Do Heat Pumps Actually Work in Metro Vancouver?
Your neighbour says heat pumps quit when it gets cold. Here's the winter design temperature that decides it, and what goes wrong when one underperforms.
Heating, cooling and hot water advice
Straight answers to the questions homeowners actually ask us on an estimate. No sales pitch, and no jargon we haven't explained.
Why Doesn't My Friend's Heat Pump Heat Their House?
A heat pump that can't keep a house warm almost always has a specific, findable cause. Here are the six we see most often in Metro Vancouver homes.
Their quote was cheaper. What's actually different?
If one quote is lower than ours, the refrigerant inside the equipment may be part of the reason. Here's what Canada's HFC phase-down means for your system.
Do I Really Need a Heat Load Report?
CleanBC asks for a heat load report, but that's the least interesting reason to do one. What it measures, and why two similar houses need different equipment.
What Is Poly-B and Should I Be Worried About It?
Poly-B in a radiant heating loop is a different question than Poly-B in your water lines. Here's what it means for a boiler replacement in a BC home.
Can I just get the 120K boiler instead of the 90K?
A homeowner asked us this on a boiler replacement estimate. Here's the honest answer, and why going bigger usually costs you efficiency without buying comfort.
The old furnace was 100,000 BTU. Do I need the same?
The number stamped on the furnace you're replacing is the worst thing to copy. How that furnace actually behaved in your house is the best evidence you have.
They quoted a 12K for that bedroom. Ours is 6K
Why a bigger heat pump head isn't a safety margin. What a 12,000 BTU unit actually does in a Metro Vancouver bedroom, and what you'd notice.