Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

Energy Talk

No conversation about how comfortable they were or whether there were any issues with overall performance with the old system. The correct set of questions must be prompted. A homeowner watching their budget is likely not volunteering answers that will likely submarine the bank account. Remember, thirty years ago contractors overlooked issues, so you will have to uncover shortcomings. The home must be analyzed by the contractor for the type of construction, layout and leakage. Only then can a comprehensive load calculation be done. Every home is different. The same floor plan with the same orientation in the same neighborhood. One shortcut in framing, overlooked plumbing penetration, or missing piece of drywall can turn a home on its head as far as performance is concerned, and most have several issues. By analyzing the envelope, we often find the existing HVAC system is oversized and with a very little bit of labor we can minimize operating expenses for years to come. Back a little over thirty years ago young people overused a term just as we use “awesome!” today. That word was “neat”. Everything was “neat!” or “neato!” I would like to resurrect the term for Home Performance.

Home Performance Defined

Tom Turner, Air Evangelist

The title “Home Performance” is largely ignored by over eighty percent of the HVAC industry. How do we come to that conclusion? Eight out of every ten homes have HVAC issues. This fact was true thirty years ago and is still relevant today when energy, equipment and labor pricing are all higher. Whether equipment is mismatched during repairs, shortcomings on the initial air delivery system design, or there was never a comprehensive load calculation performed. You may have purchased a “High Performance HVAC” system, but seldom does the systems deliver efficiency and comfort together without planning and measurement. What is magical about “Home Performance”? The title holds the key to whether the HVAC fulfils its obligation to perform. The term looks at home first, with measurements, decides a plan of action to mitigate energy losses and finally matches up the correct equipment for installation with proper methods, tools, and processes. Too often HVAC contractors arrive on the scene to find an outdated system, rightly explaining the system should be replaced. The technician extrapolates the size from the nomenclature information and suggests a change out based solely upon the existing equipment.

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