November 21, 2024

Getting heat pumps right

Hi all,

I know I've dedicated a lot of space here on Quilt, the heat pump start up based in Redwood City. And for good reason, they intersect both my career and my interests, and they're trying to disrupt a long entrenched industry: residential HVAC.

On the Catalyst podcast, host Shayle Kann had Quilt's CEO, Paul Lambert, on to talk about some of the obstacles he encountered while upgrading his home to a heat pump and how it pushed him to starting Quilt.

I did not have to listen to the episode to know what types of issues he encountered. For those of us who are in the industry, and especially those who are also homeowners know, that the biggest obstacles are education, information, and access.

Education

This is probably the biggest of those three obstacles. If I wasn't in the HVAC industry and I needed to replace my air conditioning system, I wouldn't know where to start. That's one of the main reasons why I started my this newsletter, YouTube channel, and website: to be a resource for anyone wanting to learn more about heat pumps and their benefits.

Information

We all know there is information about everything on the Internet. The hard part is figuring out what is a good source of information. Let's say I'd heard of what a heat pump is and I search for it. What I'm likely to run into is how heat pumps don't perform well in cold weather or if they're worth the added cost. Again, my goal is to be a resource that provides accurate, easy to understand information on the benefits of going with a heat pump.

Accessibility

Finally, access to heat pumps is the final hurdle Lambert faced. Most, but NOT all, contractors are either loyal to certain brands or are comfortable installing furnaces, or both. This is quickly changing, but finding a contractor who advocates for heat pumps and is willing to install them is increasingly difficult. It was a big enough hurdle that he started his own company to tackle this problem.

There are additional points that Lambert brings up that I hadn't heard of before such as stock and lead times, at least from a contractor's point of view. They probably have tons of furnaces on hand but will probably need to order a heat pump since they may not do a ton of installs.

I've embedded the podcast episode below.

If You Listen to One Thing

Catalyst: Getting heat pumps right

Links

• America's Newest Class of Millionaires: Plumbers and HVAC Entrepreneurs -

  Private equity, however, is no foreign player in the skilled trades these days. PE firms across the country have been scooping up home services like HVAC—that is, heating, ventilation and air conditioning—as well as plumbing and electrical companies. They hope to profit by running larger, more profitable operations. 

• What are A2L Refrigerants? A Homeowner’s Guide - A good overview of the upcoming A2L refrigerant transition for homeowners. I plan to do a more detailed piece on the A2L transition. Hopefully I finish before the transition takes effect.

Thanks for reading! Whenever you're ready, here are ways I can help you.

1. Online VRF Boot Camp - An online course designed to give you the fundamentals to understanding VRF and its applications from a sales perspective.

2. Lunch and Learns - If you're in California, I'd love to come out and speak on VRF, heat pumps, and electrification.

3. YouTube Channel - You can find all my video content at my YouTube channel.

4. Consultations - Are you looking to use heat pumps or VRF on your next project? Let's talk.

5. Buy me a coffee - Want to support what I do? Buy me a coffee