■ Heat Pumps The conversation surrounding heat pump technology has seen a resurgence as the country looks towards electrification. Photo by Fujitsu
Heat pumps offer both heating and cooling in one packaged system for those customers looking for an environmentally-friendly solution. By Francesco Lo Presti
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Plumbing & HVAC – September 2021
As the artist Nelly said in arguably one of the most famous club songs, “it’s getting hot in here.” For some readers, this might take them back to a family member’s wedding or maybe a backyard pool party. This phrase might have even been heard coming from a less than pleased customer. So, how does one rectify this scenario without having to resort to everyone taking their clothes off? The first and foremost solution is to ensure that the customer is comfortable in their own home; next is to ensure that the system installed will be able to perform to the customer’s needs. In the Canadian market, there is a slew of heating options for contractors to suggest to their customer base. Although not exactly new, heat pumps have grown in popularity in recent years due to its energy savings. “A heat pump is an electrically driven device that extracts heat from a low temperature place (a source) and delivers it to a high temperature place (a sink),” explains National Resources Canada (NRCan) on its website. “To understand this process, think about a bicycle over a hill: no effort is required to go from the top of the hill to the bottom, as the bike and rider will move naturally from a high place to a lower one. However, going up the hill requires a lot more work, as the bike is moving against the direction of motion.” www.plumbingandhvac.ca
