Public and policy focus is increasingly turning to the role that heating buildings is playing in Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions profile. As building operators and occupants, we do not experience the same direct connection with the emissions those buildings produce as we do in other situations, such as driving vehicles. When we drive vehicles, we are more directly connected to the emissions those vehicles produce. When we press the accelerator pedal, we are aware that we are consuming more gasoline and producing more carbon dioxide. The International Energy Agency estimates that globally, buildings consume 36% of the world’s energy and produce 40% of the energy related carbon emissions. Reducing our building heating systems’ dependence on fossil fuels represents a unique opportunity to cut carbon emissions.

In many parts of Canada, clean power grids offer an effective alternative to heating buildings with fossil fuels. In other regions, efforts are currently underway to reduce the local power grid’s carbon intensity through increased use of renewable energy systems. As electric resistance heat is not a viable option for heating most commercial and institutional buildings, air source heat pumps are becoming an increasingly attractive option. However, these systems can rarely be implemented through direct replacement of fossil fuel heating systems. Building owners and their consulting teams must examine building systems carefully to determine where and how air source heat pump technologies can be most gainfully applied.

This session covered:
1. Basic principals of air source heat pump operation, including defrost and backup heat.
2. Types of air source heat pumps, including advantages and disadvantages.
3. Considerations when assessing air source heat pump feasibility.
4. Lessons learned from successful implementation in retrofit and new construction projects.