Education and Marketing

chuck shaw

What, if any steps have you taken in your areas to educate the local builders and prospective home owners about the values of Radiant heating? I just got off the phone with a lady who called about A/C (I dont install it)durring the conversation, she said she had wanted radiant heating but was talked out of it by the General Contractor/Builder working on her home. His reasons were, the expense to install, the "crappy plastic tubing" they use,the history of problems (old slab houses) and you can never have hardwood floors. And once the customer hears these things, it makes it a difficult thing to get it out of their mind. People trust the builder, and if the homeowner goes against the builder, could be problems. Plus, if the builder is "wrong about radiant", could he also be wrong about other things?

How do you go about changing the perceptions of builders?

Chuck Shaw

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heatboy

Mission Improbable.

Chuck,

For the most part, you won't. You will find a couple of builders who are open to it. The ones who really care about their clients, that is. Residentially speaking, builders are, for the most part, the weak link in the construction chain. I have worked with quite a few builders and almost everyone was because the owner wanted me. All you need is a couple of good builders and you'll be fine. But like they say "You gotta' shuck a lot of oysters before you find a pearl".

Now, if you are the cheapest guy on the block and hungry, you'll get all of the builders your stomach can stand!

Warm Regards,

heatboy

"Expert in Silent Warmth"™

610.250.9885

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hr

One builder at a time!

It took me about 6 years to break into the builders click here. Finally I have 5 that push radiant for me! I didn't want to just write them all off. Way to much building going on here to ignore that market.

One thing the I feel made a big difference was offering small floor warming options. Kitchen and bath floors are my "gig" lately. Did another today in fact.

I just got all my paper work in order to join the local Homebuilders Association. Every meeting they allow a sub time to do a presentation. Now that I have a couple "won over" maybe I can fry some more small fish For my size company of 3(me, myself, and I) I prefer a pan full of small fish to the "trophy fish", or job. You get the idea, I'm sure.

Find a progressive, young, builder and install a small system in his bath. I've found the up and coming GCs much easier to sell "out of the mainstream" ideas to

hot rod

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eleft_4

perceptions

Chuck,

It's not only the builders who talk down radiant, the old timers in this trade do it. Most wetheads, in our area, don't use pumping away. You ask why and they answer, this is the way I've always done it.

Builders think cheap and go with hot air/ac in one shot.

I went to our 45th tech school class reunion last year, I asked a lot of the plumbers about radiant. I don't touch that or want to know anything about it, was the majority of answers. I asked the city engineer inspector the percentage of hydronic heating he inspected, less than 2% was the answer.

I would say you sure have a lot of open space for this topic.


al

Online Sheriff \"Murph\"

al you just reminded me......

of the monkey story, goes like;


Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a
banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a
monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As
soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with very
cold high-pressure water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result -
all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other
monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and
replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to
climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys
attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries
to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a
new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous
newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm!

Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth,
then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is
attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they
were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in
the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys
have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever
again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not?

Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around
here.

..and that's why the monkey never got the banana. Conditioned
response...Tradition...

murph' (SOS)
(story stolen without permission)

eleft_4

SOS

bj,


Looking forward to meeting you at the gathering, regardless what the other guys say!

Was it something about driving?

LOL


al

Bob Bona_4

here in Greenwich

CT, on the Gold Coast, radiant is not an unrealistic sell. Through my associations in the Chamber of Commerce, and doing some advertising in a few high-falutin' magazines like "The Architectual Digest" and others,has been fairly sucessful for me. This week I have been told 3X by new clients they just can't find a radiant specialist. My MO is to get around the thick-headed builders and reach the HO. Once they see and understand how radiant works, they want it. Period. Especially the women-who make most of the home improvement decisions around here while their husbands are down in Wall St.I just began a marketing campaign in a new resource book that is going to be sent to $1 million+ home buyers (practically every home here). I have my own TAB! I will be doing a home show in March..I just found out last night that one of the attractions will be to sink a 60' putt and win a new Jaquar!(G) Like HR said..get to know your market in your area and use resources to make radiant simply irresistable, and little by little,builders will grudgingly begin to see that is what people want.

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Paul Pollets

Greenwich Systems

Bob, you should be in hog heaven. I've seen systems in Greenwich in huge homes that were decidedly "low-tech" or "no-tech", and was amazed at the lack of serious radiant systems or presence of Viessmann or Buderus in one of the wealthiest areas of the US. Is it a marketing issue or just lack of skillset amongst the local heating contractors? I'd be setting up seminars to train the local builders and architects.

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Did you ever notice...

...how "Contractor Grade" materials are the crappiest, shoddiest products available? There's obviously a reason.

Just looked at a bag of "contractor" grass seed yesterday. It was about 1% "noxious weed seed." Can't believe anyone would sell--let alone buy--that crap.

eleft_4

Greenwich Systems

Paul,

I'm glad to see some one else in lower ffld cnty that snoops in and notices the lack of new technology
I've talked to plumbers and sheet metal guy's, It's always the same story. The builder wants it "cheap as you can do it". It's not much to look at so who cares.

On new 2 mil plus houses the flagg stone and the phony fireplace stone get more attention than the HVAC. They are willing to pay more per sq ft for this. The siding cost more per sq ft than the HVAC.

These guy's have selective hearing controlled by the real estate agents. (IMO BS)

They are a long way from new technology or efficient systems.


al

Bob Bona_4

workin' on it Paul

little by little, I have been getting Realtors, homeowners and builders to recognize me as "that radiant guy"..I'm not done talking about it!:) A seminar is a great suggestion..I think I'll make a few calls tommorrow!

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Steve Ebels

And the rest

Is probably 80% ANNUAL ryegrass. Comes up one year and it's done.

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