Latest / Cool Talk with Hartzell's | Your HVAC Questions, Answered! / Spot Fake HVAC Technicians Using NATE

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Spot Fake HVAC Technicians Using NATE · Cool Talk with Hartzell's | Your HVAC Questions, Answered!

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's uh it's actually kind of funny when you think about how we make decisions for our homes.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: You will likely spend um, I don't know, maybe forty hours researching the ice maker on a thousand dollar refrigerator.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely reading every review.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: You'll cross-reference the failure rates at the water pump, you'll measure the door clearance down to the exact millimeter, you know, watching uh video tutorials on CRISPR drawer humidity.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: That's the full rabbit hole.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: But then when it comes to the contractor installing a$12,000 piece of machinery in your attic, a system that literally utilizes explosive gas and high voltage electricity, you might spend, what, 10 minutes checking them out.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: If that honestly, it's usually less.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's crazy.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: You see a shiny patch on a polo shirt and you just blindly open your door and point them to the stairs, like, go right ahead.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we assume someone else has already done the vetting.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we think, oh, they have a uniform, they must be legit.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_02: But the reality is they haven't been vetted.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: And that that blind trust is exactly what bad actors in the home service industry completely rely on.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that is exactly what we are getting into today.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the deep dive.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Today, we're gonna completely dismantle that dynamic.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's a really important one.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: It really is.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: We are looking at a stack of incredibly revealing notes from an industry discussion.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: It was called Cool Talk with Heart Cells.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: And we're looking at that alongside the official verification portal for Nate, which stands for the North American Technician Excellence Board.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Right, the North American Technician Excellence Board.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: And their database is located at NateTechs.org.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: So our mission for this deep dive is pretty simple, but it is vital.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: We are going to equip you with a 30-second secret weapon to weed out incompetent or even malicious contractors before they ever cross your threshold.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: Because I mean the stakes here go way beyond just avoiding a grumpy technician or, you know, getting an overpriced bill.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yeah, it's a safety issue.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Exactly.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_02: We are talking about people who are physically cutting into your home's natural gas lines.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: They are pulling 240-volt electrical disconnects.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: They're out there brazing copper pipes under immense pressure.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Trevor Burrus, Jr.: It's not like fixing a squeaky cabinet hinge.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: Trevor Burrus, Jr.: No, not at all.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: If someone wires the secondary drain pan incorrectly, you don't just get a broken AC, you get catastrophic water damage pouring through your ceiling.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wow.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, if they mishandle the gas valve, the consequences are, well, they're much worse.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: You really need absolute certainty about the competency of the person holding that wrench.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell So to understand why you even need a secret weapon to verify these people, we we kind of have to look at what that patch on the polo shirt is actually supposed to represent.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: The Nate patch.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because a NATE certification isn't just um it's not some nice corporate logo that a franchise hands out to its new hires on their first day, right?
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: No, definitely not.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: It is the undisputed gold standard for residential and commercial HVEC.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: And what makes it the gold standard is just the sheer difficulty of getting it.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's notoriously hard, right?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, incredibly hard.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: This is not a pay-to-pass scheme.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: You can't just sit in some hotel conference room for four hours, write a check, and walk out with a certificate.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: The exams are actually written by a committee of working engineers and master technicians who are actively in the field.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, to get certified, a tech has to pass this sweeping core competency test.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Covering what exactly?
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_02: It covers tools, safety, construction, basic science, all of that.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: Plus, they have to pass at least one highly specialized exam, like uh air conditioning service or gas heating or heat pumps.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell And the pass rate is pretty brutal from what the sources say.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: It hovers right around 60 percent.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, 60 percent.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: So barely more than half of the people who sit down for this professional exam actually pass it.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: That is wild.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: And that metric tells you everything you need to know about the rigor, you know?
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_02: The exam doesn't just test rote memorization of a textbook.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: You can't just flashcard your way through it.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's applied diagnostics.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: A question might give you, like the ambient outdoor temperature, the specific pressure reading on a manifold gauge, and the voltage at the compressor.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: And then it asks you to identify the failing component based on just that data.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: So you actually have to know how the whole system interacts.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: You cannot guess your way through that.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_02: You either understand the physics of the refrigeration cycle or you completely fail.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so historically, when someone walked into your house with a card that said Nate certified, it carried real weight.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they survived that gauntlet.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: Right, it meant something.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: But the notes highlight the central tension.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: There is a massive gap between claims Nate and actually NATE.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, a huge gap.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day, anyone can buy a counterfeit patch off the internet for like$3.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Anyone can print a convincing logo on a glossy business card.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and the HVAC trade has this unique vulnerability that allows this whole fake credential ecosystem to thrive.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: What do you mean by vulnerability?
