Building HVAC Science - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Building HVAC Science — Education
Building HVAC Science

Exploring the science, people, and practices shaping better buildings.

The Building HVAC Science Podcast dives into both the technical and human sides of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and building performance. Hosted by industry veteran Bill Spohn, CEO and co-owner of TruTech Tools, the show reflects Bill’s passion for advancing the HVAC craft through practical knowledge, curiosity, and conversation.

With more than 250 episodes and counting, the podcast features discussions with contractors, distributors, manufacturers, educators, and thought leaders from across the HVAC and building science communities. Each episode blends field experience with broader industry perspective, helping professionals stay ahead of trends, sharpen their skills, and build stronger businesses.

Topics include:

New tools, technologies, and field practices
Real-world case studies and lessons learned
Building performance, comfort, and indoor air quality
Industry innovation, workforce development, and the human side of the trades

Whether you’re a technician in the field, a business owner, a manufacturer, or simply curious about how buildings breathe and perform, Building HVAC Science connects you with the ideas and voices moving the industry forward.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This show is a production of TruTech Tools®, LTD.

Latest Episodes:

EP20 Super Tight Walls & Ducts with Bryan Barnes of Aeroseal Mar 09, 2018

Show notes

Bryan Barnes of Aeroseal, LLC joins us today to discuss two revolutionary technologies that greatly impact Building Performance: AeroSeal for sealing ducts from the inside out and AeroBarrier for sealing a building enclosure in the same manner. We hear about the science behind Aeroseal and the dramatic performance increases in comfort, energy and the health of the environment. Their smart-liquid sealant turns into an aerosol in their machine and actual finds and seals holes and gaps up to ⅝" in stated performance, yet larger holes have been sealed. If you're an HVAC contractor, consider AeroSeal to make you customers more comfortable with far less time & labor in duct sealing in retrofit work allowing you to reach buried ducts. It's also a time saver in new construction duct sealing, too. If you're a builder, consider what AeroBarrier can do minimize the air changes of the envelope you are building to meet and exceed any existing or anticipated energy codes. If you are interested in learning more, or becoming a dealer of these highly differentiating products, go to www.AeroSeal.com or www.AeroBarrier.com or email our guest Bryan at Bryan.Barnes@AeroSeal.com

EP19 Making Home Performance the Norm with Ted Kidd & Nate Adams Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Bill chats with Ted Kidd and Nate Adams, two people who share an extreme passion for making better home performance the norm and not the exception. Our conversation gets tough on state energy programs, utility-based programs as well as BPI where we develop out the pros and cons. You can learn more about their aspirations and get some great tools and free resources by visiting www.NateTheHouseWhisperer.com You can reach Ted through Nate by emailing at Nate@EnergySmartOhio.com or calling Nate at +1-330-524-6495. They have written a easy reading, attractively produced, comprehensive book which you can find by searching for "The Home Comfort Book".

EP18 Energy Star Home Troubles with Terje Gronas Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, Terje Gronas tells us about his 2-year struggle to get the healthy, comfortable and energy efficient home he wanted for his family. He discusses the heavy study and personal interventions he had to make to get what he wanted and paid a premium for. "T" talks about the big picture for contractors and techs: the air in a home can greatly affect you're families health and even, perhaps, health care costs overall. As more and more technicians take pride and care in their work, Terje believes you can have a net positive impact on families and in a cumulative sense, society. He has built a Facebook page to share his journey; search for "Energy Star Homes, The Horrors"

EP17 Data, Data Everywhere- Capturing information with Hobo Data loggers with guest Matt Rivers Feb 13, 2018

Show notes

On today's show, Bill welcomes Matt Rivers from Onset Computer, manufacturer of the world famous line of Hobo Data Loggers. Matt describes their three main markets: Indoor, Outdoor (Weather) and Water Quality. We hear of the long list of parameters that can be logged that allow technicians, engineers and researchers to collect meaningful time stamped data to do better work. Also discussed is the positive impact of BlueTooth connections, cloud-based data services as well as cellular and gateways for remote, real time monitoring. With loggers starting at under $50, everyone has a chance at improving their game with data. More info at www.OnSetComp.com or to purchase www.TruTechTools.com/Hobo

EP16- Powerpoint is Dead-Engaging Adults in Technical Education with Amanda Hatherly Feb 06, 2018

