Latest news with #heatpump
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Heat pump rebate applications in jeopardy after installer's certification suspended
Some customers are seeing red after FortisBC began denying applications for heat pump rebates because the company that installed them had its certification temporarily suspended. The rebates total about $1.5 million. As Jon Hernandez reports, the HVAC company is blaming a communication error for the confusion.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Hundreds of $10K FortisBC heat pump rebates in jeopardy over contractor certification
FortisBC has rejected multiple applications for $10,000 heat pump rebates because of a temporary lapse in the necessary certification of a major Lower Mainland contractor. The CBC has learned the rebates of as many as 200 Moore and Russell customers have been jeopardized by a situation that has resulted in complaints and one small claims lawsuit from people who claim they were guaranteed they would qualify for money they were later denied. "I'm not stoked about it, that's for sure. I'm definitely pissed off," said Jeff Thompson, a North Vancouver man who has spent the past four months trying to figure out who to blame for the rejection of the rebate for his new heat pump. "I would say be wary of Fortis rebates and who you hire. It turns out it's not a straightforward process." 'I was horrified,' says customer Thompson is one of thousands of British Columbians who have taken advantage of rebates offered by FortisBC and the province in recent years to encourage homeowners to replace their old heating and cooling systems with high-performance electric heat pumps. The program has become so popular the province announced plans this week to expand the program this summer to include individual suites in multi-unit residential buildings. But in order to qualify for a rebate, customers need their heat pump to be installed by a contractor certified with B.C.'s Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN), a database of retrofit contractors that meet specified trade designation and training qualifications. Moore and Russell was certified with the HPCN at the time Thompson agreed to pay the company $20,000 to install his dual fuel pump. And they are certified today. But the HPCN paused the company's certification from March 5 to May 31 — something Thompson says he only learned about after submitting his rebate application. "I was horrified," said Thompson, who told the CBC the offer of a rebate was the main reason he had decided to go with a heat pump in the first place. "It was a huge part because it's half the value of what the install was." Contractor says it never got HPCN's email Moore and Russell general manager Jeremy Slater says he only learned the company's certification had been put on pause in May after complaints started coming across his desk. He says the problem dates back to the departure of an employee late last year. The HPCN requires all technicians to be up to date on four courses involving the basic principles of HVAC technology. "When that person left, we needed to qualify somebody else with those courses with them, and the deadline for having that done lapsed," Slater said. He says the Home Performance Contractor Network sent an email saying the company's account had been put on pause, but claims the email hit a firewall. Regardless, Slater says he never received it. "And HPCN doesn't have a process — even still — to follow up or confirm with a contractor when they put them on hold. They just expect that we would get the email." Despite the change in status, Slater says the company was still listed as a qualified contractor on FortisBC's rebate application menu, which is why customers like Thompson were even able to apply for a rebate in the first place. "So there was no way that a customer could have known that we were put on pause, and there's no way that we could have known we were put on pause, unless we had actually received the email," he said. "Which is concerning for us at Moore and Russell because this could still be going on with other contractors and other homeowners purchasing heat pump equipment from Fortis and any of the rebate programs, as HPCN actually provides governance for all of the rebate programs in B.C." 'It's going to turn me off in the future': homeowner Slater says rebates worth a total of up to $1.5 million could be on the line for as many as 200 of his customers. One of those customers filed a small claims lawsuit against Moore and Russell earlier this month, seeking $10,000 compensation for the heat pump rebate they were denied. "After the installation, FortisBC rejected my rebate application, stating that Moore & Russell was not a certified HPCN contractor, which was a requirement for eligibility," the lawsuit reads. "Had I known this, I would have chosen a different contractor." Coquitlam homeowner Desmond Saisitthidej says FortisBC also denied his rebate because of Moore and Russell's HPCN certification. "I think it's really frustrating," he said. "I think a lot of us did this in good faith, knowing that the rebate was available, knowing Moore and Russell had previously done this and that Fortis had previously paid out — and then to get caught in the quagmire between the two ... It's going to turn me off in the future." FortisBC 'reviewing the matter' FortisBC says the company is dedicated to providing rebates and incentives to adopt higher-efficiency technology. "We are aware of the concerns raised by customers regarding their rebate applications due to the standing of Moore and Russell's membership with the Home Performance Contractor Network," said corporate communications advisor Lauren Beckett. " We appreciate our customers' understanding, and we are reviewing the matter." In a statement, the HPCN said members are required to assign a company administrator as a sole contact for membership-related information. "Company administrators are notified by email if there is a concern with their membership status and provided with instructions and a deadline to rectify the situation as appropriate — this includes multiple follow-up emails," the statement said. "They can also see their membership status at any time in the HPCN Portal." Saisitthidej and Thompson say they hope FortisBC will ultimately pay out the rebate to customers who feel they are paying for someone else's mistake. Slater says he has been in talks with both HPCN and FortisBC. "I would expect that, in the spirit of the program overall, they would honour those rebates for our customers," he said. Slater says he has made changes to avoid a repeat of the problems leading up to the lapse in Moore and Russell's certification, but he also feels FortisBC and HPCN need to address communications issues that saw customers left in the dark about their status. "I would want to know what are we going to do differently so this never happens again," he said.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How To Lower Your Electric Bill With A Super-Smart Thermal Battery
