5 Tips to Deliver High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofits

In my previous two articles, we looked at how the past 50 years of positioning heat pumps as silver bullets to energy and comfort problems has caused us to aim at the wrong target. Unfortunately, we’re still repeating those same mistakes. To correct our course, we need a broader approach that moves beyond equipment and efficiency ratings on yellow stickers.

A High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofit includes everything necessary for success. It considers the heat pump, air distribution system, and building conditions packaged in a repeatable process that gets results both you and your customers expect. Let’s look at five tips to help you deliver these retrofits.

Understand Customer Expectations

George Bernard Shaw once said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This statement holds true in heat pump discussions with customers and what they expect based on them. It’s likely you’ll encounter a well-meaning homeowner who has unrealistic expectations requiring more than a heat pump can solve.

A High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofit begins with understanding. There must be clear expectations established between a company and the customer before any work proceeds. You’ll need a list of pre-planned questions that ensure those expectations are understandable, realistic, attainable, and within their budget. Consider these questions to help you understand customer expectations:

• Is this a gas-to-all-electric conversion, or is dual fuel an option?
• Have any building upgrades been done or planned?
• Does the customer want to improve comfort and efficiency?
• Is the customer willing to invest in testing and design?

The answers to these questions will determine how you approach the retrofit and whether it makes sense to do the work. In addition, you’ll need documentation of any pre-existing issues that could prevent the customer’s expectations from becoming reality.

One of the worst mistakes you can make is assuming why a homeowner wants a heat pump. Instead of guessing, it’s easier to just ask, “Why do you want a heat pump?” The answers may surprise you. If a homeowner replies, “Our propane bills are high and we’re uncomfortable. We want a BIG heat pump!” How would you respond?

Would you grant their request or dig deeper into why their propane bills are high and they’re uncomfortable? You should investigate the condition of the existing duct system, equipment size, and the home. This information leads to tips two and three.

Don’t Inherit a Bad Duct System

Whenever you visit a doctor, there are basic “vital sign” tests they perform to ensure there are no underlying conditions. Following a similar approach, make sure you don’t inherit any underlying problems from a bad duct system. The challenge is deciding what to include in your base quote and what should be an additional charge. Here are the tests I suggest you begin with and why:

• Measure static pressures to identify restrictive duct components and conditions;
• Check fan airflow to see how much air the current system is moving and can handle; and
• Test worst-case duct system temperatures to identify insulation deficiencies.

Sometimes there isn’t enough information from these tests to identify the sources of comfort and efficiency issues, so you may need to do more testing. Such additional tests should follow the same principle as a general practitioner referring a patient to a specialist. There’s another person with a different skill set who comes in to perform further tests for an additional fee. It’s likely you’ll need to follow this approach on some retrofits, so know how to make the transition.

In some retrofits, you might be able to reuse a large part of the existing duct system with aggressive equipment downsizing. However, to accomplish this level of retrofit, you need to understand the building being conditioned by the heat pump. This leads us to tip number three.

Don’t Inherit a Bad Building

When many HVAC contractors doing heat pump retrofits hear the words, “You should learn building science,” they roll their eyes and ignore you. You may even fall into that group that says, “We don’t do that stuff.” That’s a fair response, but it doesn’t change the fact that the building has a major impact on your installations and a heat pump’s results. No homeowner ever blamed comfort or energy usage issues on the framer or insulation contractor. The finger points at you every time, so make sure you know how to handle this discussion when the time comes.

Hall of Fame championship boxer Jack Dempsey is quoted as saying, “The best defense is a good offense.” When dealing with High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofits, it’s wise to follow Dempsey’s approach and head off the potential for inheriting bad building issues before a contract is signed. Point out any building issues, just as you would HVAC deficiencies, that will affect the project’s outcome. The trick is that any building issues you discover must have an HVAC-related connection. Here are the tests I suggest you begin with and why:

• Measure room pressures to see how door closure affects individual room comfort;
• Test building air leakage to identify how much unconditioned air moves through the building; and
• Scan building surface temperatures to identify insulation deficiencies.

