Thread by @EfficiencyLast

HOMEOWNERS CARRY THE COST AND RISK OF BAD DECISIONS,
We think it's the contractors responsibility to have homeowners acknowledge assumption of risk when they make bad decisions
- a thread

A big issue we've spent a lot of time thinking about is who is responsible for bad decisions?

After first principles analysis we've decided we would like that responsibility to lie with the person who MAKES the bad decision.

In our case, that's the homeowner.

But it's our feeling they can't be held fully responsible for bad decisions if they're not given enough information to UNDERSTAND the good or bad of the decisions they're making.

It starts short and sweet. It first helps people understand some basics of building performance, features and functions of different types of hvac, and arms homeowners with enough information that they can participate on an adult adult basis with their HVAC contractor.

Pre visit education saves our contractors time and frustration as they don't have to educate prospects one at a time, and they can have an understanding of how much a homeowner's problems bother them based on how deeply the homeowner dug into the material.

Followed with commitment the HVAC20 process avoids the dysfunctional traps that lead to either party being abusive of the other.

It helps avoid the too common disfunctional abusive retail relationship, often exacerbated by the fear and distrust that ignorance causes.

Our pre-visit education lubricates trust on both sides of the kitchen table.

and THIS leads to very successful sales (great outcomes) of heat pumps, hybrids, and full electrifications.

As far as watching our contractors transition to heat pumps, typically in the first year they start out by shifting from selling the typical furnace and AC to selling HYBRIDS, a furnace and heat pump.

At this point many experiment by locking out the furnace and watching thermostats.

This builds experience/understanding/confidence about how heat pumps perform in the real world and reassurance that heat pumps will keep houses warm on very cold days.

It's typically after having a winter with some hybrids in the field, watching how they perform, learning the subtle idiosyncrasies to be cautious of, and experiencing very happy heat pump customers that the guys become comfortable doing full electrifications.

WHY GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS SUCK AT HOME PERFORMANCE, AND REALLY SUCK AT ELECTRIFICATION:

I could fill a book the size of the Bible with reasons. One big one - Total disregard of the kitchen table.

Programs tend to have goals that are completely disconnected from the goals of the homeowner, and the processes of the contractor.

These impossible to align objectives makes the sales process psychotic.

A second example: Many programs either don't incentivize hybrids, or actually punish them.

Installing a gas furnace? Want an incentive for the outdoor unit? It's got to be a high efficiency air conditioner, not a heat pump...

Crazy.

So contractors who work in programs aren't cautiously trying to figure out how to solve client problems, they're focused on giving programs what they want.

This means that the folks installing heat pumps for programs tend to be the less cautious type. The type who often leave homeowners with a bad experience.

Exactly the folks you don't want installing heat pumps.

What we want is great experiences for both homeowners and contractors.

FUCK PROGRAMS. THEY SUCK.
Still don't believe me, ask @RobertBrierle14

Or ask David Roberts, (drvox) who ran a gas line to his mild climate west coast house instead of simply installing a heat pump "because incentives"

Without being highly outcome focused, you get one or both parties believing (not unjustly) that converting to heat pumps is a perilous, unrewarding experience.

And one thing we know in today's world is that disastrous experiences have virality whether they're true or not.

HVAC20 process does a really great job of avoiding disastrous experiences, delivering great outcomes, and leading to 9 and 10 reviews/net promoter scores over and over again.

Solving the FREE QUOTE turning into FREE DESIGN/FREE CONSULTING problem:

One of the problems in the HVAC industry is homeowners want free quotes but they tend to not have a design or specification to bid to.

They don't understand that without a specification they are never going to get apples to apples quotes.

The HVAC 101 chapter solves this:
bit.ly/HVAC101File1118

Our guys walk into houses they've shared the chapter to and people are like:

"Why didn't everybody send me that chapter?" and, "I don't think I can afford modulating equipment but I definitely don't want single stage! So why don't we talk about multi-stage?"

And you know what?

Just like the voicemail I got from Nate so many years ago, HVAC20 contractors are really helping people others couldn't help, and loving their jobs again.

bit.ly/NateactuallyLi…

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