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, the equipment itself has become incredibly complex.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's effectively turned into a black box for the average consumer.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: That makes sense.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't know what's going on inside my furnace.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: Most of us can look at, say, a leaky pipe under a sink and understand the basic mechanics.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_02: Water flows through a tube, it's leaking, we get it.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: But we have absolutely no way of eyeballing an HVAC technician and knowing if they actually understand the inner workings of a multi-stage gas valve.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: We just don't have the baseline knowledge to quiz them on it.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: And the sources highlight how this vulnerability gets exploited by what they call storm chasers, which honestly, I always thought of storm chasers as roofers.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, most people do.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the guys who show up after a hurricane.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: But apparently this operates in the exact same way for air conditioning and heating.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: It is a massive issue.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, imagine a severe weather event.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_02: Let's say a huge hail storm or a tornado rolls through a place like uh Kingfisher, Oklahoma.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_02: Within 24 hours, out-of-state crews roll into town.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: They set up a temporary storefront, print out a bunch of flyers, slap some magnetic decals on rented vans, and just start knocking on doors.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, just instantly capitalizing on the chaos.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: Completely.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_02: And they flash that counterfeit Nate logo to establish instant authority.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: And think about the homeowner in this situation.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_02: They're stressed, the house is 95 degrees because the AC is smashed, and they are trying to navigate a complicated insurance payout.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: They just want it fixed, so not going to be skeptical.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: The scammers know the homeowner is desperate for a quick fix and won't question the patch.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: So they do this shoddy band-aid work just to get the system limping along.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: They collect the fat insurance check and then they vanish by the time the system catastrophically fails a week later.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Which is just awful.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: But that brings us to the secret weapon, Natex.org.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, the ultimate shield against this.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: It is the solution to this entire mess.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the crazy part is it is completely free, it is public, and the sources estimate 95% of people who hire an HVAC contractor have never even heard of it.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's such a wasted resource.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: It requires no login, no sign-up, no handing over your email address to some marketing list so you get spammed forever.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a live real-time database pulling directly from the certification authority.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: So let's walk through the exact choreography you should use on your porch.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say it's Tuesday morning, the van pulls into your driveway, you walk out to greet the tech, what do you do?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so before you even open the door all the way, you greet them and simply ask for their unique Nate ID number.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Just right off the bat.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: Every single legitimately certified tech has one.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_02: Think of it like a license plate for their career.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: You pull out your phone, go to Natex.org, click verify a Nate ID, and just type in that number.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's instant, right.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: Instant.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: The database returns their name, a photo if they have one on file, and a detailed list of their active current certifications.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: And the notes from the industry discussion mention that Nate is actually working on rolling out QR codes for tech badges soon.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's gonna be a game changer.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: So soon, you won't even have to type a number.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: You'll just scan their badge with your phone's camera, and their entire verified resume will pop up.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Which is amazing.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: But even today, typing a number takes what, 30 seconds?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: At most.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: But let me play devil's advocate for a second.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: Let's role play this.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: What happens in the real world when a guy is standing there and he just genuinely forgot his wallet in his truck?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, he says he just passed the test last week and the physical card is still in the mail.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Are we supposed to just shut the door in his face over a minor clerical issue?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: That feels a bit harsh.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: It might feel harsh, but yes, that should bring the entire transaction to a hard, immediate stop.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Really?
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: A hard stop.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: A legitimate Nate certified technician knows their number.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: Remember that brutal pass rate we talked about?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: The 60%.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_02: Passing that test is a point of immense professional pride.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: If they somehow don't have the number memorized, it is printed right there on their employee ID badge.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_02: Or they have the official NAT app on their smartphone that displays their active status.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so there's really no excuse.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_02: None.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_02: The number never changes throughout their entire career.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: If they're giving you excuses on your porch, it means one of three things.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_02: They were never certified to begin with, their certification lapsed because they failed the continuing education, or the company they work for just slapped the patch on their uniform for marketing.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: So it really is a binary test.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: They either have the number ready to go or they do not cross the threshold.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, the tool also gives you something beyond just a simple yes or no on their identity.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: The specialties.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: It tells you exactly what they are certified to touch.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: And this gets to the heart of specialization within the trade.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Because it's not just one blanket certification.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: You might type in the number, the name perfectly matches the guy standing on your porch, and the certification is active.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: But then you look closely at the screen, what if you're calling them out to repair a brand new high efficiency 95% gas furnace?
