ACCA is going all out for the 2012 Conference and Indoor Air Expo. And one of the new additions to the program is the House of Pressure  Theater in the expo.

The ACCA House of Pressure Theater, which is presented by Comfort Institute, visually demonstrates pressure and air flow dynamics within a residence, using pressure diagnostics. It is a model of a single-family home, made of a clear, high-strength Lexan. The interior of the House can be viewed from all four sides. It gives the presenter the ability to create and control air flow with working scale reproductions of the mechanical air distribution systems that are found in most homes.

The House features an operable forced air duct system with adjustable duct leakage and closable interior doors. It also includes a clothes dryer, bathroom fan, fireplace, and water heater. There are smoke generators in the water heater and the fireplace to demonstrate the dangers of back-drafting and a smoke generator in an exhaust pipe in the garage to show the danger of CO infiltration from a garage into conditioned space.

ACCA Pressure House Theater Sessions:

We Still Have Dust!

Attend this session and learn little known facts about dust sources, settling rates, and how duct leakage and closing interior doors often create negative pressures that pull contaminated air in from attics and other dirty spaces. The “House of Pressure” will be used to demonstrate the effects on building pressure from a variety of mechanical systems. You will learn about new products and services progressive ACCA members across the nation are now selling to reduce callbacks, and increase customer satisfaction & profits.

We Still Have High Utility Bills!

Attend this session and learn why the highest efficiency heating and cooling equipment is actually the most affected by pre-existing duct leakage and undersized ductwork. The “Duct Simulator” and the “House of Pressure” will be used to demonstrate how duct and envelope leakage often increases with variable speed fans and 2-stage equipment. You will learn why profitable duct renovations or replacement are become increasingly essential to ensure homeowners get the high efficiency and energy savings they are paying for. You will also learn other ways to help homeowners, who already have the highest efficiency equipment, save even more!

Oh Boy, New Toys!

Attend this session and get a management level introduction and short demonstration of the key test instruments now being used:  the blower door, duct air-tightness tester, infra-red camera and airflow / pressure / combustion safety tools. You will have the opportunity after the presentation to gain some hands-on experience and gain more detailed knowledge if desired.

So, How Do We Make Money In Home Performance?

Not yet taken the plunge into Home Performance Contracting (HPC)? Attend this session to learn the most effective implementation strategies being followed by ACCA service/replacement contractors around the country. Come and gain insights into how others have done it so you won’t have to re-invent the wheel!

Each of these sessions will be repeated several times during the expo hours. Make sure you stop by the ACCA House of Pressure Theater to learn more about home performance and how your company can benefit from it.

Back for 2012, is the Indoor Air Expo online, real-time floor plan of exhibitors. You can check out the floor plan now and see the top companies who are exhibiting.

While in the floor plan you can:

~ Search alphabetically the list of exhibitors on the left side of the screen in the “Exhibitor List”

~ Search by booth number or company name

~ Select an exhibitor from the exhibitor list and the floor plan and highlight and zoom to their booth location

~ You can click on an exhibitor booth and it will open the online booth with their company information, address, and any product information they have posted

~ Review the entire floor plan and print a copy for reference

The Indoor Air Expo online floor plan is an excellent tool for planning your exposition booth visits before, during, and after the show. The online floor plan will remain available after the show in case you need to reference a company and the 2013 Expo information will be available in late April as a year long reference for Indoor Air Expo exhibitors and product listings.

The 2012 Conference is shaping up to be one of the best events we have put on! We’ve been listening to what contractors have been telling us and this year we added a special “High Stakes Learning” event on March 8.

This unique, one-of-a-kind event will give you a whole new way to look at your business, your employees, and yourself. We are bringing in Jason Young, a former high level manager at the famed Southwest Airlines, to teach you how to make your customers love you, even if you are “no frills” kind of company.

He will show you how creating a customer oriented culture isn’t about spending tons of money on extras or giving things away for free. He will explain the key is intentionally identifying and developing the essential factors that impact performance for any organization: leadership principles, management practices, team alignment, and employee behavior. These are the elements that truly define organizational culture and that have the greatest impact on results.

Make sure you let us know that you are staying for this event when you register, because there are only a limited number of seats available for this event.

