BAD ASS HVAC Part 8 - The Short Version

2020 has brought more attention to Indoor Air Quality than any other year I’ve seen:

• The fact that COVID19, like most viruses, largely spreads through the air has most of us adjusting our lifestyles. 
• Wildfires are triggering asthma and other health issues in Australia and across the American west and leading to lots of press about “filter fans” like the Comparetto Cube and other air cleaners. 
• Gas stoves are being outed as being horrible for IAQ, with articles in mainstream publications like The Atlantic and The New York Times. 

This all brings us to the why of BAD ASS HVAC: creating better and healthier environments for humans to live in that can be sold to most consumers, installed by most HVAC contractors, and that can deliver excellent comfort and air quality automatically. 

BAD ASS HVAC is all about delivering the 6 Functions of HVAC which deliver that excellent comfort and air quality. All cars since 2000 can do 5 of these, most homes can’t do any.

Developing BAD ASS HVAC 

For years I’ve been learning about indoor air quality and watching the products to improve it. My constant frustration has been this: they are too difficult to sell, install, and maintain as well as being too expensive for most consumers to see the value in to buy. 

This is a shame because we breathe 3000 gallons of air a day, and we have direct control over about ⅔ of that air, because it’s in our homes.

According to the Corsi Code, named after air quality researcher Dr. Rich Corsi, we spend 54 of our 79 years inside our homes. 

That means that as parents we can help our kids’ health by providing healthier air to breathe, and we can provide healthier air for ourselves to breathe too!

But only if we can buy a system that can provide the 6 Functions of HVAC and have it installed well enough to work. Oh, and it has to be maintained too, so easy maintenance is critical if it is likely to continue to work well.

What BAD ASS HVAC Looks Like: The Short Version

Over the past 7 years we’ve been developing BAD ASS HVAC, trying out different types of equipment, and then using air quality monitors to see what works and what doesn’t. We’ve now come to a conclusion with that work, it looks like this:

Here are the elements of BAD ASS HVAC: 

1. Load Matching - right sized variable speed HVAC, preferably a heat pump
2. Filtration - MERV 11+ media filter in same sized duct
3. Dehumidification - reheat/standalone 
4. Fresh Air - fresh air duct that closes at low/high temps
5. Mixing - Big Air Drop for low static pressure & usage
6. Humidification - based on outdoor temp

There are some key things to note about this design:

• Simple - It only uses one piece of HVAC equipment ideally - a variable speed heat pump with reheat dehumidification capability. 
• Low Maintenance - It only has one filter, which tackles filtering both incoming outdoor air and air inside the house.
• Looks “Normal” - Our clients find mini split heat pumps a bit unnerving, this looks just like their existing furnace or heat pump.
• Easy to Install - It’s only a tweak on what existing installs look like, so entry level techs can be successful installing it. 

But There’s Still a Problem

This leads us to the last problem to solve: it’s more expensive and consumers need to see the value to buy BAD ASS HVAC.

There’s really only one solution here: education. Education takes time and a trusting relationship, two things often missing in HVAC purchases, 85% of which are made in an emergency when equipment fails on a hot or cold day.

There are different ways to tackle this, but ideally consumers start doing their homework well in advance of needing new HVAC. 

They can’t just read anything either, it’s best to direct education to avoid confusion.

And there’s another problem on top of this: many air quality issues can’t be solved by HVAC alone, there may be problems in the house like mold or water leaks or critters or large air leaks that make delivering comfort and air quality impossible. Building performance upgrades may be needed, and the only way to figure that out is to test the home and ask the homeowner a bunch of questions.

There are surely other ways to tackle this complicated problem, but the HVAC 2.0 program we’re developing works, and it works with entry level talent. 

Homeowners get educated at a speed they can handle, contractors can use the process with fairly minimal training, and the HVAC industry can finally deliver what it’s capable of: excellent air quality and comfort for any homeowner that wants it. To learn more about this program, go to hvac20.com.

The problems I listed at the beginning can largely be solved - viral risk can be reduced, we don’t need to breathe wildfire smoke indoors, and we can electrify appliances to eliminate combustion byproducts inside homes (don’t forget a quiet range hood that vents outdoors though!) Oh, and all this can run on clean energy.

Which brings us full circle - BAD ASS HVAC gives us a path to make excellent comfort and air quality available to everyone. 

For more, be sure to read the other parts of this series, or watch this video for consumers or this video for HVAC pros. Thanks for reading!

PS BAD ASS does stand for something - Big Air Drop, Air Source System, see parts 5 and 7 respectively.  Here are links to the rest of the series for MUCH more detail. 
Part 1 - Load Matching and Filtration
Part 2 - Humidity Challenges
Part 3 - HVAC and COVID19, Fresh Air
Part 4 - Mixing and Humidification
Part 5 - Why BAD is Good
Part 6 - What It Looks Like
Part 7 - Heat Pumps and Humidifiers
Part 8 - The Short Version