EP229 Smart Sensors, Healthy Patients: The Future of Healthcare IAQ with Renee Jacobs (July 2025)
Release Date: 08/01/2025
EP244 Envelope, HVAC, and Humans: Solving the IAQ Puzzle with Brantley May (October 2025)
Building HVAC Science
Quotes by Brantley: “Most moisture problems are a three-way dance—envelope, mechanicals, and the occupants.” “Skim the light, don’t blast it. The right flashlight technique makes the invisible visible.” “If you only understand one piece of the system, you’re solving 1/3 of the problem.” Indoor environmental specialist Brantley May joins the show to unpack how he investigates moisture, mold, and air-quality problems through building forensics. Starting as a mold remediator in his family business, Brantley shifted to assessment work and now runs national...
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EP243 Three Sensors, One Strategy: Making Maintenance Truly Smart With Kevin Weaver from SmartAC (October 2025)
Building HVAC Science
Episode Quotes from Kevin Weaver: “If we can quantify delivered capacity on the air side, we can work our way back to what’s happening on the refrigerant side.” “We don’t have to diagnose everything remotely — we have to be great at saying, ‘there’s a problem,’ and prioritizing action.” “Even the best design can be wrecked at installation. Execution matters.” Chief Engineering Officer Kevin Weaver joins Eric and Bill to go beyond “remote monitoring” and explain how SmartAC is really a loyalty and trade-intelligence...
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EP242 Give Every Heat Pump a Cell Phone - Predictive HVAC with Thalo Labs With Brendan Hermalyn (October 2025)
Building HVAC Science
QUOTES from the Episode “Instead of landlines everywhere, give every heat pump a cell phone and let it call home.” “We’re seeing close to 40% of heat pumps undercharged or leaking—no wonder callbacks are high.” “What gets measured gets managed.” — often attributed to Peter Drucker (fitting this data-driven shift) Brendan Hermalyn (CEO/founder, Thalo Labs) traces a zig-zag path from NASA and defense to self-driving cars—then into HVAC. His through-line: high-reliability sensing and prognostics. Thalo’s product aims to “give every heat pump a cell phone,” using a...
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EP241 Hydronics, Storage, and a Single Box: Berlin Raj’s Totex Vision (September 2025)
Building HVAC Science
Totex co-founder Berlin Raj joins Eric and “Overkill Bill” to unpack a single-box, hydronic monoblock system that combines space conditioning, domestic hot water, pool heating, thermal + lithium storage, EV charging integration, and backup power. Born from Berlin’s lifelong tinkering (and many shocks), the idea: stop wasting condenser heat—capture it for hot water while cooling. The system keeps all refrigerant sealed in the outdoor unit and runs PEX supply/return to indoor air handlers (ducted or ductless), avoiding field flares and refrigerant line runs. Install looks familiar—set...
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EP240 Run Into the Fire: Curiosity, VRF, and the Rise of Roman Baugh (October 2025)
Building HVAC Science
Quotes from the Episode: “If it helps one person, then it’s worth its weight in gold.” —Roman “Stop asking ‘What if I fail?’—ask ‘What if I’m amazing at this?’” —Roman “I ran into the fire and rescued my future self.” —Roman (riffing with Bill) Roman Baugh—third-generation tradesman, educator at Kalos Services, and prolific HVAC content creator—joins Bill and Eric for a lively conversation that starts with mustache banter and lands on the deeper stuff: curiosity, service, parenting, and learning in public. Roman traces his path from riding along on...
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EP239 Psychrometrics, Mobile Apps, and the Future of HVAC with Carmel Software (September 2025)
Building HVAC Science
Stephen Roth—founder of Carmel Software and current owner of Hands Down Software—joins Bill and Eric to trace a multigenerational journey from a 1920s Ohio roofing firm to modern HVAC software that powers everyday field work. Stephen shares how family roots in commercial roofing and energy management shaped his path as a mechanical engineer and coder, eventually leading to Autodesk acquiring his early load-calc assets and, later, to relaunching Carmel with one of the industry’s first mobile HVAC app suites. Today CarmelSoft offers field-friendly tools from PT charts and duct/pipe sizers...
