We're excited to announce that Amply is now an official National Comfort Institute (NCI) partner.
If you've listened to our recent conversation with NCI's David Richardson on the Heat Pump Podcast, you already know why this matters to us. David made an argument that reframes the whole business: the equipment isn't the system. We've been trained to call the box "the system," but it isn't. The equipment is one component. The system is what each contractor custom-manufactures on site—in a specific home, factoring in the unique loads of the home, with customized ducts, controls, etc.
That's a big deal. If the box is the system, every contractor is selling the same thing, and the only lever left is price. But if the system is what you custom build on-site, then your craftsmanship is the product—and the question becomes whether the homeowner actually gets the comfort they paid for.
The catch is that great work is invisible until you measure it. NCI's data shows the average system delivers about 57% of its rated capacity into the space where people actually live. High-performance work can push that past 88%. Same equipment either way. The difference is the contractor—and the only way to prove that difference is to measure it.
That's the philosophy we share with NCI completely, and it's why this partnership makes sense.
For more than 30 years, NCI has been one of the most respected names in HVAC training. They've taught thousands of contractors to measure, test, and verify their work instead of guessing—turning static pressure, airflow, and delivered temperature from black-magic readings into a repeatable process any contractor can master.
David calls the result a craftsmanship receipt: proof of the work, so you can show a homeowner what they're getting rather than argue about it. That changes everything downstream:
It's exactly the kind of thinking we love.
Amply helps contractors create fast, accurate ACCA-certified Manual J® load calculations and beautiful 3D home models—so the system is designed right from the start.
NCI helps contractors verify that the system performs the way it was designed to once it's installed.
Design the system. Build the system. Prove the system performs. That's how the best HVAC companies separate themselves from everyone else—and it's why, as David warns, they'll still be standing when "free heat pump" offers turn everyone else into a race to the bottom. When the equipment is free, the only thing left to sell is the work. This partnership is about helping you prove it's worth it.
If you're already using Amply, this partnership gives you another great resource to improve your business.
Whether you're looking to sharpen your technical skills, improve installation quality, or build more confidence with homeowners, NCI's training and certifications are among the best in the industry.
Together, Amply and NCI give contractors the tools to deliver better-designed systems—and the knowledge to verify they're performing exactly as intended.
We're looking forward to collaborating with NCI on educational content, training opportunities, and helping more contractors build businesses centered on quality and performance.
If you're already part of the NCI community, we'd love to meet you.
And if you're an Amply customer who hasn't explored NCI yet, we highly recommend taking a look. (Start with our full conversation with David Richardson on the Heat Pump Podcast—it's a great primer on everything above.)
The future of HVAC belongs to contractors who measure, verify, and continuously improve.
We're excited to build that future together with the National Comfort Institute.