FortisBC is introducing residential homes in British Columbia to new gas heat pump technology with the potential of operating at more than 100% efficiency.
The goal is to help evaluate gas heat pumps as the next generation of space- and water-heating equipment for residential customers to meet the commitments outlined in the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030.
The high-efficiency heat pump technology—a first for British Columbia—is being piloted in 20 residential homes across the Lower Mainland and Southern Interior for one year.
FortisBC is working with two manufacturers, ThermoLift Inc. and Stone Mountain Technologies Inc. Both types of gas heat pumps are effective in colder climates, even when temperatures drop below minus 25 degrees Celsius, according to a FortisBC news release. Evaluations will test if the units can operate in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
“Testing these innovative gas heat pumps is an incredible milestone to help British Columbians lower their energy use and GHG emissions,” said Mila Barbour, program manager for heat pump technologies at FortisBC. “We’re looking forward to learning more about this technology and bringing forward more energy efficiency options for our customers.”
Participating customers could save up to 40 gigajoules of natural gas a year, which equals roughly six months of typical annual use and an annual savings of about $500. Along with the savings, each heat pump will contribute to the reduction of about two tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Gas heat pump technology can further reduce greenhouse gas emissions when being powered by renewable and low-carbon gases. FortisBC recently announced that it has teamed up with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George to produce renewable natural gas from landfill gas generated at Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill in Prince George—another first for the company and for Northern British Columbia. The project is expected to produce around 90,000 gigajoules of RNG a year over the course of its 20-year contract, which starts in 2024. This would be enough energy to meet the annual natural gas needs of approximately 1,000 homes in the province.
—Eric Johnson