We’ve opened registration for the 2012 ACCA Conference & Indoor Air Expo! Learn more about our biggest and best educational experience ever, and registration options, by clicking here. You’ll definitely want to hurry because we have one heck of a free gift for people who register by December 15.

If you purchase a full first-employee registration by December 15, then after the conference, you will receive a free DVD containing audio and slideshow recordings of every single Learning Lab at the 2012 Conference. That’s right — that’s over 40 hours of learning from the top contractors and experts in the industry, at no additional charge. We’re turning the conference into a learning experience that you and your company can enjoy for a whole year!

But the only way to get the DVD is to purchase a full first-employee registration by December 15, 2011. All you have to do is register and attend the 2011 ACCA Conference, and as long as we receive your $795 registration fee by December 15, then we will send you the DVD after the conference is over.

It’s a great gift and a tremendous learning opportunity. Register online or call 703-824-8856.

What a week we’ve had in San Antonio!

From what I’ve heard from attendees, this was the best conference, and they are leaving with more ideas to boost business than ever before.

I also heard a lot of chatter about how great the Indoor Air Expo was. Combining ACCA, IAQA, and RPA this year really proved to be a great move for the HVACR contractors in attendance. In case you hadn’t heard, there were over 200 exhibitors on the sold out floor.

Here is what a few attendees had to say about the conference:

“It was a wonderful learning experience and I am taking home a lot,” Ashley Moore of Trademasters Service, Corp. in Newington, Va. “There were great speakers that were very informative…I wish I could have attended them all!”

“ACCA’s 2011 conference was great,” said Peter Greenwood of CPS Corporation in ??Marlborough, Mass. ”Had a great time in San Antonio, and seminars very very educational.”

There will be a full wrap-up of the show available very soon, so you can read about anything you may have missed.

But, before we pack everything up and head back to our headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, we have a few thanks we need to give…

Thank you to our 2011 Corporate Partners for all their support throughout the entire year!

Thank you to all of the companies who sponsored individual items or events at the Conference!

Thanks to all the exhibitors who participated in the New Product Showcase!

Thank you to all the exhibitors for making this the best Indoor Air Expo ever!

Thanks to all the contractors who attended the event!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful time learning and networking this week, and that you took home a lot of fresh, new ideas. We know you are now prepared to face the challenges you meet in 2011, making it your best year yet.

We look forward to seeing you next year at 2012 Conference at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, March 5-8, 2012!

We just left the “I’ve Got An Idea” session (check out Facebook for some of the ideas shared), but how do you implement all those good ideas and all the other ones you picked up during this week? Bruce Wilkinson shared just that at the closing general session that was fun-filled and energetic.

He reminded attendees that everyone is different, we all came from different places.

“We are all come from different parents, it’s a medical phenomenon” said Wilkinson. “Some people will like change, others won’t but there is one thing that will never change…there will always be change.”

He also pointed out that managing is not enough, you must lead! “Leaders inspired men and women to cooperate,” he said.  ”If you can inspire people, you can go back to paying attention to the important things.”

Don’t go back and look tired (we know you’ve been working hard learning this week), but if you give your employees the perception that things are bad with your actions, they will not be able to change it.

Here are some lessons to help implement your new ideas:

1. You are going to have to differentiate to get others to buy into the ideas you’ve learned this week!

2. Take everything you learned this week and created a folder on your desktop and put all your ideas in the folder, by topic.

3. Then prioritize your top priorities. You need to know what you don’t know.

4. Decide if you are going to have a mission statement and stick to it, so you can get others to buy into it.

5. “You want to know how to lose customers in this country?,” Wilkinson asked. “Indifference!”

6. We keep some people to long…if we can’t change people, we may need to change people.

7. You have to understand who you are talking.

8. It’s hard to be a leader if everyone likes you all the time, so you settle for being respected. So, you have to comfortable and confident with being uncomfortable.

9. People remember the message if they remember the messenger.

10. Gather your senior leadership team and prioritize what you are going to implement and how. Explain the how and the why…listen for acknowledgement and way to improve it.

“Change is inevitable, adaptability is optional,” Wilkinson reminded.

He closed out saying, “If you lead and serve others and gain their respect, you cannot lost. If you lead and serve other and don’t gain their respect, you cannot win.”