LOS ANGELES — Building Doctors announced that it has attained an “unmeasurable,” or zero, duct leakage rate for its last three installations. This achievement has allowed Building Doctors to be the first Southern California member in the Ring4Club, a group of HVAC installers that go above and beyond code requirements.

Mike MacFarland, founder of Ring4club.com and owner of a home performance business in Redding, Calif., said, “The proper design and installation of new HVAC systems is the key component of affordable comfort. The Ring4Club recognizes companies who have, without monetary incentive, set their company vision toward providing uncompromising quality to their customers through perfect HVAC installation practices. Building Doctors are our first members from Southern California, and the Ring4Club is proud to add them to our growing list of professional members.”

The club’s name originated from the duct pressurization equipment used to test and certify the tightness of residential duct systems. The equipment utilizes three successively smaller rings which are used with successively tighter duct systems in order to increase the accuracy of the measurement. By doing better work than the device can measure, that is “ring 4.”

“We are very excited to become members of this exclusive group,” said Dan Thomsen, president of Building Doctors. “This achievement demonstrates to our customers that we have set the bar higher for HVAC system installs in Southern California. When you combine this achievement with our whole house approach, we provide the highest-quality service, and real solutions, which help homeowners improve the energy efficiency, comfort, and durability of their homes.”

“We have tested thousands of systems over the past six years, and have never seen an unmeasurable amount of duct leakage like Building Doctors obtained on their last three jobs. We didn’t think it was possible until now,” noted Mike Torosyan, president of Rapid Duct Testing, a certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rater that does state required third party compliance testing of HVAC systems. The California state code requires independent testing and verification of all duct systems, and a HERS rater is a state licensed special inspector of home energy features.

By comparison, California code allows 6 percent of the air that passes through the system to leak outside, representing a 6 percent energy loss while heating and cooling a home. Thomsen said, “If you had 6 percent of your gas leaking out of your car’s tank, you’d want that fixed, right?”

For more information on the Ring4Club, visit http://ring4club.com. For more information on Building Doctors, visit www.buildingdoctors.com.

Publication date: 6/11/2012