Heat Pumps and Solar in Cold Climates for WAP

Weatherization programs are mainly concerned with shell work on homes and making sure there is safe and adequate heat and acceptable indoor air quality. In cold climates, A/C was not a common installation in homes, and if it was installed, it was deemed unnecessary to install one with heat pump ability as it could only be used for a short time in the shoulder seasons. Weatherization clients in cold weather climates did not use heat pumps to heat their homes, and helping clients with cooling was not the program's purpose. For this reason, A/C and heat pump installation have been completely ignored by most cold climate Weatherization programs.

As technology marches forward, recent advances have made heat pump technology a viable solution to heating in cold climates. Additionally, due to increased temperatures in the summer and the increased frequency and severity of forest fires, there is a health and safety need to close homes in the summer and be able to cool them with A/C. There are now more reasons for weatherization programs in cold climates to understand heat pump technology and how, when, and where it can be utilized as a heat and cooling source. This portion of the class will be an introduction to the topic with a focus on the basics of refrigeration, site assessment, and what types of systems could be utilized in cold climates. We will have a lab demonstration of several heat pump technologies.

Additionally, installing solar PV has not historically been part of WAP programs but may be an option in the future for low-to-moderate-income homes. This class aims to introduce the topic of solar in WAP with a focus on the basics of solar panels, site assessment, obstacles to installation, and what types of systems can be installed. We will have a lab where students will install a rooftop system.