Ben, Founder of Champion AC sits down with Martin Bomba, Owner of Window World TX and host of The Home Improvement Show on KTSA. During this interview they discuss:
- Ben’s background in digital marketing
- Indoor Air Quality Solutions
- Spring Tune-Ups and keeping your system running efficiently
- Champion AC in the community
Introducing Ben Hubbert
Martin Bomba 0:00
Get to the phone lines real quick here 210-599-5555 again, that’s 210-599-5555 as we go to Ben. Ben, good morning, thanks for getting things kicked off this morning.
Ben Hubbert 0:15
Ben Hubbert with Champion AC. How are you doing brother?
Martin Bomba 0:18
Outstanding brother. How are you doing?
Ben Hubbert 0:21
Excellent, my man. Excellent just happy to be on the show with you guys.
Martin Bomba 0:25
Well, we appreciate you being here. We’re gonna have to get into a break here shortly but I’m glad you’re here. I asked Ben to come on the show this morning for a couple of reasons. As you all know, Ben is a longtime sponsor of the show. He’s also a longtime friend and owner of Champion AC the foremost air conditioning company in San Antonio. They do just such great work. In fact, I tell people all the time, Ben, that you’ve done work not only on my home but on rental properties. You maintain our systems here at the office in San Antonio, and you guys just do such great work and have such a great work ethic and, and we really appreciate you, man.
Ben Hubbert 1:06
Man, I appreciate that so much. Oh, I was thinking about it. We’ve been friends now for almost a decade. So we’ve been working together for almost a decade. And then, of course, you know, we’ve been working with you with Leadhub and helped you get paperless and just over the years and you’ve taught me so much about business and yeah, man, great, great to be a sponsor.
Martin Bomba 1:30
That’s, you know, it’s a funny thing, Ben, as most people probably don’t know that you have another business that’s very intertwined with our business. It has almost nothing to do with air conditioning. But when it comes to social marketing, web service, I don’t even know what to call you guys. You’re just like the Gurus of the internet to me.
Ben Hubbert 1:53
Yeah, so basically Leadhub is a digital marketing company for home improvement and home service companies. Yeah, so we’re basically like the secret sauce for home service companies when it comes to marketing and executing digital strategies.
Martin Bomba 2:12
And I will tell you this, that if you’re a small business owner out there, and you were looking for a way to put your business to another level, and we’re not here to talk about Leadhub but I don’t mind doing this at all because Leadhub is in no small way responsible for much of the success we’ve had in the last I’d say probably seven, eight years. And it really is a tremendous, tremendous asset to your company to have somebody on your side that knows social marketing that knows digital media, inside and out because most of us business owners frankly do not. And I know enough about it to know how badly I need it and how integral a part it is in my business now. And if you haven’t gotten on that train yet. It’s going to leave the station if you don’t so be sure if you need that type of help your business and if you don’t have it, let me be the first to tell you, you do need that help in your business call Leadhub and, talk to them about this and I’ll give you a free one. What’s the number at Leadhub Ben?
Ben Hubbert 3:21
It is 210-888-9530.
Martin Bomba 3:23
There you go. Okay. Hey Ben, we’ve got to get into a break right now. But when we come back, I want to talk to you about some things that have been on my mind and I’m sure have been on your mind and many people’s minds in light of the situation that we’re currently finding ourselves in, in the entire United States right now. And we’re going to talk a little bit about how your air conditioning system can possibly help with some of those things. And, and also talk about how it is springtime, after all, let’s talk about those spring tuneups and what that means for your AC system and saving you some money. Can we do that when we come back, Ben?
Ben Hubbert 3:57
Absolutely.
Champion AC Introduction
Martin Bomba 3:58
All right. I’m gonna put you on hold for just a minute. Welcome back everybody it’s the KTSA home improvement show. There was talk about special sauce earlier that guy’s got some special sauce on that guitar right there he does. Yes, sir.
