Top 9 Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Temperature Control System
If you’re thinking about putting an energy management system in your buildings, you’re probably doing a lot of research. Here are the top questions you should ask as you look for the right temperature control system for your properties.
Click on each one to learn more.
Do you connect directly to the boiler?
How do you structure your pricing? Does it change after year one?
What features do you have that other competitors don’t have?
Lots of companies offer monitoring. Why should I pay for this when I can do it myself?
How is your company thinking about the future?
How long has your company been in business? Are you privately owned, venture backed, or publicly traded? What’s the average lifespan of a client?
The company’s ownership structure is an important factor. If they are a startup or venture backed, they could go out of business at any point in time, or they could be acquired. If that happens, would the technology in your building stop working? If a company has seed funding or third party funding, they’re probably facing really aggressive sales goals. They might pressure you throughout the sales process. Their salespeople may do or say anything to get you to sign on the dotted line, so they can hit their numbers.
Entech has been privately owned for over 25 years by two brothers, Eric and Simon Soloff. We are a stable company, serving over 8,000 buildings in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, and beyond. The Soloffs founded the company to solve a real-life problem — they needed a more efficient way to run the boilers in their family’s buildings.
Eric and Simon continue to lead Entech, together with a team of entrepreneurial professionals who are laser focused on innovation and their clients’ success. Boiler control systems and temperature control systems are our sole focus. We employ our installers, mechanics, and Pro monitoring agents; they aren’t contractors or partners.
Talk with any Entech employee and you’ll see that their expertise, passion for what they do, and their integrity is unparalleled. From the first conversation with a potential client, all the way through to the daily conversations that we have with clients, our team treats each person with respect. We’re patient. We’re consultative. We’re empathetic. As a result, our clients stay with us for over 10 years on average.
Does your system connect directly to my heating or cooling equipment?
Believe it or not, some companies connect to the boiler via old-fashioned third party technology. This type of connection isn’t as reliable, because they are dependent on the functionality of another company’s hardware. If their control functions this way, the company is really only selling you software that controls this third party technology; the hardware isn’t their own.
Entech’s temperature control system connects directly to the boiler. We build our own hardware and test it extensively so it’s ultra precise. Our installers approach each installation strategically, as no two boiler rooms are exactly the same.
How much will I save in energy and fuel costs if I purchase your control? What data goes into that calculation?
Every company that you come across will quote an average savings. Be sure to ask them how they arrive at these numbers.
Entech offers a 15% money back guarantee in year one. On average, our clients save 24% in energy and fuel costs, and they can save as much as 40%.
That’s based on the following information:
We look at our client’s energy bills for the year prior to adding Entech’s temperature control. Over the course of year one and throughout our relationship with the client, we continue to collect this information, so that we can create the most accurate and detailed savings estimates possible. As we look across our client base, “24% on average and as much as 40%” are the real-life savings percentages.
The amount that you’ll save depends on us and our technology and team, but there are also a lot of factors that you control. If you choose to have our experts monitor and optimize, you can save an additional 10% on average. If you respond to alerts and the data that we send you, you’ll save more than a client who doesn’t take action right away.
How do you structure your pricing? Does it change after year one? How does it compare to other companies on the market?
Pricing is a funny thing in this industry. Some companies will structure their pricing so that it looks so much better in year one. They might even tell you that a system will be “free” after rebates, but remember that rebates only apply in the first year that you own a control.
Get proposals from several different companies so you can compare them, and ask about pricing over the long-term. Here’s a real-life example:
A 60-unit building in New York City with a steam system asked us for pricing for our temperature control system, plus our Pro Membership and monitoring service. They asked another company for a quote as well.
At first, it looks like the other company’s pricing is substantially lower. But this company is only selling the software that controls the boiler, because they connect to the boiler via third party hardware. When you purchase a control through Entech, you’ll always own the hardware. If you ever need to cancel your contract, you can still use the basic functionality on the panel to control the boiler.
As you take a look at the pricing below, also notice how the other company’s price for monitoring increases substantially in year two. That’s important to consider because a temperature control system is a long-term investment.
