My Thoughts - The Future of the Heating Industry
To Homeowners
I will open this article applying my 43 years of knowledge of the industry. Being in the industry and now retired as of the end of 2020. My career in has been spent in multiple positions with a heating company and a manufacturer. Here are my thoughts to pass on to homeowners and contractors/technicians.
The oil and gas industries are being pushed out as options for heating your homes. All heating appliances in the future will have to be electric instead of gas or oil.
The mandates to move away from fossil fuels really started much sooner but got some teeth in 2020. Many areas of California mandated no new homes can be built with any type of fossil fuel heating systems. Everything must be electric. It started, I believe in Berkley, CA. Connecticut in 2021 followed suit in some pockets.
So, what does this mean to homeowners. On the East coast or old coast as I call it, there are many homes dating back to the 1700's. Millions of homes built in the 30's, 40's, and 50's. Many of these homes have been updated and depending on when they were updated the electric panels may be only 100- or 150-amp services.
To go to a newly designed electric boiler and furnaces the electrical panels will need to be updated. This cost added to the cost of the new appliance gets rather salty. Many may go to mini-split heat pumps or heat pump boilers and might be able to avoid the electric panel upgrade. We will trade the panel upgrade to seeing multiple pipes and covers going up and around the exterior of our beautiful old homes to connect to mini splits.
But now the gasoline engine is being phased out and cars will also be electric. How many cars in a household, 1, 2, 3 or more? The electric panel upgrade now becomes eminent.
As we phase out the fossil fuel units, what controls the electric companies price increases? Open your wallets and dig deep!
Proper appliance sizing will be more crucial than it is even today.
To Contractors and Technicians
If you own a contracting company now is the time to get your tech's trained to better understand electrical diagrams, use of meters, ohm's law, etc. Network with a good electrician to assist in training your tech's. You can pass work back and forth to benefit both of you.
Our online seminars can help with the basics, understanding pictorial and ladder diagrams, electrical symbols, using VOM meters and such. Beyond that, use a good qualified, electrician.
To the Tech's
Hone your electrical skill's. Working at a heating company for 20 years and a manufacturer tech line for 23 years made we realize our trade is weak in electrical troubleshooting. Most, not all of you will have to be much better than you are now. Increase your worth, increase your understanding of electrical troubleshooting. Not only, troubleshooting with a meter but how power affects switches, controls, and motors.
My biggest tip for techs is lean all about heat pumps of all kinds like Air to Air, Air to Water and Water to Water styles. This is our future. If you want to expnd your skills to service solar will bring a higher value to your boss and a larger paycheck.