Marcus King band. I was late to the party on that one Don said “I’ve known about Marcus King for a long time” I just discovered him this last week and man you talk about some killer blues. This guy is awesome. Love it. Thanks for that. Don, appreciate you, man. We’ve got Ben Hubbert in-studio virtually. The plan was to have you sitting at the KTSA table with us but it’s not happening this morning. But hey, the wonders of the beautiful internet and technology are working for us today. Ben is the owner of a great air conditioning company in San Antonio Champion AC and Ben a lot of people know because I talk about it quite a bit but those who don’t know Ben proudly served our country overseas for quite a while and is truly a patriot and we thank you for your service, Ben. Thank you, sir.
Ben Hubbert 5:17
Martin, I appreciate that. It was some of the best times in my life I get to work around some of the most… some of my heroes some of the most humble, incredible people I’ve ever met. I served in the military. I blessed to be an Air Force combat controller, which is the Air Force’s kind of version of Special Forces. And it was a really good time it was a lot of fun.
Indoor Air Quality in San Antonio
Martin Bomba 5:42
Well, we appreciate what you did for us and and and and I’ll tell you what, that’s one of the reasons that winter world is so proud to support our veterans because they deserve that support. And one of the nice things about being in Military City USA is you don’t have to explain that to too many people. Nope. We kind of get it here. So we thank you for that. But hey, let’s talk about some air conditioning man let’s talk about the first thing I want to talk about is some of the things specifically regarding the sanitation of your air conditioning system and what you can do to kind of use your air conditioning system, your HVAC system to keep your home more allergy free and more germ and dust-free. What can we do to do that?
Ben Hubbert 6:28
Yes, so there is an amazing product that was invented by a company called RGF. The owner’s name is Roy G Finks, and they invented the initially it was the Guardian Air and it’s recently they’ve renamed it the Reme Halo and Remi stands for reflective electromagnetic energy. And essentially, it’s used to create ionized hydrogen peroxide molecules. That spread throughout the entire house. Now I know that was kind of a bit wordy, but essentially what the Reme Halo does is when you install it, we install these in, in duck air conditioning systems. And they essentially put out hydrogen peroxide throughout the entire home. So it was like when you scraped your knee growing up and your mom put hydrogen peroxide on your knee, you’re basically doing the same thing in your entire home. So it does a really good job of keeping airborne viruses, particulates, allergens, dander, mold, all that stuff at bay.
Martin Bomba 7:35
Back 20 years ago, Ben, there was a company called Living Air that introduced these ozone generator machines that were for smaller spaces. It’s the same thing that’s been used for years, in apartment complexes and in hotels to remove the odors and the particulates and sanitize rooms for hotels and apartments. But what the Reme Halo system has done is taken it to the entire air conditioning system throughout your house, which is phenomenal.
Ben Hubbert 8:07
Yeah. And then there’s another key kind of difference there where the ozone generators, people that suffer from asthma or have breathing problems typically don’t do well with ozone-producing parts.
Martin Bomba 8:22
Yeah, you’re right. You’re right about that. That’s true. Right.
Ben Hubbert 8:25
These new Reme Halos, are the first system that is zero ozone-producing.
Jim Smith 8:32
Right, right. The ozone I know that deals with generators in the past that the ozone actually is a very unstable molecule and it tries to attach to something and it goes out and grabs carbon molecules. So, anybody that has a weak, weak respiratory system, it starts removing the carbon from their body.
Ben Hubbert 8:51
That’s right. That’s why these new Reme Halo led systems are game-changing because we would I mean we’ve installed these we’re the largest Reme Halo dealer in South Texas but we’ve been installing these lights for about 12 years. And once I would say once a quarter we would get a customer that would say they could just feel the ozone in the air before they created the LED version. And since they’ve created this new LED Reme, it is game-changing. I have them in my home. I do suffer from allergies and I notice a very big difference. But it’s the first system enhancement that I’ve seen in my 13 years in this industry. That is just mind-boggling. It is so amazing. And I’m shocked that more people aren’t talking about it and it’s not getting more media right now. I was on the phone yesterday for two hours trying to lock in two pallets of these things and they are going fast. Marriott just ordered 500,000 units. The rumor is the White House they’re being installed in the White House and the technology is that where it’s installed in hospitals, the spread of covid is minimal. And they’re seeing when these hospitals don’t have air purification systems. It spreads like wildfire.
