Grant: Alliance Grants

Residents of cold countries, such as Canada, spend up to 90% of their time indoors, resulting in significant energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from space heating. The Government of Canada has committed to achieving net-zero emissions in the residential sector by the year 2050, leading many Canadians to consider alternate heating sources to fossil-fuel based heating methods. Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) are an energy-efficient alternative which run on electricity and work well in many parts of the world. The uptake of heat pumps in Canada has been slow, due to the presumption that they do not work well in cold climates. Manufacturers have designed cold climate air-source heat pumps (ccASHPs) specifically to work in colder climates. Field studies have been initiated in BC, YT, and NT to gather performance data of ccASHPs in real ambient conditions and shown promising results. One problem noted is the occurrence of frosting on the outdoor equipment. The focus of this research project will be on the performance of ccASHPs in Saskatchewan, and development of a frost-free ASHP. Although all these studies are performed in Canada, the ambient conditions vary from one location to another, and the results will complement each other to create a complete picture of ccASHP use in Canada. This project will be conducted in partnership with SaskEnergy, SaskPower, the Government of Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon and Enbridge, who all have an interest in the uptake of heat pumps in residential buildings in Canada. The objectives of this research are to study (1) performance of a ccASHP under Saskatchewan weather conditions, (2) effects of frost on a ccASHP and means of mitigating frost, and (3) performance of absorption (natural gas) ASHPs and hybrid heating systems. The project will provide data needed by our governments to formulate plans to achieve the net-zero emissions target and create awareness among the public and industry to improve the perception and uptake of ccASHPs in Canada. It will also train HQP in the important, growing field of heat pumps, which will be a great asset to Canada.