Predictika · Commercial water heating quotes

An AI sales agent's commercial tankless water heating quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a building that needs commercial hot water: Sensei commercial tankless units, Demand Duo hybrid systems, or wall-mount and free-standing Tankless Rack Systems, with common venting, circulation pumps and commercial accessories. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of Rinnai America's published suggested list prices and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Rinnai America commercial tankless systems at the 2020 suggested list prices: Sensei commercial units, Demand Duo hybrids, wall and free-standing rack systems, common venting and commercial accessories. See everything this validator covers

This validator models a quote for Rinnai America commercial and high-flow water heating products as listed in the Rinnai America 2020 Suggested List Price (USD) price list, effective March 6, 2020, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Published systems — Sensei commercial condensing tankless water heaters (199,000 and 160,000 Btu/h), Demand Duo commercial hybrid systems (119 gallon with 199,000 or 398,000 Btu/h, and 80 gallon with 199,000 Btu/h), wall-mount racks (2 and 3 units, standard and ST series with recirculation), inline free-standing racks (2 and 3 units) and free-standing racks (3 to 6 units), each in the combinations the list prices. A system that the list does not price is blocked, and the Demand Duo systems are indoor models only.
  • Price build-up — list price times quantity, rack freight (first, second, third and later rack at the published rates), common vent starter kits for 3, 4 and 6 inch vents (direct vent or room air) with wall terminals, the 1.25 percent common-vent freight, Grundfos circulation pumps with their flange kits, and the commercial accessories (ScaleCutter systems, neutralization tank, additional commercial controllers and the 119 gallon storage tank).
  • Consistency — the maximum heating input of the selected systems against the requirement, a flange kit that fits its pump series, wall terminals only with a vent kit, vent sizes that are offered, and the stated total and stated heating input compared with the computed ones.
  • Approval — Rinnai says the prices are subject to change without notice, so a quote that does not say its prices were checked against the current list goes to a person.

Any commercial tankless quote that touches these products is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: products and accessories that the price list does not show here (other water heaters, residential models, parts, venting beyond the starter kits and wall terminals), mixed racks in one freight calculation, taxes, dealer discounts and newer price lists. The prices are Rinnai America's 2020 suggested list prices, read from the published list, and may differ from current prices.

The AI sales agentBuilds the commercial hot water quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Only the systems the price list shows, by family and sizeOnly with workarounds
Each rack size exists only for some mounts and each Demand Duo only in three tank and input pairings, so a rules-based CPQ needs a table or a rule per combination, edited whenever the price list changes.		The family and size are matched to the published rows on every call, and a missing row is a finding.
Rack freight that depends on the position of each rackOnly with care
The first, second, third and later racks have different rates for each rack model, which needs a separate price rule per tier.		The tiers are computed from the quantity on every call and added to the total.
A freight of 1.25 percent of the vent listOnly with care
A percentage of a subtotal that is itself built from a kit and a number of terminals has to be recomputed whenever either changes.		The vent subtotal and its freight are computed in the same pass as everything else.
Accessories that must fit each otherOnly with care
A flange kit that matches a pump series, and wall terminals that need a vent kit, are dependencies between optional lines.		The pump, the flange kit, the vent kit and the terminals are compared together, in any order.
Stated total and stated heating inputOnly with care
The stated figures are derived from the chosen row, the quantity, freight and accessories, so a rule has to recompute them and compare.		Both stated figures are fields in the request, compared with the computed ones on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The price list has no system with the selected family and size.
2The Demand Duo hybrid systems in the price list are indoor models only.
3The quote has 0 systems; at least 1 is needed.
4The quote needs 100,000 Btu/h of maximum heating input; the selected systems give 0 Btu/h in total.
5The quote needs 796,001 Btu/h of maximum heating input; the selected systems give 796,000 Btu/h in total.
6The quote states 800,000 Btu/h of total heating input; the selected systems give 796,000.
7The quote states a total of $15,000.00; the list prices give $16,539.00.
8The price list has common vent kits for 3, 4 and 6 inch vents; the quote has 5 inches.
9The quote has 2 wall terminals but no common vent kit.
10The flange kit does not fit the selected pump; the price list has a flange kit for the UPS 26 series pumps and another for the UPS 40 series pump.
11An accessory quantity in the quote is below zero.
12The prices are the Rinnai America suggested list prices effective March 6, 2020, which Rinnai says are subject to change without notice; a person should confirm they are still current.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Wall racks and the stated total: Two 3-unit wall racks for a hotel, with a stated total that leaves out freight

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 of the 3-unit wall-mount Tankless Rack System (model TRW03CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Harborview Suites, a hotel, which needs 1,000,000 Btu/h of heating input, with a 4 inch direct vent common vent starter kit with 2 wall terminals, a Grundfos UPS 26-150 circulation pump with the 26 series flange kit, 2 ScaleCutter systems and 2 additional commercial controllers. The prices have been checked against the current Rinnai list. The quote states a total of $20,682.00 and 1,194,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of $20,682.00; the list prices give $21,350.7625.
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2. Wall racks and the stated total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 of the 3-unit wall-mount Tankless Rack System (model TRW03CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Harborview Suites, a hotel, which needs 1,000,000 Btu/h of heating input, with a 4 inch direct vent common vent starter kit with 2 wall terminals, a Grundfos UPS 26-150 circulation pump with the 26 series flange kit, 2 ScaleCutter systems and 2 additional commercial controllers. The prices have been checked against the current Rinnai list. The quote states a total of $21,350.7625 and 1,194,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Estimated list total of $21,350.7625, of which $668.7625 is freight, and 1,194,000 Btu/h of total heating input.
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3. Free-standing rack, accessories and prices: A free-standing rack with a pump and flange kit that do not fit and terminals without a vent kit

