Championship Technicians. Real Faults. Zero Perfect Scores. Now What?
On October 9-10, 2025, twenty of America’s most skilled HVAC technicians gathered at the ServiceTitan National Championship. These professionals had outperformed thousands of competitors to earn their spots, representing the top tier of our industry.
ServiceTitan’s decision to add diagnostics alongside installation challenges elevated the competition to new heights. For the first time, technicians would demonstrate their troubleshooting skills on live equipment with real faults.
What happened next revealed something profound about our industry’s training opportunities.
Adding Diagnostics to the Mix
ServiceTitan and Intersport brought fresh thinking to this year’s championship by introducing a service element. It was brilliant, recognizing that true HVAC excellence requires both installation expertise AND diagnostic mastery. Brian Feenie explained the new challenge to competitors who’d earned their spots through months of rigorous qualifying.
The training units we’d built specifically for this event hummed quietly. Two-ton heat pumps, Trane-donated equipment, nine smart probes feeding data to iPads. Jim Bergmann had programmed different faults for apprentices and pros: liquid line restrictions, static pressure issues, incorrect charge. The kind of challenges technicians face daily in the field.
What struck me was how this format highlighted the gap between having data and interpreting it correctly. Even these skilled professionals, the ones who’d proven themselves repeatedly, found the diagnostic challenge surprisingly complex. It wasn’t about their abilities; it was about how our industry trains (or doesn’t train) for systematic diagnostics.
The equipment nameplate, for instance. Some checked it immediately while others focused entirely on the digital readouts. Both approaches have merit, but the contrast showed how differently we all learned our trade.
Let me tell you about Wednesday: One unit leaked out some of its refrigerant, Faulty Schrader valve. We’re talking 454B refrigerant, not exactly common. I’m scrambling, asking everyone behind the scenes at the event if they have any 454B. Then Robert from Trane shows up with a bottle like some kind of refrigerant angel. Saved the entire competition. That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes teamwork that made this event possible.
Learning from the Challenge
One competitor particularly impressed me.
Susan (name changed for privacy), who works for a HVAC company out of Oregon, recognized our measureQuick interface immediately. You could see her confidence grow as she worked through the familiar diagnostic workflow. While the time constraints were tough for everyone, her systematic approach showed the value of standardized training. She knew exactly where to look because she’d practiced with these tools daily.
This experience reinforces what the DOE and Southface found in their study: 70-90% of residential systems have performance-affecting faults. The championship demonstrated that finding these faults requires more than just skill; it requires the right methodology and training.
The industry averages tell the story. Callback rates hover around 10-15%, with each callback costing $400-800 between truck rolls and labor. As we’ve documented before, some companies have had to dedicate entire positions just to handle callbacks. That’s not sustainable, and it’s not necessary.
Powering The Training Revolution
We’ve solved the software side with measureQuick. We’ve partnered with Upskill HVAC for curriculum. Now we have these “Powered by measureQuick” training units. Software plus training plus hardware equals something the industry has never had: a complete ecosystem for creating competent technicians.
Unlike other training rig options with mysterious pricing and consultant-only sales model, we want to make these accessible. Imagine every shop with a training bay. New techs learning on real equipment with programmable faults. No more “following Bob around for six months” training. No more hoping they picked up the right habits.
Bridging the Diagnostics Gap
During the competition, measureQuick displayed every measurement but not the fault identification. Technicians could see superheat, subcooling, delta T, static pressure, all updating in real-time. The data was perfect. The challenge was interpretation.
Brian’s post-round demonstrations were enlightening. He showed competitors what measureQuick’s full diagnostic features would have revealed. The faults became immediately clear. You could see the “aha” moments as technicians realized how the software connected the dots they’d been trying to piece together manually.
This isn’t about replacing technician judgment. It’s about teaching the principles behind the procedures so every technician can diagnose with confidence.
Moving the Industry Forward
Jim Bergmann often talks about raising industry standards through better tools and training. The championship was a perfect example of this philosophy in action. ServiceTitan created a platform to showcase excellence while revealing opportunities for growth.
The skilled professionals at the championship showed us that even the best technicians benefit from better training tools and methodologies. Now imagine empowering every technician with these same resources from day one of their career.
That’s the transformation we’re building. One that prepares tomorrow’s workforce while supporting everyone currently in the field.
The training units that challenged champions are coming to classrooms and shops nationwide. This time, every technician will have the tools and training to diagnose with precision.
ServiceTitan’s championship proved that our industry is ready for this evolution. Now it’s time to deliver it.
About the Author: Eric Preston is VP of Sales at measureQuick, he’s spent the last decade helping HVAC contractors transform their businesses through better diagnostics and training. When he’s not managing refrigerant crises at national championships, you can find him on the phone with contractors to help them adopt smart tools and implement processes that actually stick.
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