EP288 Where Duct Cleaning Meets HVAC Performance with Zach Ortwine (August 2026)

Quotes from the episode:  "You can't really separate good air quality from good HVAC performance."    "I wouldn't recommend to someone something I wouldn't recommend to my grandma."    "Once you've seen them both, they can't be separated."    What does professional duct cleaning look like when you approach it through the lens of HVAC performance and building science?    In this episode, Bill talks with Zach Ortwine of Southeast Clean Air, a duct-cleaning contractor who has deliberately expanded his understanding beyond cleanliness and indoor air quality into airflow, static pressure, duct leakage, system performance, and building pressure.    Zach describes how his involvement with both NADCA and the National Comfort Institute (NCI) changed the way he evaluates homes. His early work focused primarily on indoor air quality concerns such as particles, odors, filtration, and ventilation. But as he learned more about HVAC performance, he realized that air quality and system performance are difficult to separate.    <div class="OutlineElement