Predictika · Comfort ventilation

An AI sales agent's comfort ventilation order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for a comfort ventilation unit from public technical specifications: the unit size and variant, the design airflow, the duct connections, an optional pre-heater, the controls and sensors, accessories, and the power consumption the order states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of those specifications and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: ComfoAir Q350, Q450 and Q600 comfort ventilation units: design airflow, duct connections, component count, option box and mounting base, and the stated power consumption. See everything this validator covers

This validator models orders for the ComfoAir Q350 TR, Q450 TR and Q600 ST units as set out in their public North American technical specifications (240 V, 60 Hz), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Units and airflow — the specifications list a maximum airflow at 0.8 inch water column external pressure of 206 cfm for the Q350, 265 cfm for the Q450 and 353 cfm for the Q600; each is offered as a heat recovery (HRV) or energy recovery (ERV) unit. A design airflow above the unit maximum is rejected.
  • Duct connections — four connections of 160 mm on the Q350 and Q450 (top or side, freely rotating), and 180 mm on top for the Q600 ST (200 mm also available); a different diameter, or side connections on the Q600, is rejected.
  • Components and accessories — the specifications require a ComfoSplitter when there are more than four components. CO2 and humidity sensors are listed with an option box, and a mounting base is listed as an accessory; an order for sensors without an option box, or a floor-mounted unit without a base, goes to a person to confirm.
  • Stated power consumption — the specifications list 180 W without and 1,850 W with the pre-heater for the Q350, 250 W and 2,240 W for the Q450, and 350 W and 2,620 W for the Q600; the power figure the agent states must match.

Any order for these units that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (none were found publicly, so this validator produces no price build-up or line-item quote), other Zehnder products and the European model ranges, duct and system design, controls other than as listed, brine-earth heat exchangers, filters and local code. Assumptions: the design airflow, the component count and the stated power consumption are provided with the order.

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

6 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
A maximum airflow that depends on the unit sizeOnly with care
A separate limit for each unit, kept in step with the specification sheets, compared with a design figure typed on the order.		The unit sets its maximum airflow and the design airflow is compared with it on every call.
Duct connections that differ between unitsOnly with care
A diameter and layout list per unit, so a Q600 ordered with 160 mm ducts or side connections is easy to miss.		Unit, diameter and connection side travel in one request and are checked together.
A splitter that is needed only above four componentsOnly with workarounds
The count of controls, sensors and interfaces is spread over several lines, so a rule has to add them up and then look for a splitter line.		The component count and the splitter are in one request and compared on every call.
A stated power figure that depends on the pre-heaterOnly with workarounds
The figure the agent states is a free field that has to be compared with a value that changes with unit and pre-heater choice.		The stated figure is part of the request and is compared with the computed value on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the order 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 design airflow is 207 cfm; the listed maximum for this unit is 206 cfm at 0.8 inch water column external pressure.
2The design airflow is 266 cfm; the listed maximum for this unit is 265 cfm at 0.8 inch water column external pressure.
3The design airflow is 354 cfm; the listed maximum for this unit is 353 cfm at 0.8 inch water column external pressure.
4The order specifies 160 mm duct connections; the specification lists 160 mm for the Q350 and Q450, and 180 mm (200 mm also available) for the Q600.
5The order specifies 180 mm duct connections; the specification lists 160 mm for the Q350 and Q450, and 180 mm (200 mm also available) for the Q600.
6The Q600 is the ST version with its duct connections on top; the specification lists no side connections for it.
7The unit has 5 components and no ComfoSplitter; the specification requires a ComfoSplitter when there are more than four components.
8The order states a power consumption of 250 W; the specification lists 2,240 W for this unit with this pre-heater choice.
9The order states a power consumption of 2,620 W; the specification lists 350 W for this unit with this pre-heater choice.
10The order has 1 CO2 or humidity sensor(s) and no option box; the control options table in the specification lists the option box with these sensors, so a person should confirm the sensors can be connected.
11The unit is to be mounted on the floor and the order has no mounting base; the specification lists a mounting base accessory, so a person should confirm how the unit will be supported.
12The design airflow is 250 cfm; the listed maximum for this unit is 206 cfm at 0.8 inch water column external pressure.