Don’t forget that the building operates on the same fundamental principles as a duct system. This is why parallel testing works so effectively when connecting building-side problems to the HVAC system. Many companies include room pressure tests as part of their “Vital Signs” evaluation. However, they also charge an additional fee to bring out specialized test instruments like a blower door and thermal imaging camera.

Both require specific training to use properly. But all this testing and information you’re gathering could be useless unless you add tip number four.

Involve the Customer

It’s easy for “technically-minded” folks to be obsessed with measurements and the data they provide. Tips two and three have you measuring a lot of stuff, but unless you can get the customer involved, their chances of buying a High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofit diminish rapidly. The most fun I ever had as a contractor was helping a customer become a detective in their own home. Through testing, we could engage them, translate the measurements into relatable concepts, and answer questions others didn’t ask or couldn’t answer.

These situations offer the perfect opportunity to reinforce predetermined expectations using measurements we translate into simple language that the homeowner can understand and act on. The most effective analogy I ever learned was the static pressure to blood pressure comparison from Rob Falke more than 20 years ago. Today, you have more visual reporting options like those from the TEC TrueFlow app and measureQuick.

Using this technique, you put customers in control and guide them to solutions that meet their expectations with the measurements. The approach is completely unbiased because the readings tell the story. However, there is a danger with this method. You must focus on one thing at a time, which can be easier said than done.

Many in our industry tend to overwhelm customers with data. They drown them under an ocean of numbers, test results, and calculations. Like any person who fears drowning, they panic and struggle to get out of the water. Your customers may never let on that you’re drowning them, but will try to get rid of you as quickly as possible. You shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t call you back.

The cure is data discretion. Focus on the single measurement or test result that is the closest to giving your customers the answers and solutions they want. Think of it as a life preserver. Most don’t follow this approach because it’s hard. Data drowning is much easier. It just won’t sell any retrofits.

Just as with data, it’s easy to get lost in all the steps to a High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofit. That’s where the fifth and final tip comes into play.

Follow a Process

Most companies don’t fail from a lack of information. They fail because they do not have a repeatable process that everyone understands and can act on. There is usually no clear path to follow that’s scalable. Every successful High-Performance Heat Pump Retrofit hinges on following a process that works for your company and staff. The steps can’t be “tribal knowledge" or rest in one person’s head. There must be a vision for why doing heat pumps right is important, and a clear path to outcomes that delight the customer.

With so many moving pieces to consider, many revert to just moving boxes instead of offering customized solutions for their customers. The challenge is to create a few options that the customer and your team understand. Spell out these options so everyone knows what’s included. Questions you ask during the customer discussion and review of your test results will help guide the process of deciding which options are best.

If you’re struggling with where to begin, consider two options such as a basic replacement and an advanced retrofit. Then have hand-off points for when it makes the most sense to transition from one type of project to another. A basic replacement might include gathering standard information, static pressure, and fan airflow testing, a block load calculation, recommendations for Air Upgrades, and a basic test out.

An advanced retrofit would go much deeper when a basic replacement won’t meet the expectations and needs of the homeowner. There is additional testing and design work needed to uncover the true scope of work required. This is work you should get paid for! Never guess at the level of work that needs to be done. Remember, without test results and design information, you’re playing a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-invisible donkey.

50 Years of Lessons

Regardless of what you think about heat pumps, they’re here to stay. The technology is proven to work and has been around for a long time. The present opportunity is moving past contractors who try to position heat pumps as the be-all-end-all solution.

Pay attention to the lessons learned from the last 50 years and don’t repeat them. Not sure what those lessons are? Look at what the average HVAC company is doing and do the opposite. Stop using rules of thumb. Quit focusing only on equipment. Don’t assume existing ducts are right. Unless you evaluate where you are, you’ll never know if you’re repeating these mistakes.

Use these five tips as a starting point to improve and differentiate your company. Start getting paid for your design and testing. Expand your focus to the system. Measure and prove whether a duct system will work and offer solutions to correct it when it doesn’t. These are just some pieces needed to survive in the changing heat pump market.