August 2026 Newsletter
A Word from our President
by – Tom Tallon-Alpha HVAC & Plumbing
I began my career in the HVAC industry in 1990 and have been fortunate to spend the past 36 years working in a variety of roles that have helped shape my experience and passion for this industry. My career started with Habegger Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I worked in the warehouse for one year, followed by two years at the parts counter, and then eight years in outside sales. I later joined SWH Supply in Cincinnati as Sales Manager, overseeing four locations: Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, and Bluegrass, for six years. From there, I moved to 2J Supply, serving as a Territory Manager for Ohio’s HVAC market. In 2014, I relocated to Wichita, Kansas, where I helped establish BCS Parts Wichita and later supported the Kansas City market as a Territory Manager and Technical Sales Advisor. During that time, I worked closely with LG dealers, providing education and support for both commercial and residential contractors. After spending a few years with Winsupply as a Territory Manager, I found my true calling with Alpha HVAC & Plumbing, where I currently serve as General Manager.
KCCA is extremely important to me because I understand the value of bringing together owners, managers, and industry professionals to strengthen our industry through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and education. Our association plays a vital role in helping members grow professionally while improving the service we provide to our customers and communities. As President, I look forward to contributing my experience while learning from the many knowledgeable professionals who make this organization so valuable. I encourage anyone who is not currently a member to consider joining KCCA. For current members, I encourage you to increase your involvement and participation.
The last month has brought some of the hottest temperatures of the year, and HVAC contractors have been working tirelessly to keep homes and businesses comfortable. We appreciate the long hours, hard work, and dedication you put in every day to serve your communities.
Our annual planning meeting will be held in August, and I strongly encourage all members—as well as companies considering membership—to attend. Your input helps shape our priorities and ensures we continue improving and delivering value to our industry, this is a FREE lunch to anyone who attends.
Our monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at The Scotch & Sirloin from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., except July & December as those are our off months. The cost for the general meetings is $20 for members & $30 for non-members, we take cash, check or credit card. If you have any questions about KCCA or membership, please feel free to contact Shawna at admin@kccaks.com.
I look forward to meeting and working with all of you.
Go to KCCAKS.com to get registered for these meetings. The cost is $20 for members and $30 for non-members.
Tom Tallon-Alpha HVAC & Plumbing
Please feel free to contact me with any questions,
tomt@alpha-heatair.com or Office 316-260-5775
EDUCATION
MABCD Newsletter
Click here to get the latest updates on Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing changes to code.
2026/2027 Meetings
July’s General Meeting
NO MEETING FOR JULY
Hope to see you @ future meetings!! All general meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday, except no meeting in July or December.
Summer 2026 Forecast Signals Busy Stretch for HVAC Contractors
MATT JACHMAN
July 13, 2026
As equipment ages and operating conditions change, systems slowly move away from their original commissioning parameters, increasing energy use, maintenance requirements, and operating costs.
According to Lee Harpham, director of refrigeration strategy at IMS Evolve, a software company that specializes in cold chain and refrigeration management, gradual performance drift is one of the most common — and often overlooked — issues affecting supermarkets and commercial facilities.
“Performance drift is inevitable in large, complex commercial retail estates,” Harpham said. “As systems age and operating conditions evolve, they gradually move away from the standard defined during the commissioning process.”
Component wear, sensor inaccuracies, fluctuating refrigerant charge, and changing operating conditions all contribute. Harpham said another factor is the accumulation of well-intentioned adjustments made to address comfort complaints and alarms.
“While this may fix the immediate issue, it often masks the root cause, such as a failing door seal, blocked evaporator, or degraded refrigerant charge,” he said.
Small Changes Add Up
Contractors say performance drift begins much earlier than many operators realize. Property owners and business operators may assume things are humming along, but the equipment may tell another story.
Brian Garry, field supervisor at Donnelly Mechanical in Queens, New York, said performance drift starts almost immediately after startup and is accelerated by environmental conditions, equipment cleanliness, and everyday operating changes.
“Performance drift is extremely common with all HVAC equipment and begins immediately following initial startup,” Garry said. “[Its] rate and extremities vary based on environmental factors such as poor air and water quality, construction or demolition projects, and even natural factors such as pollen.”
Garry said aggressive thermostat adjustments made in search of immediate comfort often create unnecessary wear when left in place.
Leonard Stupak, CEO of Los Angeles-based LA Construction, Heating and Air, said many business owners assume equipment is operating properly simply because it is still running.
“Most business owners think that their system is fine as long as it is running and that nothing needs to be done,” Stupak said. “But dirt, debris, and other factors are causing their systems to perform worse and worse over time.”
He said clogged blower assemblies, dirty evaporator coils, neglected filters, and debris-packed condenser coils are among the most common causes.
Stupak recalled a retail customer at the Northridge Fashion Center who suffered from poor airflow. A previous contractor installed inline duct fans to push air farther through the ductwork, but the problem persisted.
The actual cause was a severely fouled indoor coil and an old filter lodged inside the coil, restricting airflow. Once the coil was cleaned, the supplemental fans were no longer needed.
