April 2022

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Comfort with Cooling Homeowners no longer view air conditioning as simply a luxury

INSIDE n Triumphant return of CMPX n Heat pump water heaters 101 n Bringing the “V” back in HVAC n Protect your digital footprint

APRIL 2022

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n Contents

Spring into Air Conditioning Season Departments Hot Seat .........................................5 Return to normal this summer

Industry News ..............................6 Survey results are in!

Industry Champions....................32 Mentoring next generation tradespeople

People & Places ...........................34 Personnel round-up

Shop Management .....................36 Business in the digital age

Coming Events ............................38 ASHRAE Toronto chapter celebrates 100 years

Products & Technologies Cooling ........................................12 A/C Products ...............................17 HVAC ...........................................19 Fire Stopping ..............................24

Hydronic Cooling Rising to the challenge

Features

Refrigeration ..............................28

Training the Next Generation

32

Passion for teaching

Cover: A technician competes in the skills competition at CMPX’s Heating Systems Gauntlet in Toronto, Ont.

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Heat from Refrigeration, Pt III Heat pump water heater fundamentals

28

Indoor Air Improvements

19

Don’t forget the “V” in HVAC

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

3

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n Hot Seat April 2022 Volume 32, Number 3 ISSN 1919-0395

Publisher Mark Vreugdenhil (289) 638-2133 ext.1 Cell: (416) 996-1031 mark@plumbingandhvac.ca Editor Leah Den Hartogh (289) 638-2133 ext. 2 Cell: (289) 830-1217 leah@plumbingandhvac.ca

Successful start to trade show season This summer, the industry can expect a very busy season as trade shows and conferences are back in full swing. At the end of March, the highly anticipated CMPX trade show made its triumphant return after being delayed for two years due to the global pandemic. And what a show it was!

Over the three-day conference, there were over 500 exhibitors that brought with them their latest innovations.

Sadly, I was only able to properly partake in the first two days of the trade show as I contracted the dreaded COVID-19 virus.

I am now healthy and back to work after a short stint of symptoms — I had a fever, body aches, headache, and chills the first day, with few symptoms for the rest of my quarantining period.

The days that I was able to properly enjoy the show were jam-packed with tours of booths and getting to see firsthand innovations introduced since the last show. It was beyond amazing seeing so many people from the industry beyond the dimensions of my laptop.

Some of them dressed in their best outfits before the show at the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) hosted Habitat for Humanity Canada Gala. Over 30 companies donated cash or products to

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the charity for an impressive total of $18,000 earned from the silent auction and a total of $1.8 million. For my first time attending the CMPX trade show, I was impressed with the number of attendees that came to the show and the overall enthusiasm that I heard from them.

As previously promised in the beginning of this column, this summer is fully packed with industry events. To highlight a few, for this issue month, the Ontario Geothermal Association will be returning with its annual conference in Mississauga.

To kick off May, Atlantic Canada’s largest trade show, MEET 2022, gives a chance for those on the Eastern side of Canada to see firsthand some of the latest innovations/ products. In June, I’d like to highlight three events of interest — CIPH’s annual business meeting in Jasper, Alberta, ASHRAE’s 2022 annual conference in Toronto, and lastly, MCE Milan will be closing up the month in Italy.

I am so happy the country is back to inperson events and the industry can come together again. Hopefully, we’ll remain open and will have a summer like we haven’t seen since 2019.

LinkedIn: Plumbing + HVAC Magazine

Twitter: @Plumbing_HVAC_

Instagram: plumbing_hvac_

Assistant Editor Francesco Lo Presti (289) 638-2133 ext. 3 francesco@plumbingandhvac.ca Contributing Writers Roy Collver, Ron Coleman, Mark P. Evans, Bill Hooper, Michael McCartney, Glenn Mellors Bruce Nagy, Greg Scrivener Design and Production Tim Norton/Janet Popadiuk production@plumbingandhvac.ca All articles and photos by Plumbing & HVAC staff unless noted.

PLUMBING & HVAC Magazine is published eight times annually by Marked Business Media Inc. and is written for individuals who purchase/ specify/approve the selection of plumbing, piping, hot water heating, fire protection, warm air heating, air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration, controls and related systems and products throughout Canada.

Marked Business Media Inc. 286 King Street W, Unit 203, Oshawa, ON L1J 2J9 Tel: (289) 638-2133 Postmaster: Send all address changes and circulation inquiries to: Plumbing & HVAC Magazine, 286 King Street W, Unit 203, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada L1J 2J9. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 43029513. Postage paid at Toronto, ON. Annual Subscription Canada: $40.00 plus applicable taxes, single copy $5.00 plus applicable taxes. Annual Subscription United States: $60.00 U.S. Annual Subscription foreign: $90.00 U.S. Copyright 2022. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

A member of: • Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating • Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada • Ontario Plumbing Inspectors Association • American Society of Heating Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers • Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada • Refrigeration Service Engineers Society of Canada

n Industry News

“What will grow in the next five years?” (Top 10 answers)

Readers were questioned on what aspects of the industry they expected to grow in the next five years.

INDUSTRY TRENDS READER SURVEY

By Bruce Nagy

was our third iteration of the survey. Earlier trend surveys were undertaken at the end of 2016 and in the latter half of 2018. This time around, we were still receiving responses in the first quarter of 2022.

From the results of this survey, our readers are moving more than ever into electronics, efficiency, and the clean energy age.

Technology

T

he results are finally in for the 2021 “Industry Trends Reader Survey.” Every two years, we ask our readers to predict what will be coming down the pipeline for the HVAC/R industries. This

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Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

There have been a few persistent trends reflected in the responses to the survey.

The most pronounced is the continuing expectation that hydronic heating will grow in popularity. In all three surveys, about 60

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per cent of readers responded that they believed such a fact.

Fewer people in each survey thought the forced air industry would continue to grow; from 44 per cent in 2016, down to 31 per cent in 2018, and lastly, 36 per cent in 2021.

For five years, about half of our readers have consistently predicted growth for heat pumps. Factors such as intense climate change weather events, skyrocketing gas prices, and geopolitical upheaval caused by the war in Ukraine could accelerate the adoption of heat pumps or other electric technologies.

On the topic of gas, readers still expect it to grow as a fuel source but with waning enthusiasm across the three surveys — hitting 44 per cent in 2016, 36 per cent in 2018, and now under 31 per cent. Other polluting fuels are similarly impacted; only 2.67 per cent of respondents expect oil to grow as a heating fuel. Support for biomass was halved, dropping from about 20 per cent to approximately 11 per cent.

Electrification While heat pumps are booming, the outlook on the growth of electric resistance heat has remained below 15 per cent across each survey.

There is a chance that by mid-century even small heat pumps will be considered too clunky, and simple radiant appliances will increase in popularity.

There were a few notable surprises during the three years since the previous survey. For example, the 2018 enthusiasm for tankless water heaters seems to have been reduced.

Another example is the re-emergence of heat pump water heaters (HPWH) as a reality, both in the real world and in the expectations of our readers, with about one-third of all respondents predicting this segment will expand.

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Smart technology With sales of smart home technology beginning to ramp up in North America, it’s not surprising that smart thermostats (41 per cent), smart home technology (36 per cent) and smart control systems (40 per cent) would land on our top ten list.

