SMACNA Residential Comfort Systems Installation Standards Manual, 8th Edition, 2016

This revised manual addresses three new areas:

• Hydronic heating systems
• Multistory HVAC systems
• Residential commissioning

Appendix chapters provide overviews of methods for including crawlspaces in the conditioned space and the HVAC accessories, such as UV lights, zoning, and advanced air filtering methods to enhance indoor environmental quality (IEQ) for occupants.

More detailed information and new concepts are included for earth energy heat exchanger methods for ground source heat pumps. Updated construction code requirements are reflected throughout the range of HVAC system types, along with energy efficiency and sustainable practices. Installation, operation, maintenance, and guidance for residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are also included.

You can purchase it new or professionally Highlighted & Tabbed for your exam. 

Why Most Highlighted & Tabbed Books Fall Short?

Many contractor exam prep schools sell highlighted and tabbed books. Only one created the system—and perfected it through real-world use. That system was created by Rob Estell, a licensed contractor, President, and Founder. 

Open-book contractor exams don’t test how much you know. They test how quickly you can locate the correct answer inside dense reference manuals. Rob learned this firsthand by taking exams himself and later confirmed it through years of feedback from thousands of exam candidates.

While other schools offer highlighted and tabbed books, most:

• Use minimal or generic highlights
• Rely heavily on the existing Table of Contents and Index
• Miss exam-tested material that isn’t clearly referenced
• Provide tabs that point to broad sections, not precise answers

The result? Students still waste time searching.

Rob decided that “good enough” wasn’t good enough.

Why The Exam Pros ORIGINAL, detailed-driven highlighted and tabbed books? Thousands of contractors have passed their exams using Rob Estell’s highlighted and tabbed books because they solve the real problem:

• Knowing the answer
• But not being able to find it fast enough

Built from Contractor Experience & Student Feedback

Rob Estell’s system is built using:

• His own experience as a licensed contractor
• Personal exam feedback from real testing environments
• Thousands of data points from exam students nationwide

A Proven, Detail-Oriented Navigation System

Each book follows Rob’s proven 3-step method:

1. Table of Contents – Identify the general section
2. Precision Tabs – Jump directly to the exact topic
3. Strategic, Detailed Highlights – Land on the answer instantly

Our highlights are thorough and detail-oriented, guiding your eye exactly where exam answers are located—not just coloring pages for appearance.

• Every highlight is intentional.
• Every tab exists because the book failed to guide the reader quickly enough.
• If a topic cannot be found efficiently through the Table of Contents or Index, it gets a custom tab and targeted highlight.

These books are designed to help you outperform the clock, not just prepare!