I wish I had known this earlier! These five questions will give you the clarity and confidence to assess your heat pump installer’s level of technical acumen.
We have a PDF sheet to print out, or you can simply write them down to be prepared for your meeting.
1) Who will be doing the installation?
You might be speaking with a professional diamond certified elite installer, but they might not actually be on site for the installation.
This was my case, where the owner’s cousin and nephew littered my space with cigarette butts and did a terrible job of installation.
2) How do you size the equipment?
You’ll be listening for three particular items: manual J and manual S, as well as manual D if you have duct work.
Manual J is used to calculate how much heat your home needs when it’s cold out. There’s other methods, which are also acceptable, and they should be able to explain which and why they do it that way.
But don’t take the “I’ve been doing this a long time, and you don’t know anything.” as a reason to trust. Manual S is used to design the equipment to meet your home’s heating needs, and includes factors such as elevation and equipment performance.
If you have duct work, ask about manual D which is used to calculate duct losses, air flow and to match equipment fan performance.
3) Where will the indoor and outdoor units go?
If you’re noise sensitive, or don’t like fan above your head while you sleep, indoor unit placement will be very important. (See our post on heat pump noise considerations)
Outside, you’ll want to place the unit away from your bedroom, unless that’s the only option, or to request a very quite decibel rating. And beware (say no) to a wall mounted heat pump as this will transfer vibrations directly into your home as it ramps up and down through compressor and fan speeds.
4) Can you explain the HSPF for me?
I think this number may be the most important in evaluating a cold climate heat pump. And because there are so many numbers out there, it’s nice to see one that cuts through the noise and seems to be most impactful in colder regions.
Heat pump professionals should be able to explain this to you, why higher numbers are better for your energy savings and comfort, and to tell you what the rebate requirements are for HSPF. (See our post on heat pump terms including HSPF)
5) What is your commissioning process?
Here, you’re looking for particular phrases in their process including: Leak testing, pulling vacuum, and performance testing. Leak testing is critical to ensuring the refrigerant with very high global warming potential does not leak into the atmosphere, and to keep your system working.
Vacuum (to less than 500 microns or better) is very important to eliminating water vapor from your refrigeration system, which acidifies over time and reduces lifetime. Performance tests demonstrate that your heating and cooling will meet the total demand of your home, and you get what was promised.
Do you have questions about your own potential heat pump? Feel free to ask us (as heat pump contractors) as well! You can contact us here and we’d be happy to chat.