Martin Bomba 10:11
I guess my only surprise is that the White House doesn’t already have them and that more hospitals don’t already have these.
Jim Smith 10:19
Well, see Martin for years. This Reme has kind of like you said, he’s been doing it for a while, but it’s really just coming up on the market.
Martin Bomba 10:27
When did the LED version come out?
Ben Hubbert 10:30
So I just got my first one in January, I went and visited the factory last year. They’ve been working on this prototype for quite a while. But I’ll tell you, the RGF factory is amazing. They have all these drawings from Tesla. I mean, they have some of the technology and some of the things that they’ve acquired over the years is just fascinating. But they’re at the brink of the technology. They’re inventing new things constantly with water purification, air purification. And I was just amazed seeing this factory and how they perform and what they do and their scientists. And yes, so it just recently came out. We were installing about four to five a day currently. And I think that number is going to jump significantly.
Jim Smith 11:19
Oh, absolutely It will. Look what I was going to tell Martin is that the White House in these hospitals and all that are relying on the technology from the early 2000s which was ultraviolet, right, which was effective technology. But this Reme Halo has surpassed that effectiveness.
Martin Bomba 11:36
Well and here’s a question that I have for Ben we have to take a break Ben but I want you to think about this when we come back. The April Air system that I say we in the industry, I don’t mean to put myself in your industry because I certainly don’t even know one iota of what you know, but through Jim and through my association with him I’ve learned a lot about the AC industry over the past 25 years plus and one of the big things prior to the Reme Halo system was the April Air system and let’s talk about that and whether that is a good thing to use in conjunction with the Reme Halo system and what it does apart from the Reme Halo system. Can we talk about that when we come back?
Ben Hubbert 12:14
Absolutely.
Martin Bomba 12:15
All right, brother. Hang on for just a moment. And by the way, if you want to get in and talk to Ben and you have any questions about air conditioning systems, air conditioning in general, purification systems when it comes to air conditioning, or anything AC related, grab yourself a phone line at 210-599-5555
Ben Hubbert 12:33
The KTSA Home Improvement Show with Martin Bomba presented by Window World. Talk to Martin now 210-599-5555 now, Martin Bomba
Martin Bomba 12:58
Welcome back, everybody. It is the KTSA Home Improvement Show. I’m Martin Bomba. That’s Jim Smith.
Jim Smith 13:05
And we are here to help.
Martin Bomba 13:07
And the phone lines are open at 210-599-5555 as we continue our conversation with Ben Hubbert, the owner of Champion AC and we’re talking about air conditioning systems and how they relate to your health inside your home and the cleanliness and the germ-free and allergy-free nature of your home. And we were talking about the Reme Halo system, which just give a real quick recap of what the Reme Halo system is.
Ben Hubbert 13:35
So yeah, the Reme Halo system is the first whole home in duct led air purification system. And basically what that means is we install the system in a home’s existing air conditioning system and it produces a hydrogen peroxide molecule that cleans the house. It also has an ionizer that uses a positive and negative charge for the air. So it causes dust, dander, pollen, and other particulates to stick together, making it easier for a filtration system to do its job.
Martin Bomba 14:16
Fantastic. Well, that brings us to the next subject and that is the ultraviolet purifiers that you can put in your home and you know the brand name that we know most is April Air tell us about that product?
Ben Hubbert 14:31
Yes, so we’ve got that product that we install and we recommend. And when we’re talking about filters for the home, you’ve got some of the better residential filters the one-inch medias pleated, they’re typically somewhere in between five and eight Merv rating, and Merv stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, and that essentially tells you how much particulates, how much dander, how much you know, is getting trapped by that filter. So with the April Air filter, there are four-inch media installed. So they’re a much larger surface area to capture some of these particulates. And they end up keeping the home far more clean. And when you factor in animals, carpet, dust, all the stuff that comes into a home and you look at some of these little raggedy filters that you can buy at Walmart, they just don’t do it. They don’t cut it. And then people wonder, during allergy season, why am I sneezing so much? Why is this so brutal? A lot of times it’s because in your home, you’re spending at least a third of your life and you’re breathing in this bad air.
