We’ve published the results of a study that tested cold-climate air-source heat pumps under real-world conditions in Yellowknife.
Heat pumps are becoming an increasingly common way to heat homes and other buildings, but there is little data on how they work in the Northwest Territories’ unique climate. We’ve also had a lot of people ask us how well they perform here.
So we decided to launch a two-year monitoring project to see how well they operate in Yellowknife’s climate and how much they cost to operate. That way, people can make informed decisions and have realistic expectations about using heat-pump technology in the North.
So how well do heat pumps work in Yellowknife?
The study found that heat pumps designed for cold climates can operate even in Yellowknife’s cold winters.
However, given the current costs of electricity, heating oil, propane and wood pellets in the NWT, heat pumps are at their most cost effective here when temperatures are relatively mild. As temperatures drop, other energy sources become cheaper. The exact crossover point depends on the type of fuel and specific heating system a person uses.
On the other hand, the study shows that heat pumps used in Yellowknife can save a significant amount of greenhouse-gas emissions a year compared to heating with oil or propane. That’s partly because Yellowknife gets most of its power from hydroelectricity, which doesn’t generate emissions.
Even accounting for the emissions from NTPC’s Jackfish power plant, which burns diesel to produce electricity, the greenhouse gases related to using a heat pump would be a fraction of those produced by heating with fossil fuels.
What was involved in the heat pump study?
We worked with Housing NWT to set up heat pumps in two units of a residential building on Sissons Court. A third unit in the building acted as a control, with no heat pump, to compare the test units with one only using the building’s central boiler system.
The heat pumps were mini-split systems, meaning they use individual head units attached to indoor walls to distribute heat. Mini-split systems are relatively easy to install and work well for spaces without a forced-air furnace.
A study on central-split heat pumps is also in the works. This type of system connects to a furnace to distribute heat throughout an entire home.
We hired a company called RDH Building Science Inc. to conduct monitoring on the units and provide technical analysis. The AEA then published a more simplified version of the results from RDH’s report.
The study was supported by Housing NWT, and the Government of the Northwest Territories departments of Environment and Climate Change, and Infrastructure.