In addition to remarks about heat pump water heaters, numerous readers mentioned a significant increase in the use of plastic pipes and alternative joining systems like press fit. This is notable because these areas have been extensively debated among plumbing professionals in the trade press and on social media. It seems that press fit has won over a large number of skeptics, who describe it as a much easier way to work. A few continue to see it as a threat to revenue.

Solar thermal is still expected to grow by nearly 35 per cent; this was 49 per cent in 2018 and 55 per cent in 2016. It seems that in buildings and operations that use larger quantities of hot water, it is difficult to compete with the performance efficiency of solar thermal; however, the technology is still considered cumbersome in terms of both installation and maintenance.

Refrigeration Some other under-the-radar developments are happening in the cooling and refrigeration sector. Survey remarks are filled with frustrations related to the exploding number of refrigerants but the turmoil in the sector is all about profits.

With HFC phasedown legislation in the U.S., North America and the world can finally have some predictability.

Another quiet revolution is happening in grocery stores, arenas, refrigerated warehouses and refrigerated trucks. The payback on heat reclaim from refrigeration equipment is so dramatic, and the available heat so generous, that technologies like

transcritical carbon dioxide refrigeration in supermarkets cannot be ignored.

Liquid cooling for data centres also seems to be a slowly growing trend, but few of our readers thought it was worth mentioning.

Nevertheless, the physics and economics of liquid cooling as a solution for our quantum computing future suggest that this approach is most likely going to be adopted in growing numbers.

Industry concerns The responses to the open-ended questions revealed worries about too few young people and tech-savvy people being attracted to the construction sector. There were also many comments about material and equipment shortages and other supply chain difficulties, presumably related to either the pandemic or the Ukraine war.

Unrelenting criticism of the early models of heat pump clothes dryers suggests that they are probably a bust if manufacturers don’t find ways to increase performance (they may have already done so, there is usually a lag period between product improvements and better reviews).

However, it should be noted that the concept of a clothes dryer, in general, might be questioned for any household with just a few members. The more I travel the world, the more I realize that many people don’t use them. Instead, they hang clothes to dry, mostly outside, even out the windows of condos and apartment buildings. :

Bruce Nagy is a Toronto writer, author of more than 150 articles on clean energy.

His new book, ‘The Clean Energy Age’ was released on Amazon by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018. He can be reached at bruce.nagy@rogers.com.

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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n Industry News

Over the threeday trade show, there were thousands of attendees that visited over 500 booths.

CMPX 2022

returns with a bang

By Francesco Lo Presti

Skilled Trades Ontario

Another Canadian Mechanical and Plumbing Exposition (CMPX) trade show has come and gone. After being postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, the industry had to wait two years for its return, and the 2022 edition of the show returned in full force.

Over the three days, March 23 to 25, the CMPX show was host to thousands of guests, and over 500 exhibitors covered the trade show floor with its booths and products. In addition, the trade show featured a Learning Forum, where free educational programs were on display.

The programs ranged from live podcast discussions with tradespeople to panel discussions, educational seminars and regulation updates.

While all the educational seminars deserve recognition and should be highlighted, the “Introduction to Skills Trade Ontario” seminar had some interesting notes. John Vander Doelen, director of policy, research and standard at Skilled Trades Ontario (STO), hosted the seminar and gave an insight into the current introduction schedule of Skilled Trades Ontario.

Of the many topics discussed, some that stood out were the updates made to the exam and certification process, updates on compulsory trades, and the adaption of members of the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) accounts to STO. Speaking on the exam and certification process, a certificate of qualification issued by

OCOT will still be considered a certificate of qualification issued by STO and can be used for compliance and enforcement purposes.

In addition, if members hold a certificate of qualification in a non-compulsory trade for which a Red Seal examination is available, they may be eligible to challenge the Red Seal examination to obtain the Red Seal endorsement for their existing certificate of qualification.

Additionally, members who completed their apprenticeship in a trade were given an update with a certifying exam. STO will not be operating on a membership model, and the journeyperson candidates class is no longer available, explained Vander Doelen.

Continued on page “11”

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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n Industry News Continued on page “9”

However, when you complete your apprenticeship program in a trade with a certifying exam and you are issued a certificate of apprenticeship by the ministry of labour, training and skills development, STO will automatically issue you a provisional certificate of qualification. This provisional certificate of qualification is valid for 12 months. If you practice a compulsory trade, this provisional certificate of qualification allows you to continue to work while you challenge the certifying exam for your trade.

Your information will continue to appear on the public register, which will automatically be updated to show that you hold a provisional certificate of qualification.

Notable faces At this year’s CMPX, Todd Smith, Ontario’s minister of energy and MPP for the Bay of Quinte, Dennis Kozina, show chairman (Emerson) and Joanna Woo, show vice-chair (EMCO Corp.), participated in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It is an honour to have minister Smith join us at the show’s opening and we look forward to being able

An official ribbon cutting ceremony kicked off CMPX (from left to right) by Dennis Kozina, show chairman, Todd Smith, Ontario’s minister of energy and MPP for the Bay of Quinte, and Joanna Woo, show vice-chair.

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Gary McCreadie of HVAC Know it All was one of the influencers featured at the CMPX Podcast Theatre. to connect in person as an industry again and show appreciation for the support the Ontario government has given our growing industry,” said Martin Luymes, vice president of government and stakeholder relations for the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute (HRAI).

Francesco Sorbara, MP of VaughanWoodbridge and parliamentary secretary to the minister of national revenue at the House of Commons, also attended the show. Visiting on the final day of the show, Sorbara made his way around the trade show floor, observing booths and interacting with various products on display. Speaking on the show, Sorbara stated, “HRAI and CIPH and their members are leading the charge to improve the energy efficiency of Canada’s buildings and are the backbone of the buildings we live and work in.”

CIPH Gala In addition to the trade show, the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH)

hosted a gala in support of Habitat for Humanity. Held at the Intercontinental Toronto Centre on March 22, over 300 industr y colleagues and guests were in attendance to celebrate 27 years of partnership between CIPH and Habitat for Humanity Canada. The evening was a success highlighted by the fact that $18,000 was raised that evening from the hybrid silent auction. Donated items included Maple Leaf tickets, a bbq, a smoker, numerous getaways and many other fantastic items. Over 30 CIPH members donated products or cash which went towards Habitiat for Humanity Canada.

According to CIPH, the contributions made by its members for 2020-2021 totalled $2.8 million, which surpassed the campaign goal of $2 million.

Jointly produced by HRAI and CIPH, the CMPX trade show will make its return in 2024. Dates and locations haven’t been finalized yet, but information will be released when available.

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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n Cooling

Leapfrog your competitors by staying up to date on the latest research and development in hydronic cooling.

By Roy Collver

Piping insulation will need to extend right up to the units and vapour sealed for these unit ventilators.

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Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

As the world gets warmer due to climate change, air conditioning has become a necessity in areas it used to be considered a luxury. After experiencing the so-called “heat dome” early last summer, HVAC contractors even here on the west coast have been swamped with calls to add cooling to existing buildings, many of them currently heated by hydronic systems. People still want hydronic radiant floor systems and other specialties in newbuild homes, but now have air conditioning on their list of must haves. How can the hydronics industry rise to the challenge?