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: And the portal clearly states this technician only holds a certification in oil heating service.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wow.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: So they are officially certified, but they have zero proven competency in the specific hardware you actually need them to fix.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: An oil furnace and a high-efficiency modulating gas furnace operate on fundamentally different physics and safety protocols.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's like asking a diesel mechanic to work on a Tesla.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: That's a perfect analogy.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: A genuinely good tech can sometimes adapt, but this tool gives you incredible insight.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: You suddenly know exactly what their core competency is before they even pick up a wrench.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that allows you to ask, like, hey, I see you specialize in oil heating.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: How comfortable are you with this specific gas system?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_02: It puts the power back in your hands.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's huge.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, catching someone in a lie or catching a mismatch in skills is great.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: But the sources talk about something even more powerful regarding the dynamic between you and a potential scammer.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, the psychological shift.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: The physical act of asking for this number completely alters the psychology of the interaction.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: It entirely dismantles their business model from the ground up.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: The sources detail this concept of the scam funnel.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: And it is purely a mathematical numbers game for these guys.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Oh so?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: Well, those storm chasing crews knocking on doors, they might hit a hundred houses in a single afternoon.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: A hundred houses.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: Out of those hundred doors, eighty people won't answer.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_02: They're at work or they see a clipboard through the window and just ignore it.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Fair enough.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: So that leaves 20 people who actually open the door.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: Out of those 20, 18 will listen to the pitch for about 10 seconds and politely decline.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Which leaves two people, just two people who say yes out of a hundred.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: And here is the critical part.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: Those scammers are not trying to convince the 18 skeptics.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: They aren't.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_02: They do not want to waste time arguing, providing documentation, or proving themselves.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_02: They are exclusively hunting for the two easy yeses who won't check a single credential and will just hand over an insurance deposit.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: That is fascinating.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it's like turning on your porch light when a burglar is walking down your street.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: That's exactly what it is.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: The burglar isn't gonna stop in his tracks, walk up to your brightly lit door, and try to pick the lock in broad daylight while you're standing in the window watching him.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: He's just gonna move on.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: He's gonna keep walking until he finds a house that is completely dark.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Checking that Nate ID is your porch light.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't make the scammer work harder to trick you, it just makes them skip you entirely.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: Spot on, the moment you pull out your phone and start typing in their Nate number, the scammer realizes you are paying attention.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: They assume that if you are diligent enough to check a niche database like Nate, you are inevitably going to ask for their state contractor license next.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, right.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: They know you're not an easy mark.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: You are gonna lift them up on the Better Business Bureau.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: So rather than stick around and get caught in a web of lies, they will manufacture a quick excuse.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like what?
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, they'll say something like, Oh, I need to grab a specialized diagnostic tool from my truck, and then they will simply drive away to find a softer target.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: That is so empowering.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: But and here's the social anxiety part of this: how do you do this without making it incredibly awkward?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's a common worry.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: Right, because we are socially conditioned to be polite to professionals.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody wants to stand on their own porch, physically block the door, and demand someone prove they aren't a total fraud.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Powell You don't have to be confrontational at all.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_02: It is entirely about the phrasing.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: You just say, very casually, hey, before we head up to the attic, what's your Nate number?
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: I want to jot it down to add to my home service file.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: My home service file.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I like that.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: That makes you sound highly organized and meticulous, but not suspicious or accusatory.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: You're just doing your paperwork.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Powell Exactly.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: A legitimate technician will gladly hand it over.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: They want you to look them up.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: They worked hard for it.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_02: An illegitimate one will expose themselves purely by how defensive or evasive they become at that simple polite request.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Ross Powell Okay, so we've established Nate as an incredible shield.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's the porch light.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: But what about the folks who've been doing this for decades?
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: The veterans.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: The source lens extensively highlight Dave Hartzall from Heart Cells Heat and Air in Kingfisher.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: He is basically a legend in this material.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: He has 45 years of hands-on experience in the trade, long before these online portals ever existed.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: So are we telling the listener to slam the door in the face of an old timer who learned by actually doing the work just because they never bothered taking a standardized test?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's a great pushback.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: And the answer is no.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: Nate is a filter.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: It is not the only filter.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_02: Dave Hartzel is a phenomenal example because he holds a master HVAC license and has maintained an A plus rating with the Better Business Bureau for 11 years.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so he's got the track record.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Someone with his established public, heavily documented track record doesn't strictly need a new patch to prove to his local community that he knows what he's doing.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: But the kicker in the notes is that despite all that massive experience, Dave still chooses to run a Nate certified shop.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, he does.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: His technicians hold the certification, so if experience is enough, why would he mandate that for his crew?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: Because experience alone isn't always enough anymore.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: The physical technology of HEAC is evolving at a breakneck speed.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_02: A furnace manufactured in 1995 is a fundamentally different machine than a system installed today.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: In what way?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: Well, modern technicians are dealing with things like inverter compressors.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_02: Old compressors were like a light switch.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: They were either 100% on or entirely off.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Right, they just blast air.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_02: But an inverter compressor is like a dimmer switch.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's a variable speed computer that constantly adjusts its output based on complex algorithmic data.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's basically an IT job now.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: And the sources specifically mention the shift in refrigerants too, right?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like the move to R454B.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: That is a perfect example of why continuous education is vital.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: R444B operates at different pressures than legacy refrigerants.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: It requires highly specific digital gauges.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: And crucially, it is classified as mildly flammable.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Flammable, okay, that's a big deal.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: A huge deal.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: A technician trained purely on 1990s technology, who hasn't been forced to recertify and learn the new safety protocols, isn't just risking a system breakdown.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: They could easily create a literal fire hazard in your home.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: So NAT recertification ensures that technicians are actually current on the advanced hardware being installed today.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: It also serves as a baseline hiring filter for business owners, right?