Michael Rigney (center, leaning on table), the cofounder and CEO of Cala Systems, a start-up ... More manufacturing a thermal battery for residential use—in the form of a WiFi-connected heat pump water heater This column has previously featured companies storing energy in innovative ways with lithium-ion, nickel-hydrogen, iron redox flow, and even gravity batteries, so my ears perked up when I heard about a German company marketing an innovative thermal battery and providing 'Heat-as-a-Service' to industrial clients. Around half of all energy use is spent on heating something, from melting steel to providing warm showers to drying agricultural crops, and the industrial sector is a particularly heavy spender. The concept of HaaS seemed so novel, but I could only imagine it applied to industrial processes. Imagine my surprise upon discovering that I can buy and install a high-efficiency thermal battery for my home in the form of a heat pump water heater. Residential HPWHs have been sold on the U.S. market for about fifteen years by large, well-known distributors through nationwide hardware store chains. HPWHs works like your kitchen refrigerator but in reverse. Instead of pulling heat out of a cold space and releasing it outside, it pulls heat from the surrounding air and transfers it into the water in the tank. Ambient warm air is drawn into the heat pump, where the warmth turns a refrigerant from a liquid to a gas. The refrigerant gas is then compressed, which heats it further, then pumped through condenser coils inside an insulated tank filled with water. The hot condenser coils warm the water, and the insulation keeps it warm until it's needed. In a legacy electric resistance water heater, 1 kW of electricity generates 1 kW of heat. In a HPWH, 1 kW of electricity generates around 2-4 kW of heat, significantly lowering household energy use while washing clothes, dishwashing, and showering. Another great feature of HPWHs and thermal batteries in general is their ability to release the energy put into them with very little loss. Lithium-ion battery installations—which convert electrical energy into chemical energy and back again—have round-trip efficiencies around 90%, a few percentage points above most other battery chemistries. Thermal batteries, in contrast, convert electrical energy into heat. If thermal energy can be used directly, as in the case of a water heater, their efficiency is 98-99%. HPWHs are so efficient that local utilities offer rebates to homeowners who install them. Paying people to use HPWHs makes financial sense to grid operators because grid congestion can be so costly during peak use periods. Leave it to an entrepreneur familiar with the costs of grid congestion to devise an innovation that materially improves upon the already very efficient HPWHs. Cofounder and CEO of Cala Systems, Michael Rigney. Rigney worked much of his career in the field of ... More demand response—helping utilities figure out how to lower customer demand for power to ease grid congestion. The Cala Systems HPWH is a good tool for demand response. Cala Systems, cofounded and led by a seasoned grid modernization executive, Michael Rigney, has developed AI-powered HPWH controllers that coordinate with the grid via Wi-Fi to schedule water heating when electricity prices are lowest. Cala's systems, which will hit the market later this summer, are designed to superheat water in the tank when electricity is cheap, then store it until needed. When someone turns on the hot water in the shower or starts the dishwasher, a mixing valve adds cool water to the superheated store to provide the appropriate temperature for the application. These smart water heaters also communicate with other devices behind the homeowner's meter (such as solar panels and battery systems) to heat water most efficiently given the home's energy mix. Unlike conventional water heaters, Cala's system monitors a household's hot water usage patterns and feeds these data into a predictive control algorithm licensed to Cala by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This algorithm lowers energy usage by determining the best time and speed to heat water, only heating as much as is needed. Users can increase heating through the Cala app if guests are visiting or the household otherwise exceeds its typical usage. These innovations allow for a very efficient product--a heat pump water heater--to become even more efficient. Rigney knows, as I know, the importance of increasing energy efficiency, decreasing carbon footprints, and decongesting our groaning legacy electrical grid. Intelligent investors take note.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
How B.C.'s new heat pump rebate program will work
On Tuesday, the B.C. government announced a heat pump rebate program, offering up to $5,000 for renters and condo owners to get a heat pump installed. Jana Elbrecht, senior policy adviser at B.C.-based Clean Energy Canada, said the program is timely given the hot summer weather.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
B.C. announces expansion of heat pump rebates to renters and condo owners
B.C.'s Energy Ministry has expanded a program to reduce energy use and lower bills for some apartment renters and condo owners. The expansion, part of the Clean B.C. Energy Savings Program, will provide up to $5,000 to support the purchase and installation of high-performance electric heat pumps in individual suites in multi-unit residential buildings, according to the province. "All British Columbians who need a heat pump should have access to one, to feel comfortable in their homes year-round, experience better energy efficiency, and save money. So, we're expanding our support to focus on helping apartment renters and condominium owners," said Adrian Dix, the minister of energy and climate solutions. It's part of $100 million allocated by the province to provide up to 8,300 rebates over two years and applies to suites in condo and apartment buildings that are six storeys and under and are currently heated by electricity. The government says the program will be expanded again in the fall to include those heated by fossil fuels, such as a gas-fired boiler. "We are encouraged by the expansion of the heat pump rebate program to renters and condo owners living in lower-rise MURBs," said Shauna Sylvester, the director of the non-profit Urban Climate Leadership. "It's been difficult for people living in these buildings to get relief from the extreme heat. This program is a step in the right direction in creating healthy, safe and resilient homes for more British Columbians."
