Goodheart-Willcox Heating and Cooling Essentials

Overview

I put this workbook through a full semester in our HVAC shop, using it to guide students from basic safety and tool handling to full system checkouts. As a lab companion released in 2021, the fifth edition has the advantage of feeling current—procedures, terminology, and examples matched what we see in the field today. At 264 pages, it’s substantial without being bloated, and it’s clearly built for classroom and shop use rather than flashy coffee‑table reading. In short, this is a practical lab workbook aimed at helping beginners practice fundamentals and helping instructors run structured, repeatable labs.

What’s inside

The workbook is organized as a sequence of step‑by‑step exercises, each with a predictable rhythm: objectives, materials/tools, safety notes, procedures, data tables, and a brief assessment or reflection at the end. That consistency matters in a fast‑moving shop—students learn the cadence quickly and spend their energy on the task rather than decoding a new format each time.

Coverage leans into the core skills you’d expect of an HVAC lab sequence:

• Basic electrical measurements and component identification
• Airflow checks and fan performance basics
• Refrigerant cycle measurements and system performance checks
• Gas furnace safety and combustion basics
• Heat pump operating checks and seasonal considerations
• General shop safety, lockout/tagout, and housekeeping

The emphasis is on doing rather than reading. Where theory is referenced, it’s concise and usually there to set a target value or define a term. This is not a textbook—and that’s by design. I paired it with a core theory text in our program, using the workbook to turn concepts into hands‑on practice the same day they were introduced.

In the shop

From a logistics standpoint, the materials lists and safety callouts are the unsung heroes here. Before each lab, I could scan the required tools, pull what we needed, and stage equipment without surprises. The safety notes are pragmatic rather than perfunctory: they alert students to pinch points, hot surfaces, pressurized lines, and electrical isolation in a way that’s relevant to the task at hand.

Procedures are broken into digestible steps, with just enough detail to keep students moving without me micromanaging. For example, when measuring system performance, the steps guide students through instrument setup, where to place probes, what readings to capture, and in what sequence, with space to log data. This reduces noise on the floor: fewer raised hands for “where do I put this lead?” and more attention on sound technique and accuracy.

I also appreciated that many labs scale well. I ran several with pairs of students and a few as solo exercises. The structure accommodates either approach with minimal tweaks: pair work speeds data collection; solo work deepens focus. Time estimates aren’t printed, but after the first run‑through I had reliable expectations: simple measurement labs landed in the 20–30 minute range; full system checkouts often filled 60–90 minutes including discussion.

In the classroom

Before shop time, I used the workbook’s objectives to anchor quick pre‑lab talks and assign short readings from the main text. The built‑in assessment questions at the end of each lab helped me close the loop. They’re typically open‑ended prompts—“Explain why your measured values differ from expected,” or “List two safety considerations if repeating this task on a live system”—which I prefer for developing technician reasoning. If you want multiple‑choice quizzes or certification‑style questions, you’ll need to supplement.

The format also works well for quick formative checks. I’d spot‑check data tables for units, significant figures, and basic plausibility, then ask a few students to present their results and defend their setup choices. That conversation is often where the learning sticks, and the workbook gives enough structure to make those presentations straightforward.

Assessment and pacing

Across the semester, I used the workbook in three ways:

1) Skill onboarding: The early labs served as checkouts for core skills—meter safety, accurate temperature measurements, and basic schematics. I graded these pass/fail with targeted feedback.

2) Performance practice: Mid‑term labs focused on airflow and system performance measurements. Here, the workbook’s data tables were particularly useful; students could compare their numbers against typical ranges we discussed in class.

3) Capstone troubleshooting: Later labs let me simulate faults and have students run diagnostic sequences with the workbook as a guide. The structure kept their process organized, and the reflection questions prompted root‑cause narratives rather than “I just swapped the part.”

While the workbook provides ample room to document, I found it helpful to add my own rubrics aligned to the program’s competencies. The workbook’s assessments are solid, but they’re not prescriptive rubrics; plan to bring your own grading criteria.

Strengths

• Clear, repeatable structure: Objectives, safety, materials, steps, and assessments are consistently presented. That predictability builds student confidence and reduces instructor overhead.

• Shop‑ready focus: The language and procedures align with what an entry‑level tech will actually do on the job. Students can immediately see the connection to field work.

• Balanced coverage of heating and cooling: Over the term, we maintained parity—students weren’t left lopsided toward just refrigeration or just combustion basics.

• Space for data and notes: There’s adequate room in tables and margins for students to capture measurements and thoughts without cramming or grabbing extra sheets.

• Current publication: Being a 2021 edition matters; terminology and examples reflect modern equipment and practices more than older workbooks I’ve used.

Limitations

• Not a standalone resource: It’s a lab workbook. Without a companion theory text or instructor demos, some procedures feel abrupt. Expect to front‑load a bit of context before each lab.

• Variable depth in explanations: Steps are clear, but the “why” is often left to you. For some students, that’s motivating; for others, it can be a hurdle without structured pre‑lab materials.

• Occasional ambiguity in expected values: A few labs ask students to compare to “typical” ranges without providing a table in the workbook. I supplied ranges separately to keep grading consistent.

• Assessment style skews open‑ended: I like this for developing reasoning, but programs that rely on objective items for grading will need to add their own quizzes.

• Consumable format: It’s designed to be written in. That’s fine for most programs, but plan on one workbook per student.

Who will get the most from it

• Instructors building or refreshing a beginner‑to‑intermediate HVAC lab sequence who want a consistent backbone and fewer one‑off handouts.

• High school or community college programs emphasizing hands‑on competency and documentation.

• Adult education cohorts where learners benefit from clear, step‑by‑step procedures and structured data capture.

If you run an advanced troubleshooting course or a deep theory seminar, you’ll likely outgrow this quickly. It’s a foundation piece, not an advanced manual.

Recommendation

I recommend the Heating and Cooling Essentials workbook as a dependable, shop‑friendly backbone for HVAC labs—provided you pair it with a solid theory text and short pre‑lab instruction. Its strengths are practical: clear procedures, safety reminders that matter, and enough structure to make labs repeatable and assessable without drowning you in paperwork. The trade‑off is that it doesn’t try to teach the “why” in depth; that’s your job or the companion textbook’s. In my program, that division worked well: students practiced what we covered in class the same day, captured clean data, and wrote short reflections that showed real growth. If you’re looking for a clean, current, and actionable lab workbook to anchor a hands‑on course, this one earns a spot on your bench.