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So far, most of our episodes have focused on HVAC companies. Today, we branch out, interviewing Fortunat Mueller, co-founder and CEO of ReVision Energy. ReVision started out as a solar company, but over time has become an "energy transition company." A major part of their business is installing heat pumps.
In this episode, we dig into what it means to be an energy transition company. Fortunat explains how and why ReVision got into HVAC, and in particular why they focus exclusively on heat pumps. He lays out why solar and heat pumps fit naturally into a single business model, and why ReVision's many offerings perfectly meet the energy transition experience that is most comfortable for homeowners. Few homeowners want to do it all in one go. Instead, they'd rather tackle it piece by piece over the course of many years.
Fortunat shares a lot, such as:
How ReVision evolved over timeHow companies are built, not from one big idea, but from countless smaller decisions over years that work together to create something greatReVision's focus on training as a competitive advantage when there is a dramatic shortage of tradespeopleHow heat pumps perform in the real world, even in climates as brutal as Maine'sHow heat pump technology has evolved and improved over timeWhat an ESOP is and why it's a competitive advantage...... And lots moreWhether you're a solar company thinking about getting into heat pumps -- or if you're an HVAC company wondering how your competition is evolving -- you'll get a lot out of this episode.
Show notes:
Revision EnergyFortunat MuellerNESEA -
This week, we welcome a guest who truly needs no introduction: Alex Meaney, founder of MeanHVAC. For many in the industry, Alex has taught us much of what we know about Manuals J, S, D, Zr, and more.
In this episode, we dive straight into the intricacies of Manuals J and S, especially their application to heat pumps. Unlike traditional HVAC systems, heat pumps—capable of both heating and cooling—are far more sensitive to mistakes in system design. With Alex’s expertise, we explore why this is, and how to address these challenges.
Throughout the episode, Alex drops invaluable insights, including:
“Manual J is the problem, Manual S is the solution, and Manual D is the execution.”“Cooling is where everything gets complicated.”A clear explanation of why higher SEER ratings mean worse moisture removalHow and why heat pumps have exponentially increased HVAC design complexityAn explanation of Adequate Exposure Diversity and why it mattersHow much (or little) you make working in public radioAnd lots moreIf you’ve ever wanted to geek out on how heat pumps are reshaping the fundamentals of HVAC system design, this episode is a must-listen!
Show notes
Alex MeaneyMeanHVACPlease see our website for the charts and graphs referred to in this podcast: https://info.amply.energy/blog/tag/heat-pump-podcast -
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Peter Troast is the founder and CEO of Energy Circle, a unique and differentiated marketing agency that exclusively works with high performance contractors.
Early in this episode, Peter shares two important definitions:
Marketing is anything you do that gets the phone to ring with high quality leadsHigh performance contractors are contractors who understand the home as a system, where HVAC is the engineSo in this episode, we focus on one thing: how heat pump contractors can drive more inbound calls.
Peter walks us through Marketing 101, 201, and 301:
Marketing 101 (beginner): how to capture leads through the basics, like a good website and good processes.Marketing 201 (intermediate): how to spend advertising dollars to maximum impact on platforms like Google, Facebook, and even Reddit.Marketing 301 (advanced): how to create demand through clever content tailored to your unique area and that truly differentiates your company.If you're a heat pump contractor looking to get your phone to ring and then beat the competition for bigger tickets and higher margin jobs, this episode is for you.
Show notes:
Energy CirclePeter's LinkedIn -
Ilija Crnobrnja was an exchange student in Massachusetts waiting tables, learning English, and studying agricultural economics. When he met and married his wife, he realized he needed a new job, so he found himself in the HVAC business. He worked his way through almost every role in HVAC.
Along the way, his love for building science, customer service, and high efficiency homes was ignited. As you'll hear, Ilija's passion is deep. That passion made him destined to be an entrepreneur. He had to create and build a business to deliver on his vision.
So he and his partner David refinanced their homes and founded SumZero. In their first 6 months, they made $350. That's it. Today, they are a $9M heat pump installer with incredibly happy customers all over Massachusetts.
Join us for Ilija's insights into:
How building science teaches us to look at the home as a system...... and why HVAC is the engine of that systemWhy heat pumps are the future, and if you build a heat pump business today, you'll enjoy it for decades to comeHis impressive approach to training his teamWhy employee compensation in the HVAC industry needs to be redesignedWhy you should structure your entire business to focus on delivering a Comfort Consultant's promise to homeowners...... and moreShow notes:
SumZero Energy SystemsIlija's LinkedInCorbett Lunsford and the Building Performance WorkshopJoe Lstiburek and the BuildingScience.com CorporationMatt Risinger and his build channel on YouTube -
Kevin Brenner started his career as Dr. Brenner, destined to take over the family podiatry business. But he loved to swing a hammer more than he liked being in an office, so he jumped ship and landed in carpentry. His first company, Brenner Builders, started with a $627 job fixing deck stairs. It ended as Westchester County's premier high-end home builder, with an average value of $11M per project and doing $50M a year in revenue.
Kevin's journey did not end there. He had a passion for high-efficiency homes, so he started Healthy Home on the side, a company focused on whole-home performance contracting with pricing accessible to everyone. In 2017, he closed the doors on Brenner Builders and now focuses entirely on Healthy Home.