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EP238 From Talk to Proposal: NOSO’s Take on Ethical, Measured Sales With Winston Chi (September 2025)
Building HVAC Science
“Use AI to augment people, not replace them.” “Windshield time is 30% of a tech’s day—let’s turn it into sales prep.” “Proposals should translate specs into homeowner value—comfort, savings, and choices.” In this episode, recorded live from the NCI Summit 2025 in Round Rock, TX, Bill and Eric sit down with Winston Chi, co-founder of NOSO Labs, to explore how AI can augment (not replace) HVAC technicians. Winston shares his path from a Google-backed, AI-driven startup in food wholesale to building tools for the trades, inspired by ride-alongs and family ties to hands-on...
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EP237 From Data to Decisions: Tools, Demos, and Takeaways from NCI With ELK and Bill (September 2025)
Building HVAC Science
Some quotes: “When we treat the house as the biggest duct, comfort and performance finally line up.” “Field data becomes financial data the moment a homeowner decides—so it has to be right.” “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” — often attributed to Lord Kelvin Fresh back from the early-September NCI Summit in Austin, Bill and Eric recap three big themes: whole-home thinking, data you can trust, and tools that make better work faster. The “high-performance HVAC” mindset came through in a lively contractor panel moderated by Ben Lipscomb, where folks like...
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EP236 Details Matter, but So Does the Big Picture A Conversation with Lisa White of PHIUS (August 2025)
Building HVAC Science
In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn welcome Lisa White, Associate Director of PHIUS, to explore the evolving world of passive building. Lisa shares her journey into building science, her role at PHIUS, and how the organization has grown from a niche movement into a force shaping multifamily and affordable housing projects across North America. She explains the core principles of passive building — thermal, air, and solar/radiation control — and how they translate into healthier, more comfortable, and more resilient spaces. Lisa also discusses...
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EP235 Counter-Culture, Catharsis, and Craft: Nathan Orr on Kalos, Blue Rabbit, and Beyond (August 2025)
Building HVAC Science
In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric and Bill welcome Nathan Orr, Sales Director at Kalos and co-founder of Blue Rabbit. Nathan is candid, reflective, and unfiltered, sharing how his creative process—whether through writing late-night reflections or even experimenting with unconventional podcast settings—helps him process emotion and sharpen perspective. His insights reveal a person who values authenticity and believes in using catharsis constructively, rather than destructively. Nathan also dives into Kalos’ growth story and culture. He attributes much of their...
info_outline“IAQ is no longer just a maintenance issue—it’s a strategic lever for improving patient outcomes and financial performance in healthcare.”
“Saving a single dollar in energy for a hospital is like generating twenty dollars in patient revenue.”
“The big message: it’s not as big a lift as it used to be. Smart IAQ solutions are now turnkey and data-driven.”
In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, host Bill Spohn is joined by Renée Jacobs, a seasoned expert in healthcare construction and building automation. Renée shares her career journey from hands-on construction to leading the healthcare vertical at Distech Controls. Her passion for improving patient outcomes through smarter building systems shines as she explains how indoor air quality (IAQ) has become a pivotal factor in modern healthcare environments.
Renée draws a compelling analogy between early skepticism of handwashing and today’s evolving recognition of IAQ’s role in patient health. She highlights how advanced sensors and smart building automation are transforming reactive facility management into a proactive, data-driven practice. One standout example she discusses is a hospital system that drastically improved both IAQ and energy management through Distech’s Atrius platform, earning them a Better Buildings Award from the Department of Energy.
The conversation also dives into key industry standards like ASHRAE 170, the hidden costs of inaction, and the importance of leveraging AI and IoT in HVAC systems to enhance both care and cost-efficiency. Renée wraps up by emphasizing that implementing smart IAQ solutions is no longer a daunting task—it’s a strategic investment that is more accessible and turnkey than ever before.
Renee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-r-jacobs/
Distech website: https://www.distech-controls.com/
ASHRAE Standard 170: https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/standards-and-guidelines/standards-addenda/ansi-ashrae-ashe-standard-170-2017-ventilation-of-health-care-facilities
Episode 48: With Stephanie Taylor
https://www.buildinghvacscience.com/ep48-buildings-health-an-interview-with-dr-stephanie-taylor/
This episode was recorded in July 2025.