This article will cover the options currently available, touching on some potentially new ideas, and developments in the residential and light commercial sectors. Energy of all types are going to continue to increase in cost, putting operating efficiency neck-andneck with greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction requirements.

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Adding a chilled water buffer tank from a reversible heat pump to supply a hydronic system presents a huge opportunity for technicians looking to get into the cooling business.

ideal. Some very good portable/seasonal DIY mini splits are available, but they have limited capacity, and need to be installed, uninstalled, and stored seasonally. The small portable DIY units that supply and vent air outdoors have lousy efficiency and are not recommended.

Hydronic central cooling systems that use air handlers and/or fan coils can usually be upgraded with either DX coils or chilled water coils for whole building coverage. Ground source, air source and water source heat pumps are making significant inroads into the hydronics industry as we decarbonize.

By adding a chilled water buffer t ank f rom a reversible heat pump to supply a hydronic system, a huge opportunity for technicians to

Choosing the right method may be quite obvious in many cases, but there will often be nuances in building design and occupant usage that will rule out cookie cutter solutions. Restrictions presented by structural details, building code requirements, aesthetic demands and of course, client budget will all impact decisions. Ducted forced-air systems for instance may be far too intrusive physically, leaving hydronics to provide some satisfying solutions.

Limited options In retrofit situations where the current structure is primarily heated by hydronics, options may be limited. New structures have the benefit of cooling and ventilation integration during the design phase, allowing much more flexibility.

Basic cooling approaches are spot cooling of zoned occupied areas with individual cooling devices, distributed cooling via refrigerant,

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chilled water or air from a central cooling device, and multi-pronged approach using a variety of cooling methods and energy efficient building design.

By far the most popular method used today for mechanical cooling, electricity is used to operate chillers, heat pumps and air conditioners. In retrofit systems, the install cost goes from the simple and economical installation of window shakers to spot cooling with mini split air conditioners all the way through to full blown hydronic chilled water distribution systems. Look closely at SEER ratings and provide the most efficient equipment the client can afford.

Although window shakers and through the wall air conditioners may be the affordable options for those who are on a tight budget and are willing to put up with noise and uneven cooling, upgrading to a professionally installed mini-split or multi-split system is

Choosing the right method may be quite obvious in many cases, but there will often be nuances in building design and occupant usage that will rule out cookie cutter solutions. get into the cooling business has opened up.

Central chilled water hydronic distribution through small diameter piping can be very easy to conceal, even with four-pipe heating/ cooling systems.

Caution Before venturing into chilled water hydronics, designers and installers need to be fully educated in the design details. Any component that might drop in temperature Continued on page “15”

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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Because we believe that “amazing” should apply to everything you do.

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n Cooling

Water source heat pumps are making significant inroads into the hydronics industry as the world looks to decarbonize.

Continued from page “13”

below the dewpoint must be insulated, and those components that intentionally create condensate must be designed to drain it away. These are the details most beginners get wrong.

I have lately seen the re-introduction of absorption chillers and heat pumps using ammonia as a refrigerant and a gas flame as a way to evaporate the ammonia. Unfortunately, they just don’t make much sense when we are trying to decarbonize our built environment, but there may be some applications where insufficient electrical supply for compressive devices could favour their use.

Water is used to chill air as it evaporates and can be used to directly cool indoor air in the right environment, but there are few places in humid Canada where they are a good idea. In dry air places where they do work, potable water is often in short supply — a situation that is not improving.

Geothermal solution Pumping cold deep lake water up from 30 feet deep or more directly into heat exchangers is being done commercially here and there. Toronto uses lake water for cooling

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downtown buildings, but the process for gaining approvals is long and complicated.

Residential applications are rare but can be an option with the right combination of building location and lake access. Also, using drilled-well ground water in some areas may be allowed, but geo-exchange using heat pumps and heat exchangers is much more common where people have sufficient real estate to be able to dump heat into the ground or water.

New ideals All of the technologies discussed above use significant energy for cooling, but there are some new and old ideas that can help cut deeply into the utility bill. The conservation route is always preferred to reduce cooling load and make it easier to cool with less intrusive equipment while reducing energy use. Many new ideas are coming at us from the commercial world, where every watt of energy used is scrutinized, but some ancient ideas are getting a close look as well. A building is a complete system. And looking only at the HVAC equipment is bound to result in sub-optimal energy reduction results.

Often overlooked as a cooling option, natural and mechanical ventilation when outdoor air temperatures drop, or indoor air temperatures rise can significantly reduce the need for mechanical cooling. Look at the details of some older buildings (cupolas, transoms, openable windows) to get ideas.

Ventilation devices are easily automated with modern controls. Simple and effective, shading to reduce solar gain will also cut back the need for energy intensive cooling and can also be easily automated.

Radiant cooling might sound like science fiction, but it is a real thing. New developments in coatings have been found to promote radiation of heat from a building roof to outer space, stay tuned on this one.

Decoupling humidity control is not the current practice of latent heat removal being used in dedicated outdoor air systems such as chilled beam cooling. Another “staytuned” idea — scientists are working with substances and techniques to dry out air prior to sensible cooling, thus avoiding the energy cost of latent heat removal.

Experiments with liquid and other desiccant materials are looking promising.

There is much to talk about in these times where cooling is becoming an urgent need for many. Developments are coming at us very quickly and it is going to take some effort to keep up with them. Who knows what is going on in secret labs all over the world? If you stay on top of the research and development being done today and learn as much as you can about hydronic cooling, it is clear to me you will be able to leap-frog over your competitors as the phones keep ringing. : Roy Collver is an author and consultant on hydronic heating based in Qualicum Beach, B.C. He can be reached at hoth2o@shaw.ca

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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n Air Conditioning Split-type thermal heat pump Fujitsu General introduces its new split-type thermal heat pump (STHP), an inverter-driven heat pump alternative to conventional PTAC units. The STHP is a combination of a Fujitsu midtier wall mount indoor unit and a condensing unit available in 9,000 and 12,000 btu/h capacities.

The systems provide heating and cooling, even with outdoor temperatures as low of -15C. It offers up to 21.3 SEER performance and features a sealed and insulated cabinet “sleeve.” Compatible with Fujitsu’s BACnet and Modbus gateways, it can be easily integrated into most building management systems. The indoor unit is equipped with external input and output ports, allowing the system to interlock with third party peripheral devices such as ERV, HRV, humidifier, and exhaust fan. The system can accommodate line set lengths between 6.5 ft. and 25 ft.

Fujitsu General www.fujitsugeneral.com

Award winning oil-free compressor Danfoss’s Turbocor VTCA400 compressor features an oil-free, variable-speed, magnetic bearing centrifugal compressor, which utilizes hybrid compression design that is optimized for use with low-GWP refrigerant R-1233zd. The patent-pending design uses a combination of mixed flow and radial impellers, enabling both high performance and a compact footprint.

The compressor’s oil-free, magnetic bearing compressor technology reduces the frequency of maintenance and incurs no performance degradation or mechanical wear over the life of the compressor.

Danfoss www.danfoss.com

Touch smart thermostat Emerson has introduced its Sensi Touch Smart Thermostat to the market. With easy installation and high compatibility with most HVAC systems, the Sensi Touch helps contractors provide faster setup for customers, saving them time in the field. The thermostat offers a simplified setup and use through its mobile app. Each thermostat offers customers information to help maintain HVAC equipment through smart alerts, service reminders and usage reports. Digital branding is available for contractors.

