Mechanical Engineering and Planning
Perhaps the most flattering moment in David Johnson Jr.'s engineering history was when his drawing was framed and put on the wall at Shepherd's Gate Lutheran Church in Shelby Township, Michigan. When good planning and cost saving measures produce excellent plans, the engineer feels pretty good about his work, but when his plan is framed and put on the wall by a customer, that really makes him feel good about his work.
A philosophy central to Johnson Heating and Cooling, LLC's core values is the idea that "a wise man seeks council". We know that other people may be better at certain aspects of the industry than we are, and we get a lot of council when coming up with a cost effective scope for any project. In our own right, we are fantastic at engineering HVAC systems for customers, however, it never hurts to bounce ideas off of other skilled design professionals, and we do.
Computers, Computers, Computers! The men and women at Johnson Heating and Cooling, LLC and Johnson Engineering, Inc. are fast and proficient at producing high quality three-dimensional plans for our customers. We have worked with many mechanical contractors, architects, and directly with the building owners. There is no learning curve for us to get acquainted with the CAD software, and we have designed many systems, so the whole process is "old hat" for us.
Our experience as a State of Michigan Licensed mechanical contracting company, a State of Michigan Licensed Boiler Maker company, a two times certified CAD specialist firm, a certified air balancing company, and as a certified systems' integrator company (for several controls manufacturers), helps our State of Michigan licensed professional mechanical engineer (who has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan, and a masters degree from Wayne State University) produce excellent building plans that are competitive to produce and cost effective to install and operate. There is tremendous benefit to hiring an engineering firm that has experience in not only designing HVAC systems, but also maintaining, bidding, installing, and performing air balancing on them. For example, would a typical engineering firm understand the integration issues on a Trane roof-top unit to a building automation system, when he is specifying equipment?
A perfect example of how Johnson Heating and Cooling, LLC / Johnson Engineering, Inc. can save you money is on what we have saved money for our customers in the past. For example: on two different projects where David Johnson Jr. worked with architects (before the formation of Johnson Engineering, Inc or the employment of a State of Michigan licensed Professional Engineer) David was able to save each building owner around $80,000. In both instances the architects had specified 6" welded gas pipe @ 7" of water column (about 1/3 PSI) to provide gas to the HVAC equipment on a remote part of the building. David Johnson Jr. came up with the idea of using 2" or 3" threaded gas pipe @ 7 PSI and installing regulators near the equipment to reduce the gas pressure. On each project the customer saved around $80,000 and in both cases the architect was experienced and skilled, but was not a mechanical contractor like David.
At Johnson Heating and Cooling, LLC we consider all aspects of the project and strive to do what is in the best interest of all parties involved. We not only specify equipment based on manufacturer's listed specifications, but also based on our experience working on that equipment, and our knowledge about what equipment is of the highest quality and best value to the customer. We know the equipment that we specify because we have purchased it, installed it, and have serviced it. Because of our experience and training in air balancing, we design the systems that work. We have never designed a system that has not measured up to our design criteria after the system has been installed. We are thoughtful of not only the construction costs of a project, but also the costs involved in operating the equipment for the years the follow the completion of the project. When designing a HVAC system we are always thoughtful of the cost of maintenance and energy consumption. We are careful to avoid problems caused by air migration and other design flaws because we have a great deal of experience fixing those problems as a mechanical contractor and a controls contractor.
We have worked with many mechanical contractors. The mechanical contractors who have hired us to produce plans, perform air balancing reports, design or install building automation systems, or just simply help them with HVAC service or installation projects know that they can trust us to look out for their best interests. When a Mechanical contractor hires us to do work for one of their customers, we understand their position and will not in any way try to undermine the relationship that they have with their customer. At Johnson Heating and Cooling, LLC and Johnson Engineering, Inc. our first priority in business is to conduct ourselves in an ethical manner, and because the mechanical contractor or architectural firm is our customer we strive and succeed at making them look good.
E-mail: JHC@cooljohnson.com