Martin Bomba 15:42
And it could be that, you know, possibly worse than the air outside because it’s constantly being recirculated outside your home.
Ben Hubbert 15:50
Well, the EPA has mandated that indoor air quality is one of the top five EPA risks. So currently If I’m not mistaken, it’s the number three focus for the EPA right now. So, indoor air quality is a major point of discussion with the health and wellness of our country in the world.
Martin Bomba 16:15
Now, how does ultraviolet light factor into all of this does it is a part of the April Air system or is it something completely different?
Ben Hubbert 16:25
So, the ultraviolet light piece is the Reme Halo. So the April Air system is purely a filtration system and this is typically installed at the base of the unit. So if in an outflow application a unit that’s say in a closet standing up, we seat this four-inch filter underneath the system, so, you know, or if it’s in the attic, we’ll connect it to the base of the unit. And then it’s as the air is passing before it hits the coil. It’s getting trapped by that filtration system.
Martin Bomba 17:00
Well and full disclosure I have both of these systems in my house and would never go back to a normal filtration system ever.
Ben Hubbert 17:10
No, for the money there’s really no better value when it comes to system enhancements. I mean obviously, people want to be comfortable in their homes and just having air conditioning and heating is critical. But when you start looking at the bells and whistles of the industry, filtration and air purification are the two of the most important things and then we can get into energy efficiency in the more advanced air conditioning systems but right now with in light of covid and looking at you know, the EPA’s number three ranked problem. You know, these two systems do they’re like Batman and Robin they work together so well. They really… I have them in my home. I get such incredible feedback. We get so many great reviews online, you know, especially when you have people that suffer from allergies, asthma, you know, lung-related issues.
Martin Bomba 18:09
Well, I’ll tell you the other thing and of course, we’re talking about the really important stuff and that is allergens and germs and the sanitation of your home. But beyond that, your home smells so much better. It really, truly does. I mean, that’s one of the things that you notice almost immediately is that even after cooking odorous foods that you know normally would, you know, smell up the house for hours and hours and hours. Within an hour or two, your home is back to smelling fresh and clean again.
Jim Smith 18:38
Unless you got a teenage boy at home.
Martin Bomba 18:40
Well, there’s not much cure for that.
Ben Hubbert 18:44
Well, I will tell you this, I just gave every one of my employees a Reme Halo for their home so 60 plus employees we installed 60 Reme Halos. I had one employee who came up to me and said you know, his son has like three different animals in his room and it’s just horrible the smell was so bad and he was just I mean the detail he was going in. He said he walked by the room and it cinches the nose hairs. Within 30 minutes, he couldn’t smell it. Just the other day. I cooked bacon and my wife was blown away at how quickly those yellow was eradicated.
Martin Bomba 19:32
Yep, bacon is the thing yeah.
Ben Hubbert 19:35
It’s a very loud smell.
Martin Bomba 19:36
Oh yeah. It’s wonderful for the first 15 minutes you don’t want you’re out smelling like there for days though.
Jim Smith 19:44
Well, I can tell you I’m getting an education here but because I still have the hot cathode UV light system on my system. I’m gonna be giving you a call Ben.
Ben Hubbert 19:59
Yeah. Give me a call man. We’ll come out and get you taken care of. It’s been a while, Jim. I think the last time I saw you. Was it a Martin golf tournament? The St. Jude’s tournament?
Jim Smith 20:09
Yep, that’s probably it.
Martin Bomba 20:12
And you know that’s yet another one of those things Ben, that we’re having to kind of reassess and decide whether we’ve had it at the same time every year for the past 10 years and with all this going on we’re.
Jim Smith 20:27
Mine too
Martin Bomba 20:27
Yeah, yeah and we’re looking at having to push it now and
Jim Smith 20:31
Well maybe let’s don’t panic before I mean, this could all over next week.