Emerson www.emerson.com

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Smart controls Ruud’s new Smart Econet enabled Ultra Series Variable Speed (UP20) offers a minimum of 20 SEER and 11.5 HSPF system performance across all capacities.

The EcoNet features individual louver panels that come out once the fastener is removed. The variable speed compressor features modulation technology which provides temperature controls, while the overdrive feature provides cooling loads of up to 107F and heating load down to 7F. It is equipped with an electronic expansion valve to control variable refrigerant flow. The integrated heat pump lift receptacle allows standard CPVC stands to be inserted into the base of the unit. A single-row condenser coil (up to four tons) allows the unit to be on the lighter side.

Ruud www.ruud.com

Safely join copper tubing Nibco Inc. launches its PressACR fittings, a joining method designed for use in copper tube systems for air conditioning and refrigeration applications. It is approved for use with a wide range of refrigerants and lubricants. PressACR fittings are UL recognized to 700 PSI and feature a grey hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber seal to help differentiate them from other Nibco press products. Straight and reducing couples, 45- and 90-degree elbows, caps, Y-joints, and tees are available in sizes 1/4-inch, 1/2-inch, 3/8-inch, 5/16-inch, 5/8-inch, 7/8-inch, and 1-1/8-inch.

Nibco www.nibco.com

Commercial dampers Ruskin’s new CD450 and CD450V control dampers are designed for commercial buildings with medium- to high-velocity HVAC systems. The extruded aluminum models use a four-inch-wide frame design with finger-style jamb seals for a light-tight sealing effect. The CD450 and CD450V, which have horizontal and vertical blade orientations, respectively, include airfoil blades with mechanically fastened blade seals. Acetyl copolymer blade end caps enhance sealing against finger-style jamb seals. A telescoping shaft provides up to an eight-inch extension to offset actuator mounting, while the coupler option allows two damper sections to be joined and operated by a single actuator on the outside of the frame.

Ruskin www.ruskin.com

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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The Royal League Feel the futur e Z A plus – intelligent high- tech fan system Consumes up to 30% less electricity, saving up to 1600 USD* per Z Aplus annually. Supplies significantly high higher air volume flow rates. Can be installed at three dif ferent heights - On Top, Semi flattop and flat providing cost-effective flexibility during installation and assembly. With the optional high-end diffusor, top, provi the efficiency can be increased again in low-pressure applications. w w w.ziehl-abegg.us

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Movement by Perfection

n HVAC

Improving indoor air quality begins by looking at the building as a unit in itself and finding ways to improve ventilation efficiencies.

By Glenn Mellors Indoor air quality experts should look at the building like a doctor looks at a patient. We are responsible for making sure its healthy.

I have to admit that I have never been a fan of the acronym I.A.Q. It stands for “Indoor Air Quality”, but to me, this should be a kind of measurement. We are in the business of indoor air improvement; we educate, sell, supply, and install indoor air improvement (IAI) products. To me, that takes the confusion out of what we do.

When consumers think about HVAC contracting businesses, they immediately relate us to furnaces, air conditioners, service, and installation. It is no surprise that they think that way Continued on page “21”

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April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW.

INNOVATIVE | DURABLE | EFFICIENT | VERSATILE FIREPLACES AND HVAC SOLUTIONS

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n HVAC

It’s time to start talking more about the “V” in HVAC.

provide as a product and service that will add to our average ticket price, be a wise choice for consumers, and be a step to IAI.

Lavatory exhaust fans are often overlooked when designing a home’s ventilation system.

Strong improvements

Continued from page “19”

— that’s what we all talk about, advertise, and sell. What happened to the “V” in HVAC? Ventilation!

My passion has always been in sales, training, and coaching sales professionals.

Therefore, I study as much as I can about the art of selling. One of my fellow trainers challenges companies to allow his trained

We need to start looking up more often when assessing a home while improving the HVAC system. We need to put the “V” back into the system. sales professionals to follow behind your salesperson. He claims that his professional will come out of the same home with an additional $3,500 in products, 65 per cent of the time. As a bit of a numbers guy by heart, I follow trends in closing rates, average ticket price, and missed opportunities. I

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have done this for well over twenty years.

Many companies feel that they are on top of the world by selling $4,000 furnaces or air conditioners with a 50 per cent closing rate.

If you want a stretch goal for your salespeople, strive for $10,000 plus the average ticket price and a closing rate of 65 per cent. How? Raise my prices? No! It starts by looking at the house as a system rather than just the basement. Residential or commercial, we need to be looking at the building as our patient, and we are the people that can make it healthy and comfortable.

This month, we will be focusing on looking at the home as a system and what we can

We need to start looking up more often when assessing a home while improving the HVAC system. We need to put the “V” back into the system.

So, what are you going to see when looking up? You may even hear it before you see it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it is ceiling exhaust fans!

Next time you are in a building, whether it be your home, your neighbour’s home, a friend’s, a restaurant, or a business washroom, turn on the exhaust fan. Does it run or rattle? Is it rusty or filthy?

Probably. Can consumers go out and buy a new fan? Yes. Will they? Not likely.

Personally, I have one sitting on the floor to install. Shameful as it is, it has been there for at least two years! Lavatory exhaust fans were introduced in 1946 as a mandatory ventilation requirement to remove the moisture-laden air and deposit it outside the building envelope.

The attic was considered outside the envelope.

Lavatory exhaust fans were often overlooked when designing a home’s ventilation system.

Their function is not only to eliminate odours but improve indoor air quality, and remove Continued on page “23”

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

21

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n HVAC Continued from page “21”

Low cost, high value

moisture that can lead to structural damage or mildew and mould growth. An improperly ventilated lavatory will allow the moisture from a shower to penetrate drywall, attic insulation, and structural joists. If a mirror is steamed after a shower, or there is a build-up of condensation on bathroom walls, it may be time to service or upgrade the bathroom fan.

Visible signs of bathroom exhaust upgrade would be mould in the ceiling corners, curling wallpaper, vanities delaminating, and strong lingering odours. To meet code, small CFM fans were used, in hopes that they did not create a negative pressure in homes with natural draft gas appliances.

Homes today have been modified with seal combustion appliances allowing for proper ventilation products to be used. CFM fans can be bumped to provide proper ventilation.

They work well with homes that have been retrofitted with short circuit HRV units.

There are several manufacturers that are producing bathroom fans specifically for retrofits. They are relatively easy to install (under two hours) and can dramatically improve the air within the home. Buildergrade bath fans cost under $50. I remember paying less than $20, but that dates me.

These bathroom fans for retrofits typically require very little alterations and often come with vent adapters to increase or decrease discharge outlets. Wiring is typically 120V and is as simple as changing a light fixture.

Speaking of lights, many fans have optional lighting or popular heat lamps for additional comfort when drying off after a shower or bath.

The grilles are far more cosmetically pleasing and come in a variety of finishes.

Lavatory ventilation is an easy upsell and a great way to fill out your install to utilize the day better while doing something good for the customer. With an install price ranging from

$700 to $4,000, it is a great way to increase your average ticket price without raising your prices!

