What do we do with our time? What did I do with my time in the last week? The Bangles said it best: … Time, time, time See what's become of me While I looked around for my possibilities In this episode, Bill is joined by Eric Kaiser where they share observations on products and events and the interesting people they engaged with during their 4 day excursion to the AHR Expo 2023. The AHR Expo: https://www.ahrexpo.com/ SUPCO TradeFox site and application: https://www.supcotradefox.com/ TruTech Tra...
Feb 17, 2023•39 min
In this episode, Bill explains some of the activities that have kept him busy in the first few weeks of 2023. The HVACR Symposium: https://hvacrschool.com/events/4th-annual-hvac-r-training-symposium/ The AHR Expo: https://www.ahrexpo.com/ Installing a new operating system at TruTech Tools: EOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpXL2SGfkBc https://www.eosworldwide.com/ This episode was recorded in February 2023....
Feb 10, 2023•16 min
Today, I feel very in tune with this podcast’s stated mission: Building HVAC Science covers a broad array of topics in building science and HVAC diagnostics, as well as human comfort, health, and safety….; this show will take a deep dive into all things that relate to buildings and people in the built environment. I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Joe Allen, an esteemed Indoor Air Quality researcher, presenter, and author, as we covered what Joe has observed and educated us on regarding the ...
Jan 13, 2023•38 min
For several years, in southern Maine, a small group of building professionals have been getting together monthly to discuss building science. Many topics are brought up for discussion: high performance windows, venting cathedral ceilings, moisture migration in wall assemblies, slab on grade details, etc. The conversation is informal and roams a bit. At one of those meetings, one of my guests today, builder, Dan Kolbert, expressed frustration with the status quo, and even more frustration with th...
Dec 30, 2022•31 min
Today’s guest, Anna Desimone has done an awesome job compiling resources for consumers to learn about factors, features and benefits of building an Energy Efficient home. Anna is author of Live in a Home that Pays You Back--A Complete Guide to Net Zero and Energy Efficient Homes, featuring national building programs in the U.S. and Canada. This is not a technical deep dive, but more of a consumer reference for understanding the blueprints of Building Envelope, Thermal enclosure, HVAC, Lighting a...
Dec 23, 2022•36 min
My three esteemed guests/amigos shed some light on common misconceptions in the HVACR industry. Catch the video version here: https://youtu.be/ZL5-sEOJj0c We talk about fun topics like: -Heatpumps are only for the south of the Mason-Dixon line -A1 refrigerants are Non-Flammable -A2L refrigerants are Flammable -R32 is a replacement for R410a -Reclaimed refrigerant does not have any value -SEER2 has taken us by surprise -Equipment brand names determine the quality, performance and longevity of ser...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Listen in as Phil Zito describes the journey he has taken from being bored, to blogging to building a business that provides top notch online training and workforce development programs. Formerly known as Building Automation Monthly, a newsletter and podcast in its early years, The Smart Buildings Academy has experienced rapid growth. As the SBA says on their website: “If you’ve been looking for a way to take yourself or your building automation team to the next level. Then you’re in the right p...
Dec 09, 2022•40 min
I was thrilled to get the opportunity to interview Shawn McLaughlin, after having been impressed with the simplicity and value of using an Emporia Vue Energy Monitor for a year or so before I met him. Shawn shares with us his back story that led him from commodities trader to company builder: designer and manufacturer of a suite of powerful, yet inexpensive products used for smart home energy management. Learn some new acronyms that you will be hearing more of in the future, such as disaggregati...
Dec 02, 2022•43 min
I met Griffin at the http://www.HabitatX.com conference several years ago and found him to be thoughtful, insightful and a quiet but powerful champion of the principles he believes in. In todays’ podcast we discuss electrification in Alaska, the deep retrofit work Griffin is doing on his own home and several other topics. Read one of Griffin’s posts from the HabitatX Journal: https://medium.com/habitat-x-journal/thats-building-performance-bfdb2646ba53 From his LinkedIn Bio: Affordable housing ex...
Nov 25, 2022•33 min
Adam is a man full of energy and drive and is always eager to help. Listen in as Adam describes the arc of his career that started in political activism and currently involves him in software, home decarbonization and net zero retrofits. Adam shares his insights into the cost vs. benefits of measures as well as a future job classification; Home Project Advisor Adam’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamstenftenagel/ Info on The Geos project: www.DiscoverGEOS.com Info on SnuggHomePr...
Nov 18, 2022•48 min
Katelyn Woodling joins us on today’s podcast to discuss the background and development of Bosch IDS Heat Pumps (Inverter Ducted Split). Katie is the manager of Product management for Bosch Heating and Cooling, North America and works out of the greater Boston area. Bosch watched market and regulatory trends, listened to customer input, and spent countless hours in the lab testing and perfecting their heat pumps to offer inverters for all. Bosch is achieving a simplified product line with terrifi...
Nov 04, 2022•28 min
If you are in HVAC, Home Performance, IAQ or follow “electrification” and you HAVEN’T heard of Nate Adams, you will do yourself good to listen to this podcast or follow some of the links below. Oh, and we did not get into the awesome AirBnBs he and his wife Rachel have created: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/613585624792425971?source_impression_id=p3_1666127682_6kZMNcYeUIBpWHPr https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/689091116595593514?source_impression_id=p3_1666127730_%2BjEglaesD2Edl9UC https://www.airbnb....
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr
“A day in the life of a smart building. Now spaces have memory and identity.” Now more than ever, facility owners and managers are incorporating smarter and more connected building technologies to improve proactive maintenance, reduce energy use, and create operational efficiencies. On todays’ podcast, Vineet Sinha, VP of Product management at Johnson Controls joins us to shed light on how connected building systems are operating holistically and working together to create a truly smart environm...
Oct 07, 2022•25 min
“Making building IAQ better is a long-term process.” “We had all the answers before the COVID-19 pandemic, we just didn’t implement them.” Bill Bahnfleth has a long and distinguished career as a professor of architectural engineering at Penn State University, a consulting and for the US Army Corps of Engineers. In early 2020, ASHRAE tapped him to become the chair of a rare emergency task force to address managing IAQ in buildings considering the COVID-19 pandemic. We will hear from Bill as he di...
Sep 30, 2022•36 min
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. Che...
Sep 23, 2022•38 min
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 create...
Sep 16, 2022•34 min
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 former ho...
Sep 09, 2022•39 min
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 de...
Sep 02, 2022•33 min
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 “Maste...
Aug 26, 2022•49 min
“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 professiona...
Aug 19, 2022•31 min
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 BP...
Aug 12, 2022•41 min
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 product...
Aug 05, 2022•38 min
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 podcast...
Jul 29, 2022•29 min
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, less t...
Jul 22, 2022•36 min
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 emphasizes...
Jul 15, 2022•34 min
“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 web...
Jul 08, 2022•50 min
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. Her...
Jul 01, 2022•46 min
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 aspe...
Jun 24, 2022•39 min
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 Th...
Jun 17, 2022•38 min
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 here:...
Jun 10, 2022•50 min
