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The Heat Pump Podcast

The Heat Pump Podcast

De : Amply
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The Heat Pump Podcast discusses all things related to heat pumps. We cover: HVAC entrepreneurship, business operations, technology innovations, building science, how policy impacts both contractors and homeowners, and more.

Our goal is to ensure that the transition to heat pumps for heating and cooling is a win for everyone – homeowners, contractors, and the planet – by sharing insights, learnings, and best practices.

2024 Amply Energy Direction Economie Management et direction
Épisodes
  • #70 How Halco Built a $40 Million Home Services Business One Problem at a Time

    #70 How Halco Built a $40 Million Home Services Business One Problem at a Time
    Oct 21 2026
    What does it take to build a home services company that solves far more than a single HVAC problem, and keeps customers for decades? In this episode of The Heat Pump Podcast, hosts Ed Smith and Eric Fitz welcome back Hal Smith, founder and owner of Halco Home Solutions, who first joined the show on Episode 4. Over 42 years, Hal has grown Halco into a roughly $40 million business with a couple hundred employees and four offices across upstate New York. Hal shares why he has resisted private equity despite getting something like ten acquisition calls a week, how a “customers for life, employees for life” philosophy shapes the company, and why nearly every trade Halco has added started as a problem on a job they were already doing. He also talks about losing employees to unions recruiting for data center construction. The conversation also gets technical, covering cold-weather heat pump commissioning, refrigeration practices, temporary heat, Midea’s cold-climate equipment, and whole-home performance. Hal explains why contractors need to think beyond replacing HVAC equipment and consider the building envelope, moisture, indoor air quality, radon, comfort, health, and safety as connected parts of the home. Expect to Learn Why Hal continues to reject private equity offers and believes staying independent protects both long-term customers and employees.Why Hal became both a contractor and a distributor, and what drew him to Midea’s cold-climate heat pump lineup.How whole-home performance creates new business opportunities, from insulation and air sealing to moisture management, indoor air quality, radon testing, basement waterproofing, solar, and accessibility improvements.How to build a diversified home services business without trying to do everything at once, including Hal’s lessons on continuous learning, industry affiliations, persistence, and adding capabilities one problem at a time. ------------------------------------------------- Free webinars, open to anyone: Ed and Eric are teaching two free webinars hosted by Southern California Edison. High-Performance Heat Pump – Sales and Marketing with Ed, on November 12, 2:00–4:00 PM Pacific Time. This one covers how to build a heat pump sales and marketing motion, from your website and advertising through delivering the quote and getting to yes.Register: https://sce.ungerboeck.com/prod/emc00/EventSearch.htm?mid=1&EvtID=91268Designing Heat Pump Retrofits That Won’t Come Back to Haunt You with Eric, on November 19, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific Time. Eric covers Manual J, Manual S, duct evaluation, and what goes beyond Manual S, like efficiency and utility bills.Register: https://sce.ungerboeck.com/prod/emc00/EventSearch.htm?mid=1&EvtID=91270 ------------------------------------------------- Timestamps [00:00] - Introduction [03:22] - Meet Hal Smith and Halco Home Solutions [06:09] - Employees for Life, Customers for Life [07:40] - Why Hal Hasn't Sold to Private Equity [13:20] - Competing for Skilled Tradespeople [21:37] - Why a Contractor Became an HVAC Distributor [26:46] - Cold-Climate Heat Pump Technology and Midea [32:13] - The Future Is Whole-Home Performance [36:22] - How to Build a Home Performance Business; One Problem at a Time [44:06] - Closing Remarks Follow Hal Smith: Email: hal@halcoenergy.com Website (Company): https://www.halcoenergy.com/LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/halco/home/Facebook (Company): https://www.facebook.com/halco1984YouTube (Company): https://www.youtube.com/user/HalcoEnergy Follow the Hosts: Ed Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-smith-5aa8716Eric Fitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehfitz/Amply Energy Website: https://www.amply.energy/Amply Energy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amplyenergyAmply Energy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplyenergyAmply Energy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amply_energy/
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    46 min
  • #69 More Energy Than My Car: Luke Winston-Almanzar of Reservoir on Rethinking the Heat Pump Water Heater