Martin Bomba 20:35
No, no, it’s still a long ways off, our thought was our company is going to be in a position where they can travel at that time because there gonna be some catching up to do we all know that. But Ben, let me ask you how is your business Ben, how are you doing?
Ben Hubbert 20:51
So we took a two week…we used to use the terminology in the military stop, look, listen, smell, you know. I wanted to take two weeks to evaluate everything. Still ran emergency calls, if there were customers that had any type of emergencies, we would obviously take care of them. But we stopped running maintenance calls and tune-ups calls because we just didn’t know how bad it was going to be. And we wanted to be safe. So we took two weeks to implement some changes, we’re doing more communication over the phone less, a little bit less than the home. So we’re scrutinizing the calls we run and I’ve listened to your program and we’re doing we’re implementing a lot of the same things. But it’s from the impact. It’s actually been really good for our business more people are home. So when you when factor in, you know the kids and everything with the heat load in that home and it increases in homes that are uncomfortable. If you’re trapped in that home for longer, you’re going to need to update that equipment or get those repairs done because we all three know how miserable it can be here in the next month without a properly functioning air conditioning system.
Martin Bomba 22:02
Without a doubt, that’s one thing that we’ve recognized, we got to take a real quick break, Ben, and we’ll come back and talk about getting your system tuned up and ready for these upcoming summer months. But when you’re at home, and sitting next to that window that you may be sitting next to for a half an hour, now you’re sitting next to it for hours on end, you realize how inefficient that product is. You just simply from being around it more often.
Jim Smith 22:28
And when what Ben is talking about, about air conditioning Martin, if you walk from 100 degrees outside into a 78 degree home, you’re instantly gonna feel more comfortable.
Martin Bomba 22:37
Of course
Jim Smith 22:38
Now you spend 24 hours in that 78 degrees and it’s still at a 65% relative humidity. Now you’re going to begin to see, hey, this isn’t working right.
Martin Bomba 22:46
Well, that’s true. That’s true. You also hear how often that AC system comes on. And there’s a whole lot of ills that are going to be brought to light Yep, just because of your exposure to them. And so I’m sure you’re going to be seeing that I know that we’re seeing that too Ben and, thank God that you’re there for the customers and to help them out because you don’t want to be without air conditioning in this time. Hey Ben, hang on just one second. We’re gonna get right back to you. We’re going to talk some more about air conditioning, take your calls to at 210-599-5555. And might as we’ll talk about, we’ve been talking about champion a lot but haven’t talked a lot about how to get ahold of him. Let me tell you, you call them at 210-888-9506 that’s 210-888-9506. You check them out online at championac.com, and when you do, you’re going to find out that what they say is what they mean and that is exceeding the standard is their standard and Champion AC. They have over 40,000 customers in San Antonio that have trusted their homes to Champion AC and continue to trust them. Their five-star ratings say at all when you check that out online. Other companies installed different types of equipment but Champion offers better equipment at a better price compared to their competitors. And their team has values that are built from the top down that military work ethic that Ben brings to the table. He brings it to his team and instills it in them so you’re going to find disciplined, educated and trustworthy people to come into your home, wearing uniforms, shoe covers, laying down tarps, cleaning up after they’re done. You’re only going to get the very best when it comes to your AC and heating needs from Champion AC. We’re exceeding the standard as their standard 210-888-9506 or online at championac.com.
Hey, welcome back it is the KTSA Home Improvement Show. I’m Martin Bomba that’s Jeff Smith.
Jim Smith 24:57
And we are here to dance I mean help.
Martin Bomba 25:00
Yes. And our guest this hour has been Ben Hubbert from Champion AC. And we’ve been talking about all types of things having to do with the filtration and purification of the air inside your home when it comes to air conditioning use. But let’s, let’s talk about some practical stuff right now, too. It’s that time of year, Ben, whenever you really want to get Champion out to take a look at your system and make sure that it’s operating at peak performance for the summer, isn’t that right?
