Quilt released a new video walkthrough of a home with their systems installed. I watched the video in real time and gave my thoughts.
★Month: July 2024
Another Tool in the Toolbox
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I was catching up with an old colleague of mine who works in the cooling tower business and knowing that I was in the heat pump and VRF world, he asked, “Are these heat pumps really going to take over?”
His question was both surprising and unsurprising.
Surprising in that he asked that question in the first place. Unsurprising since his livelihood was based off the hydronic side of the HVAC business.
I know the stereotypical salesperson answer would be “Of course they are!These things are more efficient, take up less space, they’re less complex. You don’t have to deal with huge chillers, cooling towers, pumps, and piping!”
My answer?
I said no.
In reality, heat pumps and VRF are just another tool in the tool box for addressing building comfort. Some applications make sense for heat pumps and VRF. Dorms, hotels, office buildings, retrofits would all make good applications for heat pumps and VRF.
But some applications make sense to go with another method, whether its simple RTUs, evap coolers, or a traditional chiller/boiler/AHU/cooling tower set up. It really depends on the application.
In today’s world, I think honesty vs. the hard sell goes further. Sometimes the hard sell is necessary to get to the finish line, but I think you get a lot closer to that line with a more nuanced approach. I think customers appreciate the honesty even if it doesn’t work in your favor. Even if you don’t get that job now, your customer will remember your honesty on future projects.
California Grid Breezes Through Heat Wave due to Renewables, Batteries
From This Is Not Cool with Peter Sinclair:
In fact, California seems to have reached a level of storage that is creating some kind of a phase-change in the grid, yielding benefits that are surprising even expert observers. More and more days where renewables supply greater-than 100 percent of California’s power – enabling exports even under these challenging conditions.
Critics have long downplayed the benefits of EVs, heat pumps, induction stoves, and heat pump water heaters. They argue that our electrical grid can’t handle all of these new cars and appliances. Which is true! But that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it!
This is the most frustrating thing about this argument. This mostly comes up with EVs since they have been around longer and are becoming more accessible. They say there isn’t enough charging infrastructure. To that I say, do you think all these gas stations popped up overnight?!
This news that California’s electrical grid was able to withstand these recent heat waves due to the availability of more clean energy and energy storage through batteries is our best argument against naysayers who say the grid cannot support it.
More of this please.
★Trane Mitsubishi Launches New Light Commercial Heat Pumps
Introducing the expansion of the S-Series (PUMY) outdoor unit lineup to include Hyper-Heating INVERTER® (H2i®) technology.Part of the CITY MULTI® family, the H2i® PUMY is a single-phase heat pump ideal for light commercial applications including banks, churches, schools, server rooms, retail centers and more.
I think the HVAC industry would benefit from proper marketing departments. Not sure when these launched but I saw these in an industry trade magazine. An actual physical magazine that our office received in the mail. I searched on the web for these and all I got was the block quote above which links to the engineering submittal site. No mention of the small footprint, tonnages, and ideal applications.
As far as I know, LG and Mitsubishi are the only manufacturers who make this style heat pump. I would be shouting this from the mountaintops.
★Gen Z Plumbers and Construction Workers Are Making #BlueCollar Cool
Many posts tout the wages blue-collar workers can make. Pay for new hires in construction now outstrips pay for new hires in professional services like accounting, according to ADP data. Skilled-trade influencers say they’re also trying to combat decades of stereotypes in which practitioners were seen as grease monkeys or stuck in low-end careers.
I appreciate what these folks do out in the field. No shame in earning a pretty decent living in the trades. Also grateful for my knowledge worker job in this industry.
★Nation’s 1st all-electric hospital coming to UCI Health medical campus
The all-electric Central Utility Plant is where facility operations will be monitored. That includes running the air source heat pumps. Brothman said the moderate temperature in the coastal region is key.
“Much like a traditional heat pump that is used in residential or other office buildings, these can run in forward or reverse to use the ambient outside temperature to heat or cool our heating and ventilation components in this facility,” Brothman said.
Proud to see my alma mater going all electric for its new medical center.
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