So the demand is there, with increased support from the federal and state governments. What is lagging behind, at least temporarily, is the workforce. And the United States is by no means alone. Wherever heat pump adoption is increasing, more workers will need to be trained to meet demand. “If you look at places like Finland, for example, where almost all heating systems are heat pumps, this is no longer a big problem,” says Jan, who studies electrification at the Regulatory Support Project, a policy NGO. Rosenau says. energy community. “If you wanted to buy an electric car 10 years ago, it would have been quite difficult. Now you can go to any showroom and find one. I think the same thing will happen with heat pumps. already This is the case for heat pumps in more mature markets. ”
But the United States doesn’t have anything like a huge national program to quickly bring HVAC training to more people. “It makes sense that there would be this avenue to learn more about heat pumps, and then the entire military would go out and install these things,” said Ed Jano, manager of HVAC and Refrigeration Design Education. Wiack says. Nonprofit Air Conditioning Contractors of America. “There’s a great opportunity for people to get in at the ground level right now. It shouldn’t take that long to earn a decent wage with it. And I still sit here sometimes and wonder why it doesn’t happen automatically. I’m holding my hands up and wondering if there is.
There is not one formal pathway for HVAC workers in the United States, but several. Trade schools and community colleges offer HVAC training. Unions offer apprenticeships, and many HVAC companies run their own training programs to bring talent into the industry. “The most successful companies today are finding people to bring in, but they’re not necessarily hiring people who are already in the field,” Janowiak says. “But when you look at the number of technicians going through these programs nationally and the demand, there just isn’t enough. So we need more people.”
For veteran HVAC workers who are already trained in fossil fuel systems, such as installing gas furnaces, heat pump manufacturers provide their own training to install their products, which naturally It’s also profitable. HVAC companies also offer their own heat pump training for established employees, which typically takes two days. If your home has ductwork installed, heat pumps operate similarly to traditional AC units, so the installation process will be much the same.
But all of these workers don’t just need to be trained; they need to be trained. goodJust as the heat pump revolution is underway, make sure your customers don’t inadvertently turn away from energy-efficient appliances. If the heat pump is not sized to match the size of your home or the ductwork in your home, it will be less efficient. If you don’t have ductwork, your contractor may recommend a simpler duct. ductless heat pump, installed on the wall facing outside. “My biggest hope is that the people who end up installing these things get some smart training and actually install equipment that works the way we want it to,” says Janowiak. .