By partnering with Entech, this client would save 31% in a 5-year period.
| Alternative company | Entech | |
| Year 1 | $600 + $7,500 rebate = $8,100 | $6,000 + $7,500 rebate = $13,500 |
| Estimated year 1 savings | 21% on average | 24% on average |
| Year 2 | $4,000 | $1,200 |
| Year 3 | $4,000 | $1,200 |
| Year 4 | $4,000 | $1,200 |
| Year 5 | $4,000 | $1,200 |
| Total 5 year Investment | $24,100 (31% more) | $18,300 |
Where can I access information about my building’s temperature? What kind of information do you display? How can I access historical temperature data?
You want your Property Managers, Supers, and Mechanics to have technology that’s easy-to-use. If a company’s temperature control system only has a small black and gray LED display, your Supers or Property Managers may be frustrated if they need to make decisions quickly onsite when the boiler goes down.
Most temperature control systems on the market also have a mobile app, so you can make changes anywhere. But it’s the quality of the app and how the data is represented that matters. When a company gives you a demo, think of real life scenarios you’ve faced, ask them tough questions, and ask them how they’d display the necessary information for you.
Entech users can go into the boiler room to check the status and make adjustments easily through our one-of-a-kind, full-color touch screen panel. Real-time and historical data can also be viewed onsite.
Our clients tell us that our charts and graphs are easier to use and understand than our those of our competitors. One client recently took our data to court as part of a tenant dispute, and he was amazed that the judge could easily interpret the information! At Entech, we also know first hand that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. A few months after we roll out new app features or reports, contemporaries tell us that competitors’ features look strikingly similar to our user interface. We’re proud that our clients get first access to the industry’s best technology!
What features do you have that other companies don’t have?
While temperature control systems offer similar technology in many respects, it’s important to dig into the nuances of each control. Here are some of the things that set us apart:
When mechanics service a building with an Entech control at night, it’s easier for them to quickly access what they need on the Stealth panel vs. other panels that don’t offer a full-color touch screen. If they can address the problem quicker, you save money! In fact, we recommend that you talk to your boiler mechanic before purchasing a temperature control system and ask their opinion.
We show you indoor and outdoor temperatures, return temperatures, heat status, water loss, and we have a season mode, while competitors just show you an indoor average and send you a notice if an alert is triggered.
If you switch your system to “manual”, you can put it on a timer for a period of time.
We let you control zones and filter information by zones.
We have a full range of sensors, customized per building, including an aqua sensor. And we give you the full history on each individual sensor.
Entech gives you five daily setpoints, while competitors offer fewer.
Do you work with partners? Can you refer me to outside companies if I need help? Are those companies owned by you, or are they third party vendors?
There are times that you may need to turn to a vendor for help. For example, you might look for a mechanic with specific expertise. Or maybe you’ll need to conduct benchmarking to make sure you comply with regulations like local law 97 or local law 87.
If you reach out to us, we’re happy to make recommendations and we’ll connect you with a trusted agnostic third party partner, not a company that we own.
Lots of companies offer monitoring. Why should I pay for this when I can do it myself?
Most temperature control companies offer monitoring services. If you love being hands on when it comes to controlling your boilers and the temperature in your building, you might want to ask a company if monitoring is mandatory or optional.
At Entech, we give clients the power of choice when it comes to monitoring, because we know some Property Owners and Managers are the DIY types.
If you do get a quote for monitoring, you should know what goes into the pricing. We employ a large team of professionals at our headquarters and we rigorously train them to follow the monitoring and client success best practices that we’ve developed over the past 25+ years. They become experts on every type of system and every scenario. When you call our Pro team during business hours, you’ll speak to a person, not a recording. As a result, clients who add monitoring through our Pro Membership save at least 10% more in fuel costs and energy. That’s because we’re constantly watching buildings, optimizing, and fine tuning to save clients the most energy and money. Our clients don’t typically have the time or the expertise to do what we do.
How is your company thinking about the future?
Ask boiler control companies about their technology roadmap and their integration roadmap. Even if you have a basic boiler system now, you may purchase a property down the road with more advanced technology. Or you may need to replace your boiler several years from now. You want a temperature control system that can evolve with you.
Entech offers the widest range of integrations on the market. Our website is www.entechsmart.com for a reason — and not because we think we’re so clever! We support hydronic boilers, boiler and valve modulation, and smart heating systems via Modbus and Bacnet communication. We’re constantly evolving our hardware, software, and integration capabilities to support the smart technology of the future.
To learn more about Entech, our temperature control technology, and our Pro Membership and monitoring service, contact our Sales team at [email protected] or 732-730-1595 x1.
