newsElectric heat pumps are winning big on comfort and cost in Canada, but experts warn of bumps in the road ahead as the industry adapts to new refrigerants, faces a shortage of skilled technicians, and navigates uneven regulations.
At present, heat pumps outperform gas furnaces, baseboard heating, and air conditioners in cutting energy costs, reducing emissions, and handling extreme temperatures, according to a cascade of studies and experts. A small pilot to test the effectiveness of heat pumps in combination with gas furnaces in Ontario’s Peel Region provided further proof of this last winter, the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program reports.
Summary
- There is little doubt about heat pumps doing some heavy lifting for the climate.
- As a signatory to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, Canada has joined other countries in a pledge to reduce its use of high GWP refrigerants by 85% by 2036.
- Canada “doesn’t have anywhere close to the number of competent, qualified technicians that will be needed with the growth of heat pumps as a common market choice,”
- Luymes also pointed to a “potential lack of alignment between Canada and the United States on the regulatory approach to the phasedown.”
Read the full post at The Energy Mix.
