The Changing Contractor Role: From Installer to Integrator
Difficult market conditions combine with advances in electronic climate controls to create a new business opportunity for contractors to integrate the various mechanical systems in the modern home.
BY Albert R. Wallace I
n every economic environment – but especially in a recession as deep and prolonged as this one – develop- ing new sources of business becomes the lifeblood of
any firm. The best and most profitable way to cultivate these revenue streams is to provide current customers with more services, and to offer new clients services that are difficult to find from any one contractor. Fortunately, heating and air-conditioning contractors
can grow their bottom lines today using lessons learned from the high technology computer industry. How? — by becoming “system integrators.” Integrated systems are the combination of cutting-edge
comfort technologies – radiant heating and cooling, solar hot water and geothermal heat pumps – that complement one another in ways that achieve greater energy efficiency than stand-alone systems can. The practice of integrating these systems within residential and commercial environ- ments is more common in Europe, where energy efficien- cy practices and building codes are years ahead of U.S. practices. In April 2010, I had the opportunity to share my vision
of this growth opportunity for HVAC contractors at a two- day meeting hosted by Uponor, Inc. for its contractor cus- tomers in Las Vegas. In my workshop, we explored the evolution of heating, cooling and hot-water management in today’s living and working environments, as well as the greening of American homes and buildings. But our pri- mary message was how enterprise interoperability using advanced controls makes it not only possible, but practi- cal, for contractors to rethink their roles from system installers to system integrators, and how doing so can help their businesses and their customers.
What Is an Integrator? An integrator understands how to give clients — con-
sumers, builders or building owners — the comfort, ener- gy efficiency and indoor air quality they want. To achieve the type of energy savings trade magazines like this one
Page 48/Plumbing Engineer
Using the Uponor Climate Control Network, Al Wallace is able to monitor and control comfort-system components in his home via thermostats, a touchpad interface, and through his laptop computer when he is away.
and trade professionals in general say are now possible, multiple contractors are currently needed… one installer for the geothermal system; another for the radiant floor heating; a third for solar photovoltaic panels, etc., etc.… …and the list can go on and on. While everyone wants
the benefits of these new technologies, no one wants the migraine of multiple contractors and multiple points of contact when something doesn’t work. For you, as an HVAC contractor, to become a sole-
source system integrator, your thinking process needs to move beyond the usual trade boundaries: plumber does this, solar guy does that, and so forth. Why? System inte- gration is what your customers will pay you to provide. This value for the consumer translates to higher profit margins and expanded market share to the integrator. It’s much like the evolution of the car: When energy prices were low, muscle cars with points, plugs or condensers were common; the value today is in the higher-priced, fully integrated computerized “package.” In our HVAC world, the value professionals like ourselves can provide
Continued on page 50 October 2011
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