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: When a guy like Dayed is looking to hire a new technician to represent his company, that NAT certification proves to him that the applicant has demonstrated competency on a rigorous national level.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: It removes the guesswork from building a reliable team.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: So if the NAT database check is the porch light that scares off the casual scammers, we still need to talk about what actually locks your doors and windows.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: The rest of the vetting process.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: The sources outline a comprehensive five-minute due diligence package.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: The NAT check is step one.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: Step two is verifying the state HVAC contractor license.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Which is incredibly easy.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it takes maybe 20 seconds on your state government's licensing website.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: You type in the company name, and it instantly tells you if they are legally allowed to operate in your state.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: Then you check for their EPA Section 608 certification.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: What's that?
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_02: This is not a nice tab credential.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_02: It is federally mandated by law.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: Modern refrigerants are complex chemical mixtures under intense pressure.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_02: Handled incorrectly, they can cause severe environmental damage or physical harm.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: Venting them into the atmosphere is a federal crime with massive fines.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: If a contractor does not hold an EPA 608 card, letting them touch your air conditioner puts you at immense legal and physical liability.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely don't want that.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: Next up in the package, you check their local Better Business Bureau record.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: And crucially, you look at how many years they have been in business at the exact same physical address.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_02: That's the secret right there.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because that single check completely weeds out the flyby night storm chasers who rent a temporary storefront for a month and then just vanish when the complaints start rolling in.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_02: Finally, you read online reviews.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_02: But, and this is key, you don't just look at the overall star rating.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: You actually read the text.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: You look for detailed reviews that specifically mention the scope of work performed, how the contractor handled unexpected problems, and whether they honored their warranty.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: Because empty five-star ratings with no text are easily purchased by bad actors.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_02: You can buy them by the thousands.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: They mean nothing.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: So five minutes.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: That is all it takes to complete that entire package.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: You combine that five-minute background check with the 30-second Nate ID check on your porch, and you have essentially built a fortress around your home and your wallet.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's bulletproof.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yet as the hosts of the industry discussion pointed out, almost nobody does this.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: We are right back to that refrigerator analogy from the beginning.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Powell Yep.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_02: Agonizing over an ice maker.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: We will spend weeks agonizing over a kitchen appliance, but we let a complete stranger cut into a live gas line just because they smiled and handed us a glossy business card.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Ross Powell We operate under this massive cognitive blind spot.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_02: We just we assume that because the service is expensive and because the truck looks official, the vetting has already been done for us by some invisible authority.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: But it hasn't.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: It hasn't.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_02: You have to be your own advocate.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: There is a quote in the notes from Dave Hartzel that perfectly sums up the entire mission of this deep dive.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: He said, The absolute cheapest insurance you will ever buy on an HVAC service call is the 30 seconds it takes to verify the tech at the door.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's so true.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: All of this information is free.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: It is all online right now.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: If you get burned by a fake credential in 2026, it's because you simply didn't bother to look.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_02: And in the HVAC business, those who don't look end up paying twice.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: Paying twice.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: First you pay the scammer who does the dangerous, shoddy work, and then you have to pay the actual professional to come in and rebuild the system from scratch.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: Ugh.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: That is a painful lesson to learn.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: It really is.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, we have spent this entire deep dive talking about verifying the physical human technician because the hardware they are fixing has become incredibly complex.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: But as our homes become increasingly smart and interconnected, the definition of what an HVAC technician actually touches is shifting.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: How do you mean?
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: Well, think about your new communicating smart thermostat.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_02: It isn't just a temperature dial on the wall anymore, it is an IoT device.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_02: It is connected to the exact same Wi-Fi network as your personal laptop, your home security cameras, and the phone you use for your banking.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't even think about that.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_02: It raises a genuinely fascinating and honestly somewhat alarming question for the near future.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: Will we soon reach a point where homeowners need to verify the cybersecurity and software credentials of the contractors they hire?
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Just to ensure that a routine AC repair doesn't accidentally leave a digital backdoor open to their entire home network.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Man, that is a terrifying but entirely real thought to leave you with.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Until they invent a 30 second verification portal for HVAC cybersecurity, please do your homework with the tools we have right now for the physical hardware.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let your house be the dark one on the street when the scammers come knocking.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Turn on your porch light.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us on this deep dive.