Problems Often Hide in Plain Sight
Unlike catastrophic failures, performance drift develops gradually and often without triggering alarms.
Harpham said many operators first notice the problem through rising energy bills, increasing fault frequency, or growing numbers of reactive maintenance calls. In supermarkets, where refrigeration can account for 40% to 50% of total energy consumption, even small efficiency losses can translate into high costs.
“Performance drift rarely reveals itself through a single fault or failure event,” Harpham said. “By its nature, it develops gradually and often goes unnoticed until operating costs become material.”
Because systems continue running, underlying issues can remain hidden for months or years. Recurring temperature complaints, nuisance alarms, or repeated service calls for the same issue often indicate equipment has drifted away from its original operating conditions rather than suffered a discrete failure.
Garry said owners often don’t recognize the problem until utility bills begin climbing.
“This is usually only discovered when you are making your monthly payment to your energy provider,” he said.
He added that many customers assume a system is operating normally because it is still producing cooling or heating, even though pressures, amperage readings, and temperatures may indicate it is working much harder than necessary.
Stupak said efficiency losses of 10% to 40% are not uncommon when maintenance issues accumulate. He cited one commercial customer whose filters were changed twice annually, even though they became dirty much sooner. Switching to quarterly filter replacements restored airflow and improved performance.
Dirty filters restrict airflow, forcing blowers and compressors to work harder, while dirty indoor and outdoor coils reduce heat transfer and can eventually lead to premature component failures.
“The system may still be running, but it’s not running the way it was designed to,” Stupak said.
That, Harpham said, is what makes performance drift so difficult to identify.
By the time increased energy consumption and recurring service calls become obvious, systems may be significantly out of alignment with their original design parameters, requiring more extensive repairs to restore performance.
The Trap of Traditional Maintenance
Traditional preventive maintenance programs focus on scheduled inspections and service intervals. Harpham said those approaches often miss subtle changes that occur between visits.
“Traditional maintenance programs can miss these changes because they are designed around scheduled tasks and fault response rather than ongoing performance optimization,” he said.
Continuous commissioning takes a different approach, comparing actual operation against expected performance and identifying deviations early. Increasingly, that process incorporates IoT connectivity and artificial intelligence, he explained.
“The most effective approaches combine operational data with AI models trained on refrigeration and HVAC behavior,” Harpham said.
Garry said continuous commissioning gives contractors visibility that scheduled maintenance alone cannot provide.
“Continuous commissioning allows for immediate discovery in real time,” he said. “Otherwise, these variables would only be discovered by the technician during a scheduled site visit.”
Root Causes, Not Symptoms
Traditional maintenance programs often address symptoms rather than underlying causes.
Harpham pointed to a North American retailer with 1,800 stores that used continuous commissioning and automated health checks to improve reliability and reduce energy consumption.
Stupak cited a multifamily project completed through the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Tune-Up Program. After filters were replaced, condenser coils cleaned, and refrigerant charges adjusted across more than 600 units, the property manager reported approximately 60% fewer summertime service calls.
For all three experts, the lesson is the same: Solve the root cause rather than repeatedly treating symptoms.
By identifying performance drift early, contractors can help customers reduce energy costs, improve reliability, extend equipment life, and avoid unnecessary service calls long before equipment failure occurs.
“The system may still be running, but it’s not running the way it was designed to,” Stupak said.
KEYWORDS: energy efficiencymaintenance for HVACRservice callstroubleshooting and HVACR
Funny Photos
Protect Your Business From Phishing Attacks
Phishing is a common method cybercriminals use to try to infiltrate businesses. It’s often done via email, text
messages, or fake websites to trick employees into opening harmful links or sharing sensitive information. A single
click can lead to exposed passwords, financial data, or customer records, which can disrupt operations and lead to costly recovery efforts.
How Can You Help Prevent Phishing at Your Business?
Start with these steps to help your employees stay aware of how phishing works and what to watch for1:
• Recognize Red Flags: Train employees to identify phishing red flags such as: unexpected requests, urgent
language, misspelled words, unusual sender addresses, or suspicious links.
• Provide Training Exercises: Regular cybersecurity exercises can encourage employees to keep their guards up. It can help them learn to watch for potential phishing attempts, along with what to do if an attack occurs.
• Update and Back Up Systems Regularly: Ensure that your software is up-to-date and back up data often to
secure offsite locations. Regular updates can remedy security gaps before attackers can exploit them.
• Continue to Build a Cybersecurity Culture: Reinforce secure online practices and ensure employees know how to report suspicious emails or possible phishing attempts.
Phishing attacks are often easily preventable if your employees know what to look for. Make sure they have the right tools and knowledge to watch for these threats to protect your operations. For more cybersecurity risk management resources, reach out to your local Federated Insurance® marketing representative.
1. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Teach Employees to Avoid Phishing.” Accessed May 5,
2026. https://www.cisa.gov/audiences/small-and-medium-businesses/secure-your-business/teach-employees-avoid-phishing.