Additionally, there are air purifiers available in a ceiling mount that look just like a lavatory fan too! Great for spot ventilation issues. So, next time you are invited into a home to present a retrofit upgrade, don’t forget to look up and offer up another solution for indoor air improvement. : Glenn Mellors was born into a plumbing family and started in the industry in 1973. He entered the HVAC side of the business in the 80s, working in wholesale, and then joined Lennox in 1992. In 2008 he joined the ClimateCare Cooperative Corporation, an Ontario contractor group, where he is director of training and implementation. Glenn can be reached at gmellors@climatecare.com.

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April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

23

n Fire Stopping

The global fire protection system market was valued at $72.72 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow an additional 6.7 per cent by 2030.

By Francesco Lo Presti Businesses are anticipating a year of growth in 2022. The world is starting to move on from the lockdown era of COVID-19. This past year was a relatively good year for the global fire protection system market as it was valued at $72.72 billion (USD) in 2021, according to the “Fire Protection System Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Product,

By Service, By Application, By Region; Segment Forecast, 2021— 2028” report.

The pandemic presented a number of problems worth noting, reports Andre Floriddia, a fire protection specialist at Westinghouse Electric Canada, Inc. “The supply chain was heavily affected and slowed down by the pandemic, which slowed down the process for new construction, retrofit and general repairs.”

She also adds that, “The pandemic has potentially affected the frequency of inspection, maintenance and testing procedures to businesses. These are required to ensure the func-

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Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

tionality of a fire protection system.”

Despite the pandemic, the report suggests that the fire stopping industry is expected to grow another 6.7 per cent from now until 2030.

According to David Succurro, chief executive officer at Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC), there has been several improvements made to products in the fire stopping market. “The industry has come a long way. In the past year, architects and engineers struggled with a balanced approach to complete fire protection, including detection, containment and fire suppression.

These are all very important but I believe that fire containment is most important of all, as we’re dealing with the human element.”

Currently, the focus has been on complete fire solutions in the fire stopping industry. Succurro adds, “Complete fire solutions seem to be the way of the future, and when we say complete, we

Johnson Controls offers monitoring capabilities via the cloud, supported operational downtime, reduced building damage, and prevents system failure.

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The Connected Life Safety Services (CLSS) from Honeywell is an all-in-one cloud platform for fire safety systems.

HoldRite’s HydroFlame Pro Sleeve is an engineered solution and features fire rated intumescent material, and smoke seal / W rated water seal. mean an engineering solution.” Engineering There are two categories related to fire solutions are something that all manufacturers stopping products — conventional products have been focusing on, with Sameer Agrawal, (such as fire stop sealant, packing materials, general manager of global fire software and coffee collars, fire stopping wrap strips, paddy services at Honeywell, adding, “Today’s global pads, and so on) and then there is engineered environment requires the fire and life safety products (this includes products such as fire industry to innovate with solutions that enable scuff devices). facility managers and system integrators to Like so many other aspects of the industry, monitor their systems and diagnose issues fire stopping systems have gone smart. They anytime, from anywhere.” now have the ability to collect data, which will indicate potential adverse system conditions Engineered solution such as freezing pipes, pressure imbalances or As the industry moves towards complete pipe leaks. engineered solutions, this allows for more effective fire containment. “Proper fire Looking forward containment limits the movement of smoke One innovation that the industry is seeing more and toxic gases, thereby containing the damage of is the use of cross laminated timber (CLT). to property and human life,” said Succurro.

CLT is a wood panel construction material that

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is manufactured through the gluing of layers of solid-sawn lumber together. It is a relatively light building material and it is “used in floors, walls, roofing and core construction. It offers great strength and design flexibility that allow longer spans to be created with fewer supports,” said Succurro. CLT has been around for some time but the adoption of the material has been slow, adds Succurro. He does acknowledge that the next iteration of the building code is expected to cover requirements for emerging technologies such as CLT. In addition, the industry may see an increase in the use of video analytics. As explained by Floriddia, “Video analytics are an alternative technology that detects smoke and flame at the early stages of fire development by analyzing livestream video through a software based detection system.”

She adds that the use of this technology may become more available to the general public in the future.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been a driving force behind recent innovations in the fire stopping industry. “Looking ahead to the future, there could be a push for fire stop products to be produced without VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). These products can be made with more environmentally friendly materials which also won’t contain health risks upon short-term exposure,” said Floriddia.

Continued on page “27”

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

25

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Eliminating human error

each are categorized as a separate occupancy classification which drives different requirements across the building code.

Contractors are required to follow the building code requirements for fire stopping.

Yet, there isn’t just one solution that will result in a safe building that meets the building code requirements. “You may go to 10 different buildings in Toronto, and every hole is fire stop different, and it’s left to the individual’s decision to do something,” said Succurro. :

HoldRite’s Hydroplane Pro Throw is an engineered solution and features fire rate intumescent material.

A common mistake made by contractors is to leave the tin can in a conventional firestop method. This is only allowed if the tin can is a part of the UL list system, explains Succurro.

He adds that “One example is someone using caulking that’s not UL approved and some might not know any better because caulking is caulking, right? So all they are doing is sealing up the hole, but you can’t use window caulking or exterior caulking because it is not fire rated.”

Understanding fire rating When it comes to fire rating, this means the time in hours or fraction of time material will withstand flame and the transmission of heat. This is determined using specified conditions of tests and performance criteria.

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Tried, true and tested engineering solutions are critical in the fire prevention and fire stopping industry as it helps maintain a level of consistency and safety. Succurro highlights that several people are using makeshift methods, which aren’t entirely correct or ideal in the industry. “When we mention makeshift methods, we refer to people using a tin can to cast in place so they can pour the concrete that leaves the hole and then they just stuff it with rock solid, a fireproof insulation, and then they caulk and grout and it’s all legit but it leaves room for human error.”

There are two types of fire stopping ratings.

F-rating is the duration of time the system remains in the opening during the fire test. The FT-rating refers to a measure of thermal conductivity of fire stopping system.

“Everything about fire rating is not about stopping it completely. It’s about slowing it down and giving people an opportunity to get out,” explains Succurro.

Floriddia also adds that when working in the residential and commercial sectors,

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27

n Refrigeration

Slow at reaching mass adoption, heat pump water heaters can save homeowners on energy consumption by 60 per cent.

By Greg Scrivener In the last issue, we discussed some of the fundamentals of heat pumps and how they are being applied in many applications, like clothes dryers, to increase the efficiency of heating systems and decarbonize our energy use. One of the obvious areas where heat pump technology can be applied is in hot water heating. For residential applications, hot water heat pumps have been available for quite a while (see Bruce Nagy’s article in Plumbing & HVAC magazine from January/February 2019). The uptake for heat pump water heaters has not happened quickly even though they can save approximately 60 per cent in energy consumption compared to standard electric water heaters. There are two reasons for this. First, the lower price of conventional equipment and the availability of inexpensive natural gas, are both really just about cost. Compared to a typical electric or natural gas water heater, heat pump water

heaters cost two to three times as much depending on specifics. They can, however, be less expensive to install because they don’t require the same size electrical service that comparable capacity electric water heaters do and there is no gas line or venting required. The second reason relates to the fact that context is needed to know whether the energy efficiency can be realized, which is discussed below.