Ben Hubbert 25:28
That’s correct. I mean, it’s similar. When you look at the mechanics, it’s similar to a vehicle. People don’t even think about it. They go in, they get their oil changed, they change their tires before they need to be changed. They’re, you know, people take care of their car because they see it and they’re driving in it every day. Your air conditioner is kind of out of sight out of mind. You interact with the thermostat, you turn it on, and as long as it’s coming on, you know, a lot of people don’t realize the importance of maintaining the equipment. So we recommend annual maintenance. And the biggest benefit of getting your HVAC system maintained is the money you save, you know your systems gonna last longer, it’s gonna prevent major breakdowns which those end up being expensive and then you’ll, your system will last longer it’s you’re not going to need to replace it as frequently it’s gonna when you come home and you need that air conditioning the most it’s gonna kick on and function properly.
Jim Smith 26:29
Absolutely, man, I’ve said that since I think the first day that I came on the air with Martin, that you just you would never drive your car for a year without changing the oil don’t run your air conditioner for a year without having it serviced. It’s a mechanical device and it must have service.
Ben Hubbert 26:47
You know and these a lot of the older condensing units when they kicked on and they shake and rattle components and those the electrical components loosen up over time. So, you know, these new units that we’re installing these inverter systems, I’ll stand next to them and they were so quiet it’s like a whisper coming out and then I’ll go and look at this old 15-year-old unit that turns on. It sounds like someone’s firing a shotgun or something.
Jim Smith 27:18
Several years ago the first inverter system I installed was an American Standard Platinum Series inverter system and I actually had to walk up to it and look down to see the fan turning to make sure it was running.
Ben Hubbert 27:29
Isn’t it something? I guess it’s similar to like a hybrid on the road or an electric car almost. Well, that just gets way more miles to the gallon.
Jim Smith 27:42
Absolutely. And that’s what I put on my home. I’ve got American Standard in my home I changed that and then I put in all new windows and my house is extremely efficient. I just need to get with you though. Now on this halo system and get it clean.
Ben Hubbert 27:57
Yes, sir. We will get you. As you mentioned, American Standard great equipment. we’re a Trane dealer Trane and American Standard are pretty much one in the same. We’re the largest Trane dealer in San Antonio, South Texas and we believe that it’s just better equipment. It lasts long it’s more efficient, more effective.
Jim Smith 28:19
It is absolutely better equipment. Trane, American Standard is in my opinion top of the line.
Martin Bomba 28:26
Yeah, yeah. It is top of the line without a doubt. Hey, Ben, before we have to get out of here at the top of the hour, would you please tell everybody how they can get a hold of Champion AC?
Ben Hubbert 28:38
Absolutely. So we try to be everywhere. First, if you can go like our Facebook page, Instagram, any social media, we’re very active on social media. If you need to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 210-504-5555 or visit championac.com. We’re building our website updating it every day trying to make it more user friendly, we want to provide faster, better information to our customers. And we want our user experience to be through the roof. I mean, we want to have the best user experience possible.
Martin Bomba 29:13
Well, I’ll tell you what you talk about you think you’ve learned stuff for me. One thing I’ve learned from you is the value of social media and how we need to get more involved in that and we’re trying to do that every single day with the help of Leadhub. Ben, I can’t thank you enough for being here with me this morning my brother, thank you so much for your knowledge and advice on all of this stuff, getting us through a tough time and if you need AC work call Champion AC. Thank you, Ben. We’ll see on the other side coming back on the KTSA Home Improvement Show
Home improvement related this morning we would love to talk to you. Champion AC is a fantastic company and that goes without saying Ben was a great guest first hour. And if you want to learn more about the Reme Halo system, the April Air system and the ways that their filtration systems can help you in your home with your allergies, and also to keep your home more safe at no more important time in our history than right now, give them a call at Champion AC and they can tell you in great detail all of the ways that they can help keep your family and your home comfortable and safe and protect you during this difficult time. You’re spending more and more time at home right now. So you know that this is a great time to have them come out. Check out your air conditioning system and show you what they can do for you. It’s all at Champion AC where they’re here to protect and exceeding the standard is their standard. Their number is 210-888-9506. That’s 210-888-9506 ask them about all of the ways that they can help you with a more efficient system and a safer cleaner system for your home. It’s all at Champion AC check them out online at championac.com.
