By Fred Martel

In a perfect world it would only rain at night while we sleep, everyone would have enough food to eat and a warm place to stay, and vehicles would never break down, and in a perfect world, we could tell our customers that our HVAC system will be very comfortable, and they will understand what we mean.

This is not a perfect world. It will pour down rain just as we are getting ready to bring the tools into the house; our vehicles will break down at the most inconvenient time; and unfortunately, we have a lot of folks hungry and cold, but maybe, just maybe, we can make our customers understand what we mean when we say “comfortable.”

Some time ago I met an HVAC contractor who made sure he designed his own new home for maximum comfort and efficiency. He took his time and made sure the design was just right. Then he made sure that it was installed properly with an inch and a half concrete over the radiant floor tubing, the best equipment and controls, the works.

This was the ultimate comfortable warm home. Imagine getting on a plane in Boston in the dead of winter and stepping out in a tropical island. Every pore in your body soaks up the comfortable temperatures and perfect humidity. That is exactly what it was like walking into his home, but peek at the thermostat and you would find that it was set at 68 degrees.

My friend took it one step further. Instead of trying to explain what comfort was to his prospects, he invited them into his home to experience it firsthand. His customers loved it. I would guess his family wasn’t so keen on the idea.

In a perfect world HVAC contractors wouldn’t have to struggle to get their customers to understand what comfort really means. In a perfect world they would have access to a prototype home that the customers could spend some time in and really experience comfort. That is what comfort is, truly, an experience. The only way to judge comfort is to experience it.