Can Amazon’s Example Help You Deliver HVAC System Performance?

A few years ago, Amazon had a problem. Their deliveries kept disappearing, and they had no way of proving a driver delivered the product to the right location. To solve this problem, Amazon implemented a simple but revolutionary approach to deliveries — Amazon drivers started taking snapshots of the delivered products. Once delivery is complete, the customer receives a notification that their package arrived, with visual proof of the delivery location. Let’s look at what our industry can learn from Amazon and its approach to product delivery and verification. 

What’s Your Product? 

Ask any HVAC professional what product they sell and deliver to the customer, and you’ll get a wide range of answers. One of the most common responses is “an HVAC system.” While an HVAC system is a product our industry sells, the outcome from that system is what most customers purchase. They want the comfort an HVAC system delivers. Comfort is one of the actual products.  

One way we can determine if this product is being properly delivered is by measuring how many BTUH (British thermal units per hour) the HVAC system removes or adds to a building. We can use a series of diagnostic tests to take a snapshot of delivered HVAC system performance. However, to transition to this level of product delivery, we must overcome one of the biggest challenges our industry faces — differentiating between the HVAC equipment and the HVAC system.  

Many contractors and their customers still believe that equipment and the system are the same. They assume a 95% gas furnace and 22 SEER condensing unit automatically perform at their rated efficiency once installed. Unfortunately, this assumption leads to a problem similar to Amazon’s — we aren’t delivering the product. Because our product is invisible, it’s easy to ignore. However, the symptoms are everywhere.  

The Importance of Delivered HVAC System Performance 

Amazon delivers finished products, with some requiring minimal assembly. The HVAC industry also delivers finished products, but on a different level. We are a specialized profession that must design and field-assemble multiple mechanical components to create an HVAC system. This is quite an undertaking, since multiple specialists with different roles must ensure everything works in unison.  

To deliver what you promise and what your customer pays for, you need a way to prove your installations deliver. A simple approach to measuring delivered HVAC system performance looks at the total heating or cooling Btus the HVAC system delivers into the living space and then compares them to the amount of Btus the equipment should produce under tested conditions.  

This simple approach establishes a score that considers all the variables from proper design to installation conditions. It looks beyond laboratory-rated HVAC equipment efficiency. An HVAC system that achieves a score exceeding 90% is exceptional. But in some installation locations, like attics, that result is hard to achieve. 

 Delivered HVAC system performance provides proof, just like that snapshot from Amazon. It gives your customers confidence that the equipment they purchased operates as intended. It also gives you a way to set yourself apart from your competition, which only focuses on the yellow labels and equipment laboratory ratings. Their product is frequently lost en route to the intended delivery location. 

Adding software, such as measureQuick, provides third-party credibility so you can focus on results instead of assumptions. No one will wonder if you delivered the Btus or not.  

Everyone in an HVAC Company Determines Delivered HVAC System Performance 

It takes a team at Amazon to deliver products from order to fulfillment center to your home. There are a lot of moving parts that we never see. It also takes everyone in an HVAC company to deliver exceptional HVAC system performance. There isn’t one person who holds all the responsibility or anyone who should be the scapegoat.  

Delivered HVAC system performance starts with company owners and management. If they don’t decide it’s important to ensure their installed systems work as designed, nothing will improve. Company leaders must instill delivered HVAC system performance as part of company culture. No one else can do it. If they believe in the benefits and opportunities, they can share the vision with everyone. From there, the concept catches on throughout the company.  

Salespeople have an enormous responsibility in delivering system performance. They must know how to offer the right options, not just gather nameplate information off existing equipment and quote the same-sized replacement. Their view must expand beyond the equipment to looking at what it’s attached to. 

Installation crews influence how well the equipment performs more than anyone else. Their work and attention to detail determine delivered system performance. A great installation crew gets great results. Bad installations can’t hide from the measurements. It’s the ultimate form of transparent quality control. 

Service and maintenance technicians discover conditions that lead to poor system performance and generate leads for the company to better serve its customers. They test, diagnose, and prescribe solutions for hidden defects they uncover. Without their hard work uncovering poorly performing systems, there is no opportunity to solve long-standing customer issues. Problems remain hidden unless technicians reveal defects through testing.  

Office staff also need to understand there is more to HVAC than just equipment. There are schedule tweaks to make and new services to offer that improve the way things are done. The ability to improve system performance and verify it also helps relieve the seasonal nature of the HVAC Industry. When the busy season slows down, there are always poorly performing duct systems needing help. The office staff can coordinate these jobs at slower times and keep everyone working throughout the year. 

Your customers ultimately decide their own delivered HVAC system performance. If they ignore the necessary improvements you recommend, there’s no way they can get the full benefits of the product they desire. They decide how well they want their equipment to operate by confronting system issues that keep it from performing as intended. It’s your responsibility to educate customers about problems that affect their comfort. But it’s their responsibility to make an informed decision based on facts you provide. 

MAP Your Location 

You can track Amazon deliveries on a map, right from your phone, and know how many stops away your package is. It’s wise to follow a parallel approach if you’re considering adding HVAC system performance to your company. You will also need a MAP. You’ll use it to start and track your commitment to delivering HVAC system performance. Each letter of MAP means something you should consider. 

• Motivation – why should I care and do this? Know the reason why. 

• Awareness – what will this affect and result in? Understand the benefits or consequences. 

• Plans – what will we do about and how will we do it? Decide on action steps. 

Once your team understands your purpose behind delivering HVAC system performance and its benefits, they can help you lay out the plans and become part of the movement instead of becoming naysayers and obstacles.  

Use the MAP concept to help you determine a destination and understand that you will need to detour occasionally to overcome unexpected obstacles or challenges. If you encounter them, that’s a good sign you’re moving in the right direction. Remember, sometimes your Amazon deliveries get delayed, but the product finally arrives.  

There are a lot of messed-up HVAC systems out there resulting in various comfort, energy, and IAQ problems. But you can follow Amazon’s example and improve your business model to fix a problem most of our industry ignores. Why not take a snapshot of delivered HVAC system performance to prove your product (Btus and comfort) is delivered to the right location?