📖Phrasebook
Aerosealing — Aeroseal is a patented technology that seals duct leaks from the inside out. The process causes polymer particles to stick first to the edges of a leak, and then to each other until the leak is completely sealed. Holes up to the size of a nickel can be sealed by Aeroseal.
Air Source Heat Pump — A heat pump that obtains heat from the air. Cold climate air source heat pumps can gather heat even when the air is very cold.
Blower door test: A blower door test is a simple way to see how drafty your home is. A technician fits a big fan into your front door and gently pulls air out of the house, which makes it easier to find where outside air is sneaking in—like around windows, doors, or attic hatches.
BTUs (British Thermal Units) — Like calories or kilowatt-hours, BTUs are a scientific way to measure energy. Heat pumps are often rated in BTUs. The higher the number, the more powerful the heat pump.
Commissioning — This is fine-tuning and maintenance that a heat pump installer can do on your heat pump after it's installed. The tuning can increase its efficiency, which may lower your utility bills.
Ground Source Heat Pump — A heat pump that uses underground pipes to draw and disperse heat, like a geothermal project. Given the amount of expensive drilling required to install this system, it is not practical for most Toronto homes.
Heat Load — The amount of energy it takes to heat your home. The size of your home matters (bigger homes have higher heat loads), as does how well sealed your home is (leaky homes lose lots of heat). If there’s one thing you take away from this Guidebook, it's the importance of getting a heat load calculation done by your contractor or Retrofit Advisor before anyone recommends a heat pump for your home.
Mini-Split — A heat pump that doesn’t use ducts. Instead, it has multiple heads that can be controlled independently.
Tons — Heat pumps are usually sized by the “ton”—this doesn’t refer to the weight of the outdoor unit! This refers to how much cooling it has compared to a ton of ice per day.
SEER — When you get your quote, you might see something like “24,000 BTU, 21 SEER Ductless Unit.” That’s a lot of abbreviations! Let’s unpack those:
SEER stands for the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, and it’s like the fuel efficiency of a car. A higher SEER rating indicates a more efficient unit that uses less energy and results in lower utility bills (though they cost more upfront). Shoot for a SEER rating above 20. Working with your contractor or Retrofit Advisor is the best way to find the right balance of upfront vs. ongoing costs for you.
BTUs = British Thermal Units, which we defined above. There are 12,000 BTUs per ton, so 24,000 BTUs would be a 2-ton heat pump.