IAQ is a term used since around the same time the Boeing 727 was launched and domestic travel in the U.S. was opened to millions. Although its genesis occured more than 60 years ago, the threshold of what IAQ can do for the average HVAC company hasn’t been crossed by many. The industry is estimated to exceed $5 billion in revenue within the next four years. This is an opportunity that shouldn’t be passed up. As an HVAC contractor in 2001, IAQ was a field of pursuit I couldn’t release. Accepting that IAQ was profitable was easy, though I fell short in figuring out how to get the idea and importance of IAQ in the homes of my customers and close a sale.
Duct cleaning, another industry that has evolved over the past 20 years, is now more than just an add-on service for HVAC companies. The duct-cleaning industry has branched off to become a triple slam of choices. You can have it however you want it, simple or engaged. Companies can now use it to help their existing revenue stream, as a business of its own or, as in my experience, as a doorway into IAQ success. It not only has the ability to create a competitive advantage and increase the bottom line for companies all across the nation, it can open a door into greater possibilities that most HVAC companies have thought to be out of our industry. In 2001, when I decided to adopt the trade as filler for the slower times, I didn’t fully expect it to morph into an extensive profitable business — I just needed to make payroll on Friday. What I wasn’t entirely aware of was I was headed into a blooming market of HVAC meets health or HVAC meets IAQ, and that was the impact I needed for my struggling company.