Figure 1 shows a diagrammat ic representation of how a heat pump water heater works. Heat is absorbed from the air in the mechanical room or wherever the water heater is located, and a refrigeration system moves that energy into the water at a higher temperature. If you are wondering – wouldn’t this air condition my mechanical room? You are right, it would.

The average Canadian household uses 75L of hot water per day. This means that for a four-person household, the water heater will need to move about 56 megajoules (53 MBH) of energy per day, not counting parasitic heat loss.

Real-life application Recall the following from the first article in this series:

For this example, this means:

Figure 1: Diagrammatic representation of a heat pump water heater.

If we assume some typical operating conditions for an R404A heat pump water heater, this means that about 75 per cent of the energy we put into our water is going to come out of the mechanical room air and 25

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per cent is going to come from the electricity we put in the compressor.

On a typical day, this water heater would then, on average, take 1,650 BTU/hr from the mechanical room and put it into the water. In the summer, this would help decrease the air conditioning load, but in the winter the house would require more heat to make up for what the water heater took. Whether this is a problem or not depends on your circumstance and in short it depends on whether the heat you take is affecting the rest of the house. In many houses, this amounts to a very small portion of the overall heat and is borderline inconsequential as the mechanical room just balances out to be a little colder (although still deflates the energy

The most important parameter that changes are that there is an increasing opportunity to recover heat from different places. claims a bit). If you have a hot mechanical room because of a hydronic heating system, several deep freezers, or your personal grow-op, for example, the heat pump water heater is a probably nice addition since it will help keep the room cooler. The energy efficiency gain ends up being really good since that extra heat isn’t making its way to your house.

Passive house inspiration If you are designing energy-efficient housing, and your primary source of heat is electric, there can be a significant disadvantage to these types of water heaters in the winter. For example, a modern “passive-house inspired” 1,800 sq. ft. home in -35C weather only requires about 10,000 BTU/hour of heat. If this heat is coming from an electric resistance heater, then the payback of using a heat pump water heater can be quite poor. In other words,

This commercial carbon dioxide heat pump was installed over 10 years ago to provide heat to the building.

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Continued on page “31”

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

29

n Refrigeration preheat water for the water heater feed water.

More useful, however, would be to take the energy out of the sewage with a heat pump.

The challenges associated with air source heat pumps (e.g., cooling the mechanical room, operating in outdoor ambient temperatures, etc.) are eliminated if we have a relatively consistent year-round heat source.

And it is even better if that heat source coincides with a demand for heat, which would be the case with using a heat pump to extract heat from the sanitary drain flow to heat hot water. Figure 3 shows a rudimentary schematic of how this would work.

Continued from page “29”

it may not make sense anymore to spend two to three times on the water heater since you are only getting a benefit in the summer and extra cooling that is “stuck” in the mechanical room is not a good HVAC design.

In order to get around some of these challenges, there have been attempts to build heat pump water heaters with the heat pump located elsewhere. The unit looks very similar to a split air conditioner with the refrigeration heat pump outside and only a water storage tank inside. An added benefit of this design is that it gets the compressor and fan noise outside. Figure 2 shows how a remote evaporator heat pump water heater is set up.

Figure 2: Heat pump water heater with a remote heat pump.

These types of remote systems have typically used carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, and they are uncommon and may even be unavailable or hard to find. These systems have been marketed primarily to passive house-type builders/owners; while they solve one set of challenges, they come with a much higher installation cost because of more expensive equipment, field installation of additional electrical and water piping, and heat trace or freeze protection of the waterline. These types of systems also have some challenges operating in very cold weather and surprisingly (or perhaps not if you work with carbon dioxide much) very hot weather as well.

More options Once you move out of residential systems, the options for hot water heating equipment and the types of applications in which heat pumps

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With heat pump water heaters, heat is absorbed from the air in the mechanical room or wherever the water heater is located, and a refrigeration system moves that energy into the water at a higher temperature. can be used increases substantially. The most important parameter that changes is that there is an increasing opportunity to recover heat from different places.

Consider the hot water heating we discussed above where the average person uses 75L of hot water per day. In residential typesetting (e.g., apartments, hotels, dorms, etc.), the majority of this hot water goes down the drain and is not really “used” so to speak. For a building with 300 people in it, this amounts to putting an average of 125 MBH down the drain constantly. Obviously, the drain water is not “hot” since it is mixed with cold water, so this example is a bit simplistic, but regardless the 75L/day/person of water that is going down the sewer is definitely not “cold.” Capturing this heat directly is difficult but there are, for example, greywater heat exchangers that use the greywater through a heat exchanger to

Figure 3: Basic example of how a sewage heat recovery heat pump could work.

Of course, this example oversimplifies the situation. Sewage requires a combination of separation, filtration, and cleaning in order to protect heat exchangers from plugging.

Nonetheless, there are several installations like this in Canada and likely more on the way. In the next issue, we will discuss more commercial heat pump applications and technologies, including some new equipment that can reach higher temperatures than we have seen from factory equipment in past. : Greg Scrivener is the lead refrigeration engineer and a partner at Laporte Consultants, Calgary, and works throughout Canada and the U.S. He is a professional engineer and journeyperson refrigeration mechanic. He can be reached at GScrivener@laporteconsultants.com.

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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n Industry Champions Even in his semiretirement, Moore still wants to give back to the trades and continues to train technicians at HiMark.

After 47 years of working in the trades, Bill Moore has turned to training the next generation of technicians.

By Leah Den Hartogh Life just doesn’t always follow the set plan.

With no intentions of following in his father’s footsteps, Bill Moore expected to find himself working as an electrician in his career. But it just worked out that there was an opening for a refrigeration apprentice, so he signed on.

The rest is history. This was back in the 1970s.

Since then, he has found himself working in several aspects of the trades, including on the tools, as a supervisor, service manager, and

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Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

now as a semi-retired journeyperson, he has put on his trainers hat.

“It’s been fun. There have been plenty of opportunities in this trade for me,” explains Moore. “I just thoroughly enjoyed it, working on the tools, working with my hands, to being a supervisor, to actually designing projects and managing them. It’s been a pretty awesome opportunity for me in our industry.”

Although Moore took on plenty of different roles in his career, he states that his favourite has to be projects. “I like going and being a problem solver for people. I wore a service hat and that was fun, but my favourite was getting projects and implementing a solution for a customer. Seeing a project from start to finish and seeing the success of it. Another part of it that I loved was just encouraging young guys to get into the trades and watching them grow and learn.”

He took on many different apprentices over his career, with more of them sticking to the trades than not. “I took guys on from high school, we did co-op programs through

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schools,” explains Moore. His son, Nathan Moore, was even one of the apprentices he took on and the individual to nominate Bill Moore for our Industry Champions series.

Of the apprentices that Moore has worked with over the years, there are countless technicians still in the trade that will reach out to Moore for advice on a job.

Now that Moore is semi-retired, he still wants to give back to the trades and as such operates a consulting business where he works with technicians and also trains through HiMark at their Rexdale and Barrie locations.

HiMark offers gasfitter, refrigeration and air conditioning, HVAC, safety, pre-exam courses. According to Moore, they are best known for their gas training courses as it is TSSA-approved. He admits that he could go fully-retired, but he has such a continued passion for teaching.

