Heat pumps – Not just a load of hot air

CEA helps educate Rossland homeowners and contractors on heat pump fundamentals.

In Rossland, BC, homeowners and contractors recently had the opportunity to develop their understanding of heat pumps with Rob Pope of Ecolighten, an energy services and HVAC design company and a Retrofit Assist recognized training partner.

Retrofit Assist is CEA’s retrofit concierge service, designed to help homeowners take advantage of the improved comfort and cost savings achieved by investing in energy efficiency improvements.

Currently operating in Rossland, Squamish and Whistler, the program provides homeowners with step-by-step guidance on their retrofit journey while simultaneously building capacity in the contactor community.

The first event at the Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre was attended by 18 motivated homeowners. Retrofit Assist participants and other homeowners planning or considering the installation of a heat pump were given a presentation highlighting everything homeowners need to know about heat pumps and ventilation systems. The presentation was followed by a discussion addressing questions surrounding the house-as-a-system approach, heat pump installation process, questions to ask contractors and local permitting requirements.

Unlike a furnace or an electric heater, heat pumps do not generate heat. Instead, heat pumps capture warmth from the outside air and move it inside the house. At the same time, they are removing cool air from inside and pushing it outside. This works even in cold weather! And in warm weather, the system can be reversed to provide air conditioning.

For more information on heat pumps, download the Retrofit Assist Heat Pump Guide.

Helping contractors put theory into practice

The following day, a sold-out session at the Josie Hotel offered a more technical agenda specifically for contractors. This session included training on heat loss / heat gain load calculations using the CSA F280-12 standard to inform heat pump sizing.

F280-12 provides a code-compliant methodology for contractors and installation engineers to calculate heating and cooling loads on a room-by-room and block load basis. It applies to houses and small buildings as part of Part 9 of the National Building Code of Canada.

The importance of following the F280-12 standard cannot be overstated. Incorrect sizing of a heat pump can lead to an undersized system struggling to keep up with demand or an oversized system operating very inefficiently due to short cycling which can lead to system failure.