Tom Harris, of Tom Harris PUR Consulting LLC, returns for another discussion with W&C, reporting on the recent SPFA Trade Show in San Antonio, what he saw there in regards to products, information, supply chain issues and (post) COVID etiquette, and much more.

“It felt good to be seen and participate in training events, deliver a few informative breakout sessions and talk face-to-face with friends you haven’t seen for a couple years,” Harris says. “This was a record breaking year for the SPFA Conference. There were 1,518 attendees, 31 percent more than our last show and 20 percent better than any show we’ve held in the Midwest. We had a sold out exhibit hall, and conducted 75 sprayer evaluations and certifications ever, and the membership almost tripled in size.”

In his words, the big news his consulting firm is creating is a network of building envelope auditors under the “BEAT” brand for the non-residential space. There’s lots of energy auditors, companies and various tools to identify energy related savings in the residential market, he says, but very little in the commercial/industrial/institutional markets. He hopes to create a network of capable, trained and qualified auditors using a single, simple energy and environmental impact calculator to identify the potential financial and environmental savings that can be realized once a few very simple measures are implemented.

“There will always be a need for building forensics, engineering studies and restoration, but I think It’s entry level stuff that’s needed—building owners could always call the big engineering companies or the big ESCO’s—pay big money and get a report that identifies payback. Yet, not every building owner can afford that and the need still exists, he says.