    #69 More Energy Than My Car: Luke Winston-Almanzar of Reservoir on Rethinking the Heat Pump Water Heater
    Oct 7 2026
    Water heating is the second-largest energy use in American homes, and most water heaters still run on decades-old technology. Luke Winston-Almanzar, co-founder and CEO of Reservoir, walks Ed and Eric through the heat pump water heater install problems contractors already know, how predictive controls make recirculation work with a heat pump, and why he thinks 80-gallon tanks are over-recommended. The surprise: Luke found he was using more energy to heat his water than to drive his electric car. Expect to Learn Why water heating is one of the largest and most overlooked energy uses in the home.What goes wrong on heat pump water heater installs, and which problems can be solved at the factory.How predictive controls make recirculation work with a heat pump water heater.Why Luke thinks 80-gallon tanks are over-recommended, and why first-hour rating matters more than tank size.How Reservoir's Party Mode works, and why Luke says it isn't the efficient setting.How Reservoir is working with HVAC and plumbing contractors. Timestamps [00:00] - Episode Preview [02:24] - Introduction to Luke Winston-Almanzar and Reservoir [04:06] - Luke's background and the personal story behind his interest in hot water [07:53] - Why Luke chose water heating as a major climate and energy opportunity [11:14] - Competing with established manufacturers and building the founding team [14:43] - Reservoir's product thesis and the role of predictive intelligence [18:39] - How Party Mode delivers more hot water from a smaller tank [22:53] - Built-in recirculation, remote control faucets, and Legionella protection [25:58] - How Reservoir simplifies installation for contractors [31:37] - Replacing larger tanks and competing with tankless gas systems [35:35] - Reliability, serviceability, testing, and product support [37:38] - Reservoir's growth, funding, team, and early market expansion [40:04] - How Reservoir decides where to focus its innovation [43:37] - Contractor partnerships and the future of Reservoir ------------------------------------------------- Heat pump contractors in Colorado: Ed and Eric are teaching a one-day heat pump training with Power Ahead Colorado on November 5 at the Edgewater Civic Center in Edgewater, CO. Check-in is at 7:30 a.m., and sessions run 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Attendees get a year of Amply and a new 11" iPad Pro. Registration is $4,000, paid up front and reimbursed in full by Power Ahead Colorado after you attend, as long as you're registered with the Colorado Contractor Hub. 50 seats, two per company, no refunds. Registration closes October 14. Register 👉 https://bit.ly/4jGTihR ------------------------------------------------- Follow Luke Winston-Almanzar: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukewinston/Website (Company): https://www.reservoirhome.com/LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/reservoirhome/Instagram (Company): https://www.instagram.com/reservoir.home/Facebook (Company): https://www.facebook.com/people/Reservoir-Home/61582870833932/ Follow the Hosts: Ed Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-smith-5aa8716Eric Fitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehfitz/Amply Energy Website: https://www.amply.energy/Amply Energy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amplyenergyAmply Energy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplyenergyAmply Energy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amply_energy/
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    46 min
  • #68 Inside a $200 Million Heat Pump Rebate Program with Robert Spotts and Clay McCombe of Power Ahead Colorado

    #68 Inside a $200 Million Heat Pump Rebate Program with Robert Spotts and Clay McCombe of Power Ahead Colorado
    Sep 25 2026
    What does it actually take to transform a regional HVAC market — not just by offering heat pump rebates, but by building the workforce, contractor ecosystem, policies, and consumer demand needed to make heat pumps mainstream? In this episode, hosts Ed Smith and Eric Fitz sit down with Robert Spotts and Clay McCombe of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) to unpack Power Ahead Colorado, an ambitious $200 million EPA-funded program focused on accelerating heat pump adoption across the Denver region. The conversation explores the realities behind market transformation: Colorado's cheap natural gas, cold winters, contractor skepticism, complicated rebate programs, permitting and licensing barriers, and the need for high-quality installations. Robert and Clay also explain how they're working directly with contractors and local governments to remove friction and build a market that can ultimately thrive without depending on rebates. Expect to Learn Why DRCOG received $200 million in federal funding and how Power Ahead Colorado is approaching heat pump market transformation.How Colorado's cold climate and inexpensive natural gas affect the economics of electrification — and where weatherization, specialized electric rates, and dual-fuel systems fit in.Why some HVAC contractors have historically resisted heat pump and rebate programs, from skepticism about cold-climate performance to administrative burdens and slow rebate payments.How Power Ahead Colorado is addressing installation quality, contractor licensing, rebate stacking, permitting, and contractor support without making participation unnecessarily difficult.Why workforce development and local building policy could prove just as important as rebates in creating a sustainable heat pump market. Timestamps [00:00] - Episode Teaser [03:02] - Meet Robert Spotts and Clay McCombe [05:42] - How a $200 Million Heat Pump Program Came Together [12:26] - What “Market Transformation” Actually Means [14:12] - Making Heat Pumps Work Economically in Colorado [18:08] - Dual-Fuel vs. All-Electric Systems [21:34] - Why Contractors Get Frustrated With Rebate Programs [24:48] - How Contractor Attitudes Toward Heat Pumps Are Changing [28:25] - Balancing Installation Quality With Contractor Friction [34:56] - Building a Better Contractor Marketplace [39:53] - What Success Looks Like by 2029 ------------------------------------------------- Denver contractors — join us November 5. Power Ahead Colorado is sponsoring a one-day Amply training at the Edgewater Civic Center in Edgewater, CO. 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM, taught by Amply co-founders Ed Smith and Eric Fitz. Ed covers how to build a full-stack marketing and sales funnel that makes you stand out as a high-performance heat pump contractor. Eric covers Manual J, Manual S, and designing a system that won't come back to haunt you — then walks the entire Amply workflow with an iPad in your hands. You'll leave with a year of Amply and a new 11" iPad Pro. $4,000 at registration, reimbursed in full by Power Ahead Colorado after you attend, as long as you're registered with the Colorado Contractor Hub. Net cost: $0. 50 seats, maximum 2 per company. Registration closes October 14. Register: https://hubs.ly/Q04yd3Bs0 ------------------------------------------------- Follow the Guests: Robert Spotts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-spotts-b8b06776/Clay McCombe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claymccombe/Website (Company): https://poweraheadcolorado.org/LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/power-ahead-colorado/home/Facebook (Company): https://www.facebook.com/people/Power-Ahead-Colorado/61585441558934/Instagram (Company): https://www.instagram.com/poweraheadcolorado Follow the Hosts: Ed Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-smith-5aa8716Eric Fitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehfitz/Amply Energy Website: https://www.amply.energy/Amply Energy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amplyenergy
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    44 min
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