This week, we welcome a guest who truly needs no introduction: Alex Meaney, founder of MeanHVAC. For many in the industry, Alex has taught us much of what we know about Manuals J, S, D, Zr, and more.

In this episode, we dive straight into the intricacies of Manuals J and S, especially their application to heat pumps. Unlike traditional HVAC systems, heat pumps—capable of both heating and cooling—are far more sensitive to mistakes in system design. With Alex’s expertise, we explore why this is, and how to address these challenges.

Throughout the episode, Alex drops invaluable insights, including:

• “Manual J is the problem, Manual S is the solution, and Manual D is the execution.”
• “Cooling is where everything gets complicated.”
• A clear explanation of why higher SEER ratings mean worse moisture removal
• How and why heat pumps have exponentially increased HVAC design complexity
• An explanation of Adequate Exposure Diversity and why it matters
• How much (or little) you make working in public radio
• And lots more

If you’ve ever wanted to geek out on how heat pumps are reshaping the fundamentals of HVAC system design, this episode is a must-listen!

Show notes

• Alex Meaney
• MeanHVAC
• Please see our website for the charts and graphs referred to in this podcast: https://info.amply.energy/blog/tag/heat-pump-podcast

Peter Troast is the founder and CEO of Energy Circle, a unique and differentiated marketing agency that exclusively works with high performance contractors.

Early in this episode, Peter shares two important definitions:

1. Marketing is anything you do that gets the phone to ring with high quality leads
2. High performance contractors are contractors who understand the home as a system, where HVAC is the engine

So in this episode, we focus on one thing: how heat pump contractors can drive more inbound calls.

Peter walks us through Marketing 101, 201, and 301:

• Marketing 101 (beginner): how to capture leads through the basics, like a good website and good processes.
• Marketing 201 (intermediate): how to spend advertising dollars to maximum impact on platforms like Google, Facebook, and even Reddit.
• Marketing 301 (advanced): how to create demand through clever content tailored to your unique area and that truly differentiates your company.

If you're a heat pump contractor looking to get your phone to ring and then beat the competition for bigger tickets and higher margin jobs, this episode is for you.

Show notes:

• Energy Circle
• Peter's LinkedIn

Ilija Crnobrnja was an exchange student in Massachusetts waiting tables, learning English, and studying agricultural economics. When he met and married his wife, he realized he needed a new job, so he found himself in the HVAC business. He worked his way through almost every role in HVAC.

Along the way, his love for building science, customer service, and high efficiency homes was ignited. As you'll hear, Ilija's passion is deep. That passion made him destined to be an entrepreneur. He had to create and build a business to deliver on his vision.

So he and his partner David refinanced their homes and founded SumZero. In their first 6 months, they made $350. That's it. Today, they are a $9M heat pump installer with incredibly happy customers all over Massachusetts.

Join us for Ilija's insights into:

• How building science teaches us to look at the home as a system...
• ... and why HVAC is the engine of that system
• Why heat pumps are the future, and if you build a heat pump business today, you'll enjoy it for decades to come
• His impressive approach to training his team
• Why employee compensation in the HVAC industry needs to be redesigned
• Why you should structure your entire business to focus on delivering a Comfort Consultant's promise to homeowners...
• ... and more

Show notes:

• SumZero Energy Systems
• Ilija's LinkedIn
• Corbett Lunsford and the Building Performance Workshop
• Joe Lstiburek and the BuildingScience.com Corporation
• Matt Risinger and his build channel on YouTube