Healthy Home is a mission-driven organization. Kevin has grown his business steadily, adding services, hiring and training his staff, and leaving a wake of happy customers and healthy homes behind him.
Join us for Kevin's insights into:
How building envelope work impacts heat pump designHis mother's reaction when she learned he was leaving medicineWhat good heat pump installs look likeWhy he does NOT sell to customers who want a heat pump to lower their monthly billsWhat the media gets wrong in their heat pump coverageThe importance of reading the manual (RTFM)Why he has started, stopped, and restarted his HVAC division multiple times How culture and mission are the cornerstone of Healthy Home's hiring and training... and moreShow notes:
Healthy HomeThe smoking hot Chevy HHRThe Energy Conservatory's True Flow GridThe Building Performance InstituteNational Comfort InstituteHVAC SchoolTy BranamanCraig Migliaccio and AC Service Tech Channel -
This episode is a fun experiment for us. At Amply, we LOVE doing ride alongs with our customers. It gives us insight. It gives us energy. It's how our customers turn into our friends. So we tried to capture that experience in a podcast. Ed jumps in the car with Aleisha Stenson, co-founder and co-owner of My Diamond Comfort.
Before getting into HVAC, Aleisha was in law enforcement and social work. She loved working with kids, but the intensity of working for the Department of Children and Families was exhausting. While out on medical leave for a few weeks, her father brought home a set of CDs from a Weldon Long seminar. She listened to the entire set over the course of several days. Coming out the other side, she knew ductless was the future, and she had a vision for a ductless-only HVAC business.
That's how My Diamond Comfort -- an exceptional heat pump installer in rural Western Massachusetts -- was born.
Join us for Aleisha's insights into:
Her passion for sales + ductlessThe benefits of a ductless-only businessWhat it's like to run a family businessHow to see past what customers say they want and listen to what they needHer primary pain points day-to-day and what would make her life easierWhat makes a great distributor and a great manufacturer...... and more
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Hal Smith followed his passion and ignored his teachers' advice by going to trade school. He founded Halco 40 years ago. By listening to his customers and helping them "fix their old homes" in upstate New York, he gradually added new service offerings. From plumbing and HVAC he added electrical. Then insulation and air sealing. Then Solar and geothermal. Windows and doors. Now basement waterproofing and finishing.
Through trial and error, hard-earned business savvy, and a relentless focus on doing right by his customers, Hal now runs a $40M end-to-end whole-home performance contracting business with 180+ employees, 100+ trucks, and 10,000 annual service agreements.
Hal does a lot of heat pumps, which is why we're delighted to have him on the Heat Pump Podcast. But he focuses on the home as a system. That gives him insight into what is required to make heat pumps perform well, even in frigid upstate New York.
Join us for Hal's technical insight on home performance, his business insight on operating a profitable company, and his entrepreneurial insight into how to come from nothing and build a $40M contracting business with wildly happy customers.
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In this episode of the Heat Pump Podcast, Laura and Joe Wood tell the story of how they went from one person in 2008 to over a hundred 14 years later and a successful exit to private equity. When they finished, they had not one but two premier HVAC brands in the competitive Boston market.
They founded Boston Standard in 2007-2008 to be a standard-setting plumbing + HVAC + electrical brand, and they achieved that. Then, while traveling abroad, they realized that the rest of the world uses heat pumps to provide both heating and cooling. To capitalize on that untapped heat pump opportunity, they founded New England Ductless as a completely separate entity. It was a remarkable experiment that paid off.
Laura and Joe have unique insights from their experience, having personally managed a traditional HVAC business side-by-side with a heat pump-focused business. Their lessons about the differences between these two companies are essential to anyone building a heat pump business and to anyone looking to grow and scale to 100+ employees.
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In this episode of the Heat Pump Podcast, Ed interviews Mike Cappuccio, founder and former CEO of N.E.T.R., one of New England's largest heat pump HVAC contractors, and owner of Dominate Ductless, a training and advisory business focused on educating the next generation of heat pump contractors to build profitable businesses.
Mike describes his journey from employee to entrepreneur, as well as his journey form commercial trucking refrigeration into residential HVAC. In making that transition, Mike went from profitable to unprofitable. That caused him to look long and hard at his business to figure out what had changed and what was wrong.
While squinting at his business, he found ductless heat pumps while at a Mitsubishi seminar, saw the beauty and profitability of a heat pump-focused operation, and set about revamping his entire business model. The success of that model is what led Mike to found Dominate Ductless -- so he could share those valuable learnings with other heat pump entrepreneurs. Mike shares some of his most important insights from his Dominate Ductless seminars, which are valuable to anyone trying to build a heat pump-focused business.
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In this first episode of the Heat Pump Podcast, Eric Fitz and Ed Smith interview Matt Scott, one of the co-owners of Dave's World. Dave's World is the largest heat pump installer in Maine, which has more cold weather heat pumps installed per capita than any other state in the US.
Matt tells the remarkable story of how he first stumbled upon the magic of heat pumps, against the odds and against the advice of a distributor. From there, he describes the entrepreneurial journey he and his partners, Dan and Bob, went on to transform Dave's World from a small appliance store in Dover-Foxcroft to one of the largest heat pump-focused businesses in the country.
Matt discusses the challenges they faced, how they overcame them, and some of the special sauce that makes Dave's World a magical place for both their customers and employees.
Show notes
Dave's World websiteThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon HillThe Upside of Fear and The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long
