Rolling Out the Mat for a More Comfortable Home: Don’t ‘Jump to Conclusions’

The holiday season may be prime time for box office premieres, but it’s also a fine season to enjoy cult classics on the small screen. While channel surfing recently, my eyes were opened to just how much work-life wisdom is conveyed in the 1999 film, Office Space, particularly as it relates to HVAC contractors and their teams. 

In the film, hapless office worker Tom Smykowski is inspired by what he believes is a “million dollar” idea – the Jump to Conclusions mat. During a layoff meeting, he describes his invention as “this mat that you would put on the floor and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could “JUMP TO.” Of course, no tech worth his or her refrigerant gauge would rely on such a mat to solve a customer’s cooling problems.  

That hilarious scene is a painful reminder that especially during times of peak demand, techs can jump to conclusions without having all the facts – like the condition of a home’s attic. Without adequate levels of attic insulation and properly sized and sealed attic ducts, a homeowner’s heating and cooling equipment may not deliver the desired performance or expected energy efficiency in every season– sort of like Milton’s red stapler relying on rusty, corroded paperclips to staple TPS reports.  

Advance planning can help contractors plan their 2025 promotions to coincide with the ebb and flow of seasonal demand. Of course, in the height of summer, going up to a home’s attic – where temperatures can rise to over 100^○F – can be about as appealing as having one’s desk relocated to Storage B and about as safe as demolishing a printer without protective eyewear. Here’s where a little proactivity and advance planning can help the customer and the HVAC business. During warmer months, techs can advise a homeowner of opportunities in the attic to reduce energy bills before winter, and schedule a follow-up visit during the shoulder season of Sept. to Oct. Is this “good for the company? Absolutely, as it helps build customer trust while also helping keep employees busy when business “cools off”.

But getting back to the mat . . . A tech’s experience with a home’s system can breed familiarity, making it easy to jump to conclusions. Ignoring the attic and looking only at equipment can be a bit like ignoring a TPS report cover sheet. Beyond a call from the boss/unsatisfied customer, it may result in replacing defect-free equipment. Resist the urge to pick up a baseball bat – it’s not the equipment’s fault if holes in attic ductwork or insufficient insulation are bringing a customer to their boiling point.  

Maintenance calls present an opportunity to differentiate a contractor’s techs from competitors. Simply following through with service basics “on the menu” is the equivalent of wearing just the minimum pieces of flair. A service or maintenance call should go beyond measuring intake and exhaust air exchange, replacing the air filter, and checking the thermostat. By inspecting the attic and ensuring adequate levels of insulation are installed in key locations, techs can differentiate their business from “Penetrode-like” competitors. Demonstrating a flair for due diligence that includes an attic inspection also helps avoid jumping to conclusions about the root cause of an issue. 

Rolling out the mat and applying a whole-home approach to a customer’s problem presents a strategic approach to caring for a home’s air. Just as the consultants in the classic cult film asked employees a series of questions to evaluate roles and identify inefficiencies, some thoughtful questions can help contractors’ customers understand their home’s comfort involves the attic. But it’s important to ask questions that can get a conversation started, actively listen, and probe for insights. Some questions and probes to consider include: 

“What is bothering you about your home’s air? Higher energy bills? Frequent cycling? An increase in energy bills? Excess dust? Strange odors? Questioning and prompts position the technician as an expert who wants to solve the issue at hand, not just check boxes. Asking questions also helps build trust and can help a customer feel more comfortable allowing the technician to inspect the attic area. 

Inside the attic, thermal imagery and measuring the insulation levels can provide the data needed to calculate potential energy savings and propose solutions that will support comfort and energy efficiency throughout the home.  

Residential HVAC techs can’t save their customers from workplace frustrations, but they can help make customers’ homes a cool and comfortable haven away from the daily grind. So before jumping to conclusions, take it to the attic. The Owens Corning Air Care Program is designed to help contractors take their business to a higher level while creating a higher standard of comfort and energy efficiency for their customers. More information is available at owenscorning.com/aircare.