“It’s a great opportunity to inject into the trade some of the things that I’ve learned over

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the last 47 years,” explains Moore. “It’s nice to be able to inject some of those opportunities to be able to just teach them how to do certain things of the trade that are unique or maybe just they didn’t pick up basic.” Currently Moore teaches the 313D certification course

Even after you are licensed and certified by the government, that’s just when the learning starts. for residential air conditioning mechanic and the pre-exam course for also 313A certification for refrigeration and air conditioning systems mechanic.

When asked what pieces of advice he gives to those entering the trades, he stressed the

importance that continual training will have on their career.

“There’s a lot of learning opportunities outside of the day-to-day routines — talk to suppliers and keep taking courses whenever you can,” said Moore. “Even after you are licensed and certified by the government, that’s just when the learning starts. I had an uncle that told me once when I was just starting the trade, he said, “That drinking fountain outside the manager’s office is just as important to him as the chiller that runs the plant. We got to fix both. You got to be able to be diversified to be able to do as much as you can for your customers.” The more licenses and more training are very, very important.”

Moore takes pride in every teaching moment he has with his students and doesn’t believe in mediocracy. If a technician doesn’t know an answer to a problem, this just present itself as another learning opportunity to grow, explains Moore. :

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

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n People & Places

The

People Caleffi, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, announces the promotion of six employees. Mike Schreiner has been named chief technology officer after joining the company in 2002. He is the latest member appointed to the board of directors.

Mike Mary Olson has been promoted to Schreiner director of marketing. She most recently served as manager of digital communica- Mary tions and joined the Caleffi team back in Olson 2007.

Jesus Saavedra has been named warehouse manager. His management development includes operational training at Caleffi facilities in England and Italy.

Dan Phelps has been named senior Jesus manager of planning and customer serSaavedra vice. He joined the Caleffi team in 2015 as warehouse manager and head of inventory planning and purchasing.

After joining the Caleffi team seven years ago, Cody Mack has been pro- Dan moted to product manager. He recently Phelps served as training and education manager and will be joined by a new plumbing manager currently being reCody cruited.

Mack Max Rohr has been named manager of education and industry engagement.

He joined Caleffi in 2020 and served as training and education manager. In this newly created position, Rohr Max will take on the lead for Caleffi’s engagement with trade Rohr associations, committees, industry initiatives and collaborative manufacturer partners.

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) announces that Brendan Nobes will be the new chair of the board of directors for 2022 to 2023. Nobes is the director of major project for rcs construction, a general contracting firm in Atlantic Canada. He is a 35-year veteran of the construction industry, having worked as a site superintendent, senior estimator, senior project manager, and project manager representing the owner. Nobes is CCA’s representative to the Canadian Construction Brendan Documents Committee. He is also the past chair Nobes of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia.

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Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

Equipco has promoted Jared Bonnett to managing partner. Previously, he was an associate partner and joined the Equipco team back in 2012.

Groupe Stelpro announces the appointment of Patrick Charest as vice president, sales, and business development.

Jared Charest will provide leadership in the Bonnett planning and execution of sales and customer service strategies across all distribution channels and territories. He has over 25 years of experience in the manufacturing industry in sales, marketing, and general management, mainly Patrick at Permacon. He will take up his new duties on Charest March 28.

Carlo Gavazzi has appointed Dany Lavoie to their Canadian sales team.

Lavoie has 20-plus years of experience in the electrical industry and will be responsible for the new area sales manager for the greater Montreal region. Brett Dany Brett Horst will be the new sales manager for Lavoie Horst the southwestern Ontario region. Horst has more than five years of experience in the electrical industry, having worked with a variety of industrial and OEM customers.

Watts welcomes Steve Hocurscak as the senior product manager, regulators, and automatic control valves (ACVs). He will be responsible for Watts regulatory and ACV product management, as well as for developing and executing new strategies focused on business growth. Hocurscak brings with him experience in product management for large product portfolios across several indus- Steve Hocurscak trial verticals.

At its 77th annual general meeting, MCA Saskatchewan announced its 2022 – 2023 board of directors. Ken Swann, Interwest Mechanical Ltd., Saskatoon, is now the new president, and Joanne Ken Harpauer-Dignean, Welldone Mechanical Swann Services Inc., Saskatoon, is the first vice president.

The

Companies Kohler kitchen and bath products will now be available at Wolseley Canada outlets across the country. Orders for products from the

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Kohler Canada lineup are now being taken across Wolseley Canada’s 220 stores. Products will be available in branches and showrooms, nationwide, and through online through its eBusiness platform, Wolseley Express.

Saniflo Canada has announced a partnership with Plumbers Without Borders (PWB) as a mission supporter sponsor. Saniflo says that its ultimate goal is to support the group’s mission to connect volunteer plumbers and industry resources with organizations working to increase access to safe water and sanitation worldwide.

Daikin unitary, ductless, and light commercial products in North America is unifying its core Daikin, Goodman, and Amana HVAC brands under a new top level corporate name and structure — Daikin Comfort Technologies. The name change and new organizational structure becomes effective on April 1.

Ideal Warehouse Innovations introduces a new product lineup that now features AtomikAir. Able to process one million cubic ft. of air per hour, the AtomikAir is built for warehouses.

The system has a MERV 13 air filter rating and washable/reusable filters. The new family of products also features air purification

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solutions, including the Jade 2.0 and the wall-mounted Onyx systems. The lineup also includes a pair of stand-alone ultraviolet systems. The VK-250 and VK-1500 air purification systems cover a range of room volumes and are ideal for offices, retail, and public washrooms.

Jim Garrett and Simon F e d d e m a have teamed up to establish a new company, Boardroom C o n s u l t a n t s . C ombined, they have nearly 80 years of experience in leadership roles — Feddema previously was Grundfos Canada’s Jim Simon Feddema president and Garrett was Taco Garrett C o m f o r t S o l u t i o n ’ s genera l manager. Through their new company, they will help build strategic plans and annual budgets with tactics to support the execution of the plan, and then follow-up to ensure a successful outcome. Boardroom Consultants will target small to medium sized companies striving to build their business in a sustained and consistent manner.

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

35

n Shop Management

What levels of cybersecurity does your business have in place?

By Ron Coleman

36

Many of us have a love/hate relationship with technology. The phone isn’t simply a telephone anymore. It is a powerful communication tool, in both our personal and business worlds.

We know that technology is getting more powerful and that we need to stay on top of it for us to run our businesses effectively.

The federal government also recognizes how important digital technology is for small and medium size businesses and has introduced the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP). It is set to provide $4 billion over four years with $1.4 billion in grants and $2.6 billion in loans from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The funding will help small and medium sized enterprises leverage ecommerce opportunities, upgrade or adopt digital technologies, and digitize their operations.

Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

Digital footprint Grow Your Business Online funding provides micro grants of up to $2,400 and youth e-commerce advisors’ support to help small businesses implement digital storefronts and e-commerce capabilities. The Boost Your Business Technology funding provides grants covering 90 per cent of costs up to $15,000 to access advisory services to develop a digital adoption plan, access to zero per cent interest loans from the BDC, as well as opportunities for student placements. To determine eligibility, there are a few basic questions which need to be answered. For either program you must have at least one employee, to be eligible for the Boost Your Business Technology, you must have revenues of at least $500,000 in one of the previous three years and must complete a digital needs assessment. The applicant must be an owner or director of the business.