  

  

    
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. Unit size and airflow: A Q350 unit for a design airflow of 240 cfm

    
The agent's request. Please quote a ComfoAir Q350 heat recovery (HRV) ventilation unit with top connections of 160 mm, for a design airflow of 240 cfm, mounted on the wall, with 3 components in total and the adaptive pre-heater. The order states a power consumption of 1850 W. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Design airflow above the unit maximum. The design airflow is 240 cfm; the listed maximum for this unit is 206 cfm at 0.8 inch water column external pressure.
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2. Unit size and airflow: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a ComfoAir Q450 heat recovery (HRV) ventilation unit with top connections of 160 mm, for a design airflow of 240 cfm, mounted on the wall, with 3 components in total and the adaptive pre-heater. The order states a power consumption of 2240 W. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Unit summary. Q450 unit with a design airflow of 240 cfm against a maximum of 265 cfm; listed power consumption 2,240 W.
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3. Duct connections and components: A Q600 unit with 160 mm side connections and five components

    
The agent's request. Please quote a ComfoAir Q600 energy recovery (ERV) ventilation unit with side connections of 160 mm, for a design airflow of 300 cfm, mounted on the wall, with 5 components in total and the adaptive pre-heater. The order states a power consumption of 2620 W. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Q600 ST has top connections only. The Q600 is the ST version with its duct connections on top; the specification lists no side connections for it.
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  • Duct connection diameter does not match the unit. The order specifies 160 mm duct connections; the specification lists 160 mm for the Q350 and Q450, and 180 mm (200 mm also available) for the Q600.
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  • More than four components without a ComfoSplitter. The unit has 5 components and no ComfoSplitter; the specification requires a ComfoSplitter when there are more than four components.
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4. Duct connections and components: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a ComfoAir Q600 energy recovery (ERV) ventilation unit with top connections of 180 mm, for a design airflow of 300 cfm, mounted on the wall, with 5 components in total, the adaptive pre-heater and a ComfoSplitter. The order states a power consumption of 2620 W. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Unit summary. Q600 unit with a design airflow of 300 cfm against a maximum of 353 cfm; listed power consumption 2,620 W.
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5. Sensors and mounting: A floor-mounted Q450 with a CO2 sensor

    
The agent's request. Please quote a ComfoAir Q450 heat recovery (HRV) ventilation unit with top connections of 160 mm, for a design airflow of 220 cfm, mounted on the floor, with 3 components in total, the adaptive pre-heater and 1 CO2 or humidity sensor. The order states a power consumption of 2240 W. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Demand sensors without an option box. The order has 1 CO2 or humidity sensor(s) and no option box; the control options table in the specification lists the option box with these sensors, so a person should confirm the sensors can be connected.
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  • Floor mounting without a mounting base. The unit is to be mounted on the floor and the order has no mounting base; the specification lists a mounting base accessory, so a person should confirm how the unit will be supported.
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  • Unit summary. Q450 unit with a design airflow of 220 cfm against a maximum of 265 cfm; listed power consumption 2,240 W.
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6. Sensors and mounting: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a ComfoAir Q450 heat recovery (HRV) ventilation unit with top connections of 160 mm, for a design airflow of 220 cfm, mounted on the floor, with 4 components in total, the adaptive pre-heater, 1 CO2 or humidity sensor, an option box and a mounting base. The order states a power consumption of 2240 W. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Unit summary. Q450 unit with a design airflow of 220 cfm against a maximum of 265 cfm; listed power consumption 2,240 W.
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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 an order for a comfort ventilation unit from public technical specifications: the unit size and variant, the design airflow, the duct connections, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of those specifications 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 a ComfoAir Q600 energy recovery (ERV) ventilation unit with side connections of 160 mm, for a design airflow of 300 cfm. The order states a power consumption of 2620 W. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with three findings, all in one answer. The Q600 is the ST version with its duct connections on top; the specification lists no side connections for it. The order specifies 160 mm duct connections; the specification lists 160 mm for the Q350 and Q450, and 180 mm (200 mm also available) for the Q600. The unit has 5 components and no ComfoSplitter; the specification requires a ComfoSplitter when there are more than four components.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned three blocking findings 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 duct connections that differ between units, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the duct connections to Top, 180 mm and the ComfoSplitters to 1.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All three earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Three problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.