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 of the 4-unit free-standing Tankless Rack System (model TRS04CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Lakeside Medical Plaza, an outpatient clinic building, which needs 700,000 Btu/h of heating input, with 3 wall terminals, a Grundfos UPS 40-160 circulation pump with the 26 series flange kit, 1 ScaleCutter system, a commercial neutralization tank, 2 additional commercial controllers and 1 ST119 storage tank. The quote states a total of $22,488.00 and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Terminals without a vent kit. The quote has 3 wall terminals but no common vent kit.
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  • Flange kit does not fit the pump. The flange kit does not fit the selected pump; the price list has a flange kit for the UPS 26 series pumps and another for the UPS 40 series pump.
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  • Price list date to confirm. The prices are the Rinnai America suggested list prices effective March 6, 2020, which Rinnai says are subject to change without notice; a person should confirm they are still current.
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4. Free-standing rack, accessories and prices: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 of the 4-unit free-standing Tankless Rack System (model TRS04CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Lakeside Medical Plaza, an outpatient clinic building, which needs 700,000 Btu/h of heating input, with a 4 inch direct vent common vent starter kit with 3 wall terminals, a Grundfos UPS 40-160 circulation pump with the 40 series flange kit, 1 ScaleCutter system, a commercial neutralization tank, 2 additional commercial controllers and 1 ST119 storage tank. The quote states a total of $22,868.725 and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Price list date to confirm. The prices are the Rinnai America suggested list prices effective March 6, 2020, which Rinnai says are subject to change without notice; a person should confirm they are still current.
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  • Quote summary. Estimated list total of $22,868.725, of which $467.725 is freight, and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input.
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5. Free-standing rack, accessories and prices: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 of the 4-unit free-standing Tankless Rack System (model TRS04CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Lakeside Medical Plaza, an outpatient clinic building, which needs 700,000 Btu/h of heating input, with a 4 inch direct vent common vent starter kit with 3 wall terminals, a Grundfos UPS 40-160 circulation pump with the 40 series flange kit, 1 ScaleCutter system, a commercial neutralization tank, 2 additional commercial controllers and 1 ST119 storage tank. The prices have been checked against the current Rinnai list. The quote states a total of $22,868.725 and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Estimated list total of $22,868.725, of which $467.725 is freight, and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input.
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6. Demand Duo hybrid systems: Two Demand Duo systems for an outdoor equipment pad

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 of the Demand Duo commercial hybrid water heating system, 119 gallon tank, 398,000 Btu/h (model CHS398100CUeN, exterior, natural gas) for Birchwood Elementary School, which needs 700,000 Btu/h of heating input, with a 3 inch room air common vent starter kit with 1 wall terminal, a Grundfos UPS 26-99 circulation pump, 2 ScaleCutter systems, a commercial neutralization tank and 2 additional commercial controllers. The prices have been checked against the current Rinnai list. The quote states a total of $32,649.1875 and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Demand Duo is indoor only. The Demand Duo hybrid systems in the price list are indoor models only.
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7. Demand Duo hybrid systems: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 2 of the Demand Duo commercial hybrid water heating system, 119 gallon tank, 398,000 Btu/h (model CHS398100CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Birchwood Elementary School, which needs 700,000 Btu/h of heating input, with a 3 inch room air common vent starter kit with 1 wall terminal, a Grundfos UPS 26-99 circulation pump, 2 ScaleCutter systems, a commercial neutralization tank and 2 additional commercial controllers. The prices have been checked against the current Rinnai list. The quote states a total of $32,649.1875 and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Estimated list total of $32,649.1875, of which $2.1875 is freight, and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a building that needs commercial hot water: Sensei commercial tankless units, Demand Duo hybrid systems, wall-mount and free-standing Tankless Rack Systems. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of Rinnai America's published suggested list prices and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote 1 of the 4-unit free-standing Tankless Rack System (model TRS04CUiN, interior, natural gas) for Lakeside Medical Plaza, an outpatient clinic building. The quote states a total of $22,488.00 and 796,000 Btu/h of total heating input. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with two findings and one approval, all in one answer. The quote has 3 wall terminals but no common vent kit. The flange kit does not fit the selected pump; the price list has a flange kit for the UPS 26 series pumps and another for the UPS 40 series pump.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned two blocking findings and one approval in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for only the systems the price list shows, by family and size, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
    9. 
      
  9. The corrected request. It changes the flange kit to 40 series and the stated total as to $22,868.725. It sets the common vent kit to 4 inch, direct vent.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
    12. 
      
  12. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with 4-unit free-standing Tankless Rack System and Rack freight; the other nine lines are on screen.
    13. 
      
  13. The two blocking findings are cleared; one approval remains for a person: price list date to confirm.
    14. 
      
  14. The agent resubmits once more.
    15. 
      
  15. The revised request. It changes the prices checked against the current list to yes.
    16. 
      
  16. It calls the validator once more.
    17. 
      
  17. This time the validator clears it.
    18. 
      
  18. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with 4-unit free-standing Tankless Rack System and Rack freight; the other nine lines are on screen.
    19. 
      
  19. The earlier finding is cleared, and the validator's total, $22,868.725, matches the quote.
    20. 
      
  20. Three problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean $22,868.725 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    21.