TECH Clean California
NCI Training Portal

What if everything you thought you knew about diagnosing and solving refrigeration-side performance problems may not be totally correct?

Before you hook up a refrigerant gauge to a condensing unit, do you know for certain it’s the right first step to solving the issue?
By tapping into the refrigerant-side and adjusting the charge before you establish the true causes of the problem, you may not solve it. In many cases, you might make things worse!

There is a better way!

This National Comfort Institute two-day advanced certification class provides you with real-world lessons and hands-on training. It’s based on proven techniques on how to best approach refrigeration-side issues.

Learn how to:

• Apply a performance-based, systematic approach to refrigeration-side diagnostics
• Explore new HVAC refrigeration cycle performance-related solutions
• Identify surgical system repairs to improve performance
• Use inspection, testing, and system history to determine if and when you need to tap into the refrigeration circuit
• Address underlying issues that impact the system before adjusting the charge

Who Should Attend?
Residential and Commercial Technicians, Installers & Installation Managers, Service Managers.

CEU Information:
This training event qualifies for 16 air-side NCI recertification hours.

Set your HVAC company apart from the competition!

Are you ready to move beyond the SEER and HSPF trap? Want to avoid going back to jobs to install a larger heat pump or electric heat strips to address customer comfort issues? This training program provides the keys to delivering true system performance. True system performance leads to enhanced comfort, safety, and energy efficiency for your customers. The class also covers the importance of proper heat -pump installation to ensure high efficiency and comfort. This is key to installations that meet and exceed California’s electrification standards. Residential HVAC System Performance & Electrification includes a 2-day certification course with a special ½ day training to help you apply your knowledge specifically to residential HVAC electrification projects.

Learn how to:

• Discover and repair hidden energy-draining comfort system defects other companies miss every time
• Reduce call-backs and increase customer satisfaction
• Guarantee results using NCI’s exclusive system delivered Btu technology
• Test both new and existing installations
• Provide real solutions through system renovations and documented results

Benefits:

• Open the door to increased sales and customer loyalty through professional testing and diagnostics services
• Increase average equipment changeout tickets by 100% or more by uncovering and repairing hidden system defects that lead to reduced comfort and increased energy consumption
• Reduce warranty and call-back costs by up to 70% by diagnosing and correcting the real problem the first time
• Improve field measured system operating efficiency from an average of 57% to over 90% – with the ability to prove your results to your customers
• Enhance profitability by selling highly profitable services at gross margins generally exceeding 60%
• Use HVAC performance diagnostic techniques to identify and solve system performance issues, improve IAQ and reduce energy consumption
• Establish yourself in your marketplace as a true beyond-the-box HVAC expert, and the go-to contractor to solve long-standing problems

Who Should Attend?
This class is for engineers, sales professonals, and in-house designers who own or plan to purchase Elite RHVAC software.  Recommended for HVAC professionals with prior design experience who design or redesign systems.

CEU Information:
This training event qualifies for 8 BPI CEUs and 16 NATE CEU’s, along with 16 air-side NCI recertification hours.

This course builds on principles learned in other NCI courses to illustrate an assessment process that can lead to a successful electrification project.

Learn how to:

• Organize company personnel and resources to test, diagnose, and complete equipment changeouts and upgrades to optimize system performance.
• Enhance the installed performance of the entire HVAC system, including the duct system.
• Assess whether an electrification project will need to involve other trades.
• Determine when to include building testing and upgrades in the project scope of work.
• Apply ANSI/ASHRAE 221 performance testing learned in NCI Residential System Performance to electrification projects.

Module 1 – Introduction to Electrification Projects

• Electrification principles – what they are
• Electrification pros and cons – what a high-performance HVAC professional should expect
• How your NCI training ties into Electrification
• What we will and won’t cover
• Additional knowledge needed beyond this course
• A tale of two heat pump quotes – one measured, the other didn’t
• Project expectations and customer communication
• Assessing an electrification project – overview
• Various heat pump options to consider
• Electrification project levels – overview
• Electrification assessment report – overview
• Module one recap

Module 2 – Complete an Electrification Assessment Report

• Generate customer discussion
• Heating and cooling equipment inspection
• Initial duct system inspection
• Initial electrical service inspection
• Initial heating and cooling system testing
• Initial building information
• Identifying other trades in the project
• Estimating the appropriate electrification project level
• Module two recap

Module 3 – Evaluate an Electrification Project

• Evaluating an electrification project
• Electrification project guidelines – detailed
• System performance testing
• The building side of the duct system
• Common building defects and visual clues
• Blower door testing introduction
• Creating a scope of work
• Next steps to consider
• Module three recap

An NCI-trained contractor’s approach to heat pump system design from a high-performance perspective using ACCA manuals J, S, D, and T.

About this course:

• Three days of instruction with seven 50-minute learning modules per day
• Includes a live instructor, interactive discussion, power point, written and hands-on exercises
• Includes full access to Elite RHVAC software for use during the class and 30 days beyond
• Course content structured to work interactively with software
• Windows-based laptop computers will be required
• A limited supply of laptops will be made available on a first come, first serve basis
• Receive a printed course manual including outlines, step-by-step procedures, and reference material
• There is no certification or exam included with this course

Module 1 – The High-Performance Approach to Mastering Manual J

Heat loss and gain design principles and how they tie in with other NCI courses.

• Prohibited practices
• Data entry for a simple three room house
• Redesign using real-world data in Manual J load calculations
• Introduction to Drawing Board – A CAD approach to heat load design
• Evaluating results of the three-room house
• Extending basic principles to CAD layout of a 2000 square foot home
• Module one recap

Module 2 – Right-Sizing Equipment with Manual S

How to Use Manual J Results to Properly Select the Right Capacity Heat Pump

• The AHRI myth
• Differentiating between Manual J loads and actual equipment performance
• Equipment extended cooling performance secrets
• How to use manufacturer website equipment calculators
• Using the Extended Performance Interpolation Calculator – reality-based equipment selection
• Correctly sizing equipment with design rules, not rules of thumb
• Module two recap

Module 3 – Designing/Redesigning Ducts with Manual D

Improving duct system performance using software and NCI field duct sizing procedures to specify friction rate and velocity parameters.

• Friction rate is not static pressure
• 6-inch ducts don’t always deliver 100 CFM
• Flex duct fantasies
• Wye worry about cheese heads
• Return duct myths
• Module three recap

Module 4 – Selecting Performance-Grade Registers and Grilles with Manual T

• Interpreting Manual D results to select replace-ment registers and grilles that improve performance