NCI Article Library

High-Performance HVAC Resources

Do Your Customers Pay With a Smile?

Collecting money is one of the least favorite tasks for a small business owner. Many contractors would rather avoid the awkwardness and just send a bill. This can really hurt cash flow, considering how much you have tied up in a typical installation. Getting your...

Do You Get Paid What You’re Worth?

by Michael Weil

Vendor Spotlight, Rodney Koop, founder of The New Flat Rate.

Keying in on Relationships and Service

by Michael Weil

Distributor Spotlight, R.E. Michel founder, Robert E. Michel.

Diagnostic Tests That Teach and Sell

by Rob "Doc" Falke

Since the mid 1980's most contractors have been selling air conditioning and heating using methods like slick calculations that promised return on investment and energy savings. Times have changed and so have our customers. Today's buyers are better equipped to make...

Diagnosing Water Heater Pilot Defects

by Jim Davis

Trying to solve water heater pilot problems is one sure way to experience feelings of frustration and uncertainty. The challenge is to learn to recognize all the conditions that can cause them to go out and then quickly bring to mind the host of repairs available to...

Diagnosing Cooling Systems

by Rob "Doc" Falke

Compared to the majority of the service techs in our industry, airheads have a distinct advantage when it comes to diagnosing cooling systems. The general idea that the system is "working" means it's typically only producing 60% or less of the equipment rated BTU...

Diagnosing a Long-standing Water Heater Pilot Problem

by Jim Davis

It appears that certain water heater pilots may have been undersized in the field for the last 15 years or more. For over a decade we have received reports from NCI technicians working on pilot outage problems finding pilot orifices sized for propane pilots on natural...

Developing a Customer Referral Plan

by Nita Brooks

Developing a Customer Referral Plan By Nita Brooks, NCI Business Solutions Development Manager Your company should invest in developing a good customer referral plan to reward and give incentives to your loyal customers to spread the word on your products and...

Design Vs. Redesign

by Rob "Doc" Falke

We've looked, but can't find it. There are mountains of information about how to design a new HVAC system, but nothing much that addresses how to redesign one. It would take hundreds of pages to completely detail the process, but let’s take a stab at the basic ideas....