CDAP makes this a great time to set up or fine tune your social media programs and deal

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reality (VR) is completely virtual. AR users can control their presence in the real world; VR users are controlled by the system. VR requires a headset device, but AR can be accessed with a smartphone. According to Procore, there are five main areas that are set to impact construction businesses over the coming years.

The first is safety training. Augmented reality simulates tools, equipment, and other safety scenarios to give trainees a safe learning environment where nobody gets hurt. Thus, they can safely learn from their mistakes. The programs are richly detailed so that the new skills carry over to the real world. The cost is significantly lower than the current methods.

We would encourage you to get a head of the curve by exploring these areas now.

Be proactive. with other key technology issues. The process requires expertise and ongoing maintenance.

The objective of this two-part article is to provide you with a sound foundation of what you need to do, what social media programs are available, what their key strengths and weaknesses are, and what other areas you need to explore.

Locking the back door Before delving into social media, let’s look at some other areas that the CDAP financing can help with. Cybersecurity has become a major issue. We need to protect our critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks.

Just imagine the horror of not being able to access your computers. Your business would come to a halt and might never recover. My first recommendation is that you use some of the funding to beef up your cybersecruity.

A huge growth opportunity for businesses in its infancy is augmented reality (AR).

This uses a real-world setting while virtual

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Next is real-time project information.

Thanks to AR, field workers can walk a job site at any time and see how the finished project will look. The technology helps an empty shell of a building floor come to life with the location, style and size of windows and doors, pipes, and HVAC systems. Using an AR headset, the worker sees these details as if they were right in front of them. They can compare what they see to the building plan to ensure everything is in order. This can significantly cut time spent correcting minor mistakes like wrong outlet covers as well as major errors, such as incorrect positioning of a door or window.

Thirdly is team collaboration. Augmented Reality allows remote workers to inspect the job site as if they were there in person.

It enables real-time collaboration to solve problems and fix errors without having to wait for a particular contractor or decisionmaker to be physically present. AR also allows

workers to take photos or videos of issues, which can be viewed and commented on by remote teams.

Virtual walkthroughs New technology will allow for more easily streamlined project planning. AR lets owners, engineers, and other lead people take virtual walkthroughs of buildings in progress or see how changes will be incorporated in the design without throwing the job off track.

Being able to visualize changes’ effect on a project in real-time can help find mistakes early and guarantee every project principal is on the same page.

Lastly is modifying projects. Using an AR headset with a digital overlay of a project, engineers can easily change the layout of walls or other essential structural components and systems. AR gives them a view of how those systems work together. It can also show incompatibilities or instances when a fix will create a problem down the line. Accepted changes update in real-time, so the risk of workers following outdated plans are greatly reduced. Using AR here can avoid budget-killing oversights, lowering the chance for major rework once the project is underway.

We would encourage you to get a head of the curve by exploring these areas now. Be proactive. Check out Microsoft HoloLens to see how this is impacting our industry.

These are two major areas that you could review to see where you might want to use the CDAP support in your business. In Part 2 of this article, we will focus on social media. Social media is critical to your success as studies have shown that 74 per cent of consumers rely on social media when making purchasing decisions. : Ronald Coleman is a Vancouver-based accountant, management consultant, author and educator specializing in the construction industry.

He can be reached by e-mail at ronald@ronaldcoleman.ca.

April 2022 – Plumbing & HVAC

37

n Coming Events

ASHRAE conferences taking over Toronto The American S o ciety of Heating, Ref rigerating and Air-C onditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) celebrates its Toronto Chapter’s 100 year anniversary by holding its annual conference and ventilation conference at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto this June.

From June 22 to 24, the Ventilation 2022 Conference will be held at the Sheraton followed by ASHRAE’s Annual Conference from June 25 to 29.

Ventilation 2022 Established in 1985, the “Industrial Ventilation Conference” is a chance for international engineers, practitioners, researchers, scientists, and regulatory personnel working in the specialized industrial ventilation field to share recent advancements from a global perspective.

The conference is held every three years, allowing time to develop new research and technology applications and document findings.

The theme for this year’s conference is leading edge industrial ventilation technologies for a low-carbon environment, and the conference will cover various issues through educational programs and seminars.

Some of the topics that will be discussed during the conference include occupational health, innovations in ventilation system, and thermal hydraulic modeling.

During the educational programs, participants can expect to see 24 technical sessions (including 12 hybrid sessions), eight workshops (including three fully virtual sessions), three keynote presentations, a half-day post-conference HVAC 101 course, networking reception and sponsor information tables, and post-show recordings of all presentations.

For more information on the ventilation conference, please visit https://www.ashrae. org/conferences/topical-conferences/ ventilation-2022.

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Plumbing & HVAC – April 2022

Annual Conference 2022 This year marks a big year for the 2022 ASHRAE Annual Conference, as it’s the Toronto Chapter’s 100 anniversary. This year’s conference will be a hybrid experience, with both in-person and virtual options available for attendees.

Running for five days, the annual conference has released its schedule at a glance. It features professional development seminars, meeting of the members, keynote speakers, welcome parties, and so much more.

On June 25, the day will include committee meetings, ALI professional development seminars, meeting of the members, plenary session with keynote speaker, and a welcome party at the CN Tower. For the second day of the conference, it will feature technical sessions, committee meetings, board of directors meeting, sponsor tech talks, ALI short courses, and a young engineers in ASHRAE hospitality reception.

On June 27, the day will feature technical sessions, committee meetings, a president’s,

sponsor tech talks, ALI short courses, women in ASHRAE happy hour, and region dinners.

The fourth day will feature ALI short courses, technical sessions, committee meetings, life members’ lunch, sponsor tech talks, and a members’ night out.

The final day features a relatively light schedule, with technical sessions, committee meetings, and a board of directors meeting.

For anyone in town early, a celebration will be held on June 24, at 6:00 pm, honouring ASHRAE Toronto Chapter’s 100 anniversary.

The celebration will be held at the Hart House in Toronto, and tickets cost $80.

For more information about the annual conference, visit https://www.ashrae.org/ conferences/2022-annual-conference-toronto.

Calendar April 26, 2022: OGA Annual Conference 2022, Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale, Mississauga, Ontario. For more information, please visit www. ontariogeothermal.ca/ogaconference-2022.

May 4 – 5, 2022:

INDEX to ADVERTISERS Bradford White .................................... 8

MEET 2022, Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, New Brunswick. For more information, please visit www.meetshow.ca.

Canarm ............................................. 33 CB Supplies .......................................... 2

May 29 – 31, 2022:

Flocor ................................................ 26

2022 National Apprenticeship Conference, Halifax Convention Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia. For more information, please visit http://www.caf-fca.org/nationalapprenticeship-conference.

Giant ................................................. 35 Honeywell .......................................... 48 Mitsubishi .......................................... 14 Napoleon ........................................... 20 Plumbing & HVAC magazine ........ 10, 30 RWC .................................................. 39

June 2 – 3, 2022:

Training Trades ................................... 22

Supporting Women in Trades Conference, St. John’s Conference Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador. For more information, please visit www.caf-fca. org/2022-swit-conference.

Watco ................................................ 27 Wolseley ............................................ 16 Woodford ............................................ 4 Ziehl -Abbegg .................................... 18

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