Show notes

Today we learn about how Amanda Hatherly has morphed the traditional approaches of technical training into something much more interactive and interesting. Over the last 8 years she helped to develop the Energy Smart Academy at the Santa Fe (New Mexico) Community College. She described some really cool online tools that help people understand the invisible and confusing aspects of heat and moisture flow in a building. Check them out for free at www.SimBuilding.info You can connect with Amanda by filling out the contact form at www.EnergySmartAcademy.info or emailing her at amanda.hatherly@sfcc.edu Learn more about the accrediting body for her program at IREC at https://irecusa.org/

EP15 Bryan and Bill's big adventure: AHR Expo round up thru the eyes of a couple of nerds Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

Bryan Orr and Bill Spohn spent 3 busy days learning, listening and absorbing the vibe at the world's largest HVACR trade show, the AHR Expo which took place in Chicago at the end of January 2018. Come walk the auditory aisles with these two friendly nerds and see where the market is headed as a whole and with specific products.

EP14 - CarFax for homes - Pearl Certification is looking for good contractors Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

On this episode, Bill Spohn welcomes Bethany Profaizer and Amy Beley from Pearl Certification (www.PearlCertification.com). Pearl has created a unique and very cost effective, third party certification for the major "invisible" elements of a home: building shell (or envelope), HVAC/mechanical systems, energy baseload, home management and photovoltaic (PV) solar. Contractors actively working in any of these are disciplines are eligible to apply. Now active in 6 states and the District of Columbia, Pearl is partnering with new contractors and real estate professionals from across the country every day. Unlike other programs, there is no pre-qualification necessary for the home. Pearl has worked hard to create a system that integrates with contractor's sales and work systems, while providing a tangible record of the value for the home owner and real estate world. If you're a contractor who wants to get a lasting record (it stays with the property) that recognizes your good work, contact Pearl. Your customers will like the fact that they can get documented credit for your work when they go to sell. A third-party study found Pearl Certified Homes are getting 2-10% better prices to comparable non-certified homes. To learn more about becoming a Pearl Partner, contact Bethany at Bethany@PearlCertification.com

EP13 - Contractors Benefit from Utility-based Energy Savings Programs with Joe Kuonen from CleaRESULT Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

Joe has worked for for CLEAResult (www.CLEAResult.com ) for over 10 years. His company is a fast growing, highly focused implementer of utility-based energy savings programs. Joe discusses the ins and outs of building an energy savings program for a utility, especially those aspects that involve HVAC and building performance contractors. Joe mentions the Home Performance Coalition's conferences as a great place to learn and network (www.homeperformance.org/conferences/). He also discusses inspirational training he received from John Tooley (www.linkedin.com/in/john-tooley-37a89210/ ) and the Florida Solar Energy Center (www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/). Joe also notes the related aspects of the RESNET organization and conference (www.RESNET.us). And here's a link to a photo of the tree house that Joe built around a centuries old tree in his yard : www.bit.ly/Joe-TreeHouse

Here is a link to more photos from his TreeHouse project: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fbnTeci0zaEN5oL1A0-zOGtwbhywoq6o?usp=sharing

EP12 -The complex business of making better measurements easy for you - Interview with Marko Bruinsma from Testo Jan 02, 2018

Show notes

Today we talk with Marko Bruinsma, President of Testo, inc. Marko gives us an overview of how his background from destructive testing in labs, to work with rockets and propellants to repping instrumentation shaped his career and lead to his current leadership role with testo. We also learn about the history of testo, the worldwide scope of the organization and the breadth of product lines – some lines that all listeners may not be aware of. Some handy links from the conversation: Email testo at info@testo.com OR call them at 1-800-227-0729 (US and Canada) Visit their website at www.testo.com Review their US calibration lab at: www.bit.ly/testo-cal AHRI Standard 1260 for combustion analyzers: www.bit.ly/AHRI-1260 Stop by and meet Marko in person at the testo booth, # 7365, at the AHR expo in Chicago in January 2018: www.ahrexpo.com/

EP11 The Wild, Wild JWest- from Heavy Metal to House Wrap Dec 26, 2017

Show notes

Today Bill speaks with JWest, a building performance practitioner and educator. J can be reached at JWest@hph2tc.com (his consulting business) or at JWest@CEDAnet.org (the community action agency in Chicago that he works for as Training Director.) We learn about The House at Cornell Tech Center on Roosevelt Island near NY City, which is the tallest and largest residential Passive House high-rise in the world. J discusses the HabitatX Conference as something listeners should investigate (www.HabitatX.com) He also discussed Passive House Concepts: you can learn more at http://www.phius.org/home-page or http://naphnetwork.org/

Related Podcasts