REAL and Green Communities Canada Launch a Heat Pump Right-sizing Service
Heat pumps are becoming much more common now but most are sized incorrectly. Green Communities Canada and REAL intend to change that with a new Heat Pump Right-sizing Service.
Heat pumps are transforming homes across Canada
Thousands of homeowners across Canada are installing heat pumps every year. Heat pumps have gone mainstream for many reasons:
- They heat your home in the winter by extracting heat from outside air even when temperatures are way below freezing, even for the whole heating season;
- They switch direction during summer, cooling your home more efficiently than an air conditioner;
- They can do all this while using only electricity, thereby reducing your home’s dependency on burning fossil fuels;
- They can also significantly reduce heating costs. A heat pump can save you as much as $2,000-$3,000 per year, especially when switching from electric baseboards/furnace, oil, or propane heating, or when combined with improvements to the building envelope.
Why is it important to right-size your heat pump?
GCC helped pioneer the EnerGuide home energy rating system 25 years ago. We’ve got a tremendous amount of data at our fingertips thanks to partnerships with our members and the federal government.
According to our analysis of heat pumps installed in Ontario between 2023-24, more than half of all heat pumps are undersized. That means that home owners must rely on fossil fuel and other more costly alternatives more than they should have to. This results in higher costs and lower efficiency.
Heat pumps are designed to be super-efficient. It just makes sense to ensure you get all the benefits of that efficiency by choosing a heat pump that is sized appropriately for your home.
To that end, we’ve created a new Heat Pump Right-sizing service for homeowners, and we are working with contractors across the country to level up the industry.
Benefits to the homeowner of the Heat Pump Right-sizing Service
- Getting a CSA F280 heat loss calculation for your home to help size a heat pump that meets the unique heating and cooling needs of your home;
- Get a comprehensive EnerGuide energy audit and Renovation Upgrade Report to help you make your home more energy efficient so that you can install correctly sized, often smaller equipment while improving thermal comfort;
- Maximize your energy savings and reduce your dependency on burning fossil fuels;
- Avoid expensive oversized equipment purchases;
- Ensure quiet operation based on duct testing data, rarely done by contractors today when sizing heating equipment;
- Avoid expensive, unnecessary electric panel upgrades;
- Be better informed and able to discuss heat pump solutions for your home with contractors.
Heat pumps are complicated but we can help you and your contractor make good, informed decisions. Heat pumps are also fossil-fuel free and extremely energy-efficient. Whether you want to retain your gas backup alongside your new heat pump, or get rid of your oil or propane tanks and move to an all-electric energy-efficient heating system, contact us.
Alan Leonard
NRCan Registered Energy Advisor
[email protected]
613 864-3099
