael Housh. His approach combines ethical selling with rigorous testing and data collection, allowing him to stand behind his recommendations with confidence. Unlike traditional HVAC service calls that might only involve checking refrigerant levels, Tim's comfort consultations can take an entire day and involve extensive testing protocols that examine everything from building pressure to thermal imaging.

The conversation reveals how this type of work requires a fundamental shift in thinking - from being an equipment-focused technician to becoming more like a field engineer or building scientist. Tim emphasizes the importance of having repeatable processes and comprehensive checklists, using tools like Safety Culture app to document findings with photos, notes, and annotations. His methodology starts with a detailed pre-visit questionnaire and includes preparing clients for what will be a very different experience from typical HVAC service calls.

Perhaps most importantly, Tim demonstrates how proper diagnostics can lead to ethical sales opportunities. By using tools like blower door tests, thermal imaging, building pressure measurements, and comprehensive system evaluations, he can provide clients with data-driven recommendations prioritized by impact and return on investment. His approach includes a two-week period for analysis before delivering final recommendations, ensuring thoughtful conclusions rather than rushed judgments.

Topics Covered

The Business Model of Comfort Consulting - How Tim structures his three-pronged business: home performance testing/comfort consultations, HVAC design for contractors, and training
Preparing Clients for the Process - Using pre-visit questionnaires, YouTube videos, and setting proper expectations for an all-day, disruptive home evaluation
Comprehensive Visual Assessment - The "hands in pockets" approach, starting with exterior building examination including gutters, downspouts, vent terminations, and moisture issues
Interior Documentation Process - Room-by-room photo documentation, thermal imaging for missing insulation and thermal bridging, and moisture meter readings
Crawl Space and Attic Inspections - What to look for in foundation issues, vapor barriers, insulation conditions, and air sealing problems
Ventilation System Testing - Using flow boxes to measure bathroom fan performance, checking kitchen exhaust, and verifying dryer connections
Building Pressure Testing Protocols - Stack effect measurements, worst-case depressurization testing, dominant duct leakage assessment, and building pressure balance testing
Blower Door Testing Procedures - Proper setup, safety considerations, CFM50 vs ACH50 measurements, and using results for Manual J calculations
Thermal Imaging During Depressurization - Advanced techniques for identifying air leakage paths and problem areas throughout the building envelope
HVAC System Performance Analysis - Using Measure Quick for comprehensive system evaluation, comparing load calculations to nameplate capacity and delivered performance
Indoor Air Quality Monitoring - Integration of Haven Central monitors for long-term data collection and analysis
Report Generation and Client Communication - Creating field reports vs. final reports, prioritizing recommendations by impact and ROI
Testing Out and Verification - The importance of return visits to quantify improvements and validate work performed

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android