In these tough economic times, this is a great opportunity to look inward and see what you need to do to survive. Good, progressive contractors will see that they can move into a whole new market. They now have something a contractor can offer homeowners that other contractors won’t be able to do. And, it’s called performance contracting.

In order to deal with summertime humidity issues in a home, a contractor needs to look at the infiltration of the home, plus deal with wet crawlspaces and leaky ducts. But once a home is repaired, a contractor should really dial it in, using specific types of equipment and/or controls.

With summer around the corner, those hot and humid days that contractors live for will hopefully be here. However, from a homeowner’s standpoint, these are the endless days of trying to control the humidity indoors.

We all have heard that duct leakage is bad for system performance and loss of energy. It can cost the homeowner more money. However, controlling duct leakage is not just about reducing utility bills. It also is about improving the indoor air quality (IAQ) in the home.

The most important thing any contractor should know is that it is OK to make a profit. Period. Contractors must remember that profit is not a bad word.

Editor’s Note: This is the second of three articles by Ken Summers about the three most important items an HVAC contractor should know.

When asked to identify the three most important things a good HVAC contractor should know, the powered attic ventilator (PAV) comes to mind. In addition to sizing equipment using a load calculation program, a contractor must also know the pluses and minuses of a PAV.

This is the first of three articles by Ken Summers about the three most important items an HVAC contractor should know.