Heat pumps improve occupant comfort and lower energy costs, making them an effective solution for your condo corporation’s net zero initiatives. Here’s what every condo board should know about heat pump retrofits.

Understanding the Heat Pump

Heat pumps use a compressor to heat or cool air extracted from outdoors. The air is then distributed to individual interior vertical heat pump units located in each apartment and zones throughout the building’s common areas. As one of the most energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, heat pump technology is expected to become a major contributor to global decarbonization efforts.

While the air-to-air heat pump is quite common for single family residents, the air-to-water version is emerging as the preferred heat pump for multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs). The heat exchangers interact with a centralized “water loop.” It extracts hot air from each apartment and transfers it to the water loop for cooling and extracts heat from the water loop for heating.

How Do Heat Pump Retrofits Improve Energy Efficiency?

According to experts, heat pumps are three times more efficient and can increase cap rate values. They offer benefits for both electric and gas heating deep retrofits in the following ways:

• Electrically heated condos: Asset value increases by approximately $25,000 with electrical capacity requirements decreasing by as much as 60%. As a bonus, any surplus capacity can be used to power things like community EV charging stations or go towards Utility Peak Demand programs if your condo is on a unit metering system.
• Gas heating: The central gas plant cost is eliminated, and you can also avoid the impact of rising costs.

What Heat Pump Options are Best for Condos?

The water-source heat pump, or “two-pipe” system uses two high-volume pipes to circulate condenser water to heat pumps in units and common areas. The design tends to reduce upfront costs as they’re less complex and more flexible, making it easier to adapt to existing HVAC components.

How Do Heat Pumps Improve Occupant Comfort?

Heat pump systems for MURBs include vertical heat pumps or “terminal units” installed in each apartment. As a result, occupant controls keep unit temperatures comfortable based on personal temperature preferences. At the same time, the overall system’s shared resources reduce consumption throughout the building’s zones.

What are the Challenges of Heat Pump Retrofits for Condos?

Generally speaking, existing systems and infrastructures in older, taller buildings can create obstacles that increase the complexity and cost of heat pump retrofits. Other issues include:

• Heat pump retrofits are more disruptive for residents as the process includes vertical heat pump installation in each unit.
• Exterior drilling for vertical pump installation can create building envelope issues when not managed properly.
• Buildings experiencing less than optimum water flow can increase the risk of pump malfunction when installing a water sourced system.
• Residents must replace their unit air filters to maintain proper airflow and optimize comfort levels.
• Residents not adhering to the recommended replacement schedule can generate increased maintenance calls, putting pressure on your management team.

The significant energy savings realized through heat pump retrofits can help your condo corporation meet its net zero goals while improving resident comfort. They can also help offset increasing operating costs related to energy inflation.

The condo experts at CPO Management Inc, a full-service property management company in Toronto and the GTA, have had tremendous success helping condo corporations address the
challenges of sustainability through effective reserve fund planning . Reach out to us today to learn how we can help.