To Electrify or Not To Electrify? – a new free course

Should we be trying to electrify everything? To help answer that question, we’re excited to present, “To Electrify or Not To Electrify?” a new free course taught by Robb Aldrich and Nicole Ceci from Steven Winter Associates. Their presentation is offered in partnership with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association.

About the Course

Should we be trying to electrify everything? Is it practical for existing and new buildings with the technologies we have now? Two engineers with different takes on these questions will debate electrifying residential buildings, from small single-family to high-rise apartments. Both speakers have years of experience with heat pump technologies (mini-splits, PTHPs, water-source HPs, VRF, and several types of heat-pump water heaters). They’ll present examples of buildings where these systems worked wonderfully, where performance was less than ideal, and a few absolute failures. Too often, building professionals – designers, engineers, contractors, building owners/operators, utilities, and even manufacturers – don’t fully understand how these new systems work. Come learn from others’ mistakes, understand how these systems can be used well, and consider: Are there buildings where electrification doesn’t yet make sense?

Learning Objectives

• Select heating & cooling equipment of the right size and type to meet comfort and efficiency goals
• List the most common pitfalls of heat pump water heaters
• Describe the impact of refrigerant on water heater performance
• Weigh climate impacts along with practical implications of electric heat and hot water systems

This course was originally presented at BuildingEnergy Boston 2020, a conference presented by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).