Utility Brown Bag Series

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Utility Brown Bag Series

• PTCS Commissioning

Speakers Adam Hadley, BPA
Rosalie Nourse, BPA Kathy Moore,
Umatilla Electric Cooperative Ottie
Nabors, BPA Facilitated by Rosalie Nourse, BPA
Updated following May 17, 2006 Conference Call
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Heat Pump Changes The 3 Causes

• BPAs programs move from building conservation
  infrastructure to acquiring cost-effective
  energy savings.
• Region commissions Ecotope to study savings for
  heat pumps. Results show
• Refrigerant charge is less important than
  originally assumed
• Airflow is very important
• Control of resistance elements is very important
• 3. Climate Crafters closes their doors.

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Change Summary

• All heat pumps are now assumed to be upgrades.
  (No conversions)
• Duct sealing required where ducts substantially
  outside heated space. (1)
• Commissioning is required on all heat pumps. (1)
• Commissioning specifications change
  significantly. (2)
• BPA hires Ecos to act as third party Performance
  Tested Comfort Systems (PTCS) service provider
  for duct and heat pump certifications. (3)

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PTCS Heat Pump Commissioning

• Controls
• Strip heat off at outdoor temperatures above
  35F.
• Airflow
• TrueFlow plate tested airflow gt 350 CFM/ton
• Refrigerant Charge
• Weigh-in method OR
• Superheat/subcool method
• CheckMe!, or ACRx Handtool.

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Testing Equipment

• Equipment available from www.energyconservatory.co
  m
• PTCS technicians receive a 7.5 percent discount
• PTCS Heat Pump Technicians (1,425)
• TrueFlow Plate (690)
• Pressure Gauge (735)
• PTCS Duct Technicians (3,335)
• Duct Blaster (1,000)
• Blower Door (1,600)
• Pressure Gauge (735)
• Note Prices shown are approximate. Contact
  Energy Conservatory for actual pricing.

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PTCS Duct Sealing

• Specifications have not changed.
• . . . houses with a substantial amount of
  ductwork in unconditioned space shall have duct
  system certified . . ..
• Substantial 75 percent or more outside heated
  space.
• Please dont use a tape measure! 75 percent is a
  guideline. Use best judgment here.

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Utility Role

• Verify systems meet specifications.
• Make a determination of duct location.
• Maintain the following documentation
• ARI efficiency ratings
• System sizing
• Manual J calculations
• Balance point worksheet
• PTCS Commissioned Heat Pump Certification
• PTCS Duct System Certification (where required)

Note This is a summary of the installation
specifications.
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ARI Ratings www.aridirectory.org
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Balance Point Worksheet
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Utility Role, continued

• BPA does NOT expect utilities to directly inspect
  or test for
• Airflow
• Refrigerant Charge
• Controls
• Duct Leakage
• The tests above are performed by certified
  technicians.
• Quality is assured by the PTCS service provider.

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PTCS Topics

• PTCS Training
• Reporting and Recording PTCS Measures
• Quality Assurance (QA)

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PTCS Training

• Training coordinated between utility Ecos, with
  BPA Energy Efficiency Representatives (EERs) as
  intermediaries.
• Utilities provide and coordinate training sites,
  provide logistical support and market training
  opportunity to local technicians, and perform
  class registration.
• Support costs can be claimed under the
  Conservation Rate Credit or Conservation
  Acquisition Agreement administrative allowance.
• Ecos provides duct sealing and heat pump
  commissioning training.
• Ecos has a list of current technicians that may
  be shared with utilities to help market PTCS.
• Class size Maximum of 10 students each for the
  heat pump commissioning and duct sealing.
  Minimum of six students per class.

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PTCS Training, continued

• Who should attend?
• Heat pump technicians who have not taken the new
  heat pump commissioning training.
• Duct technicians who want to certify new
  retrofit PTCS duct systems.
• Exceptions
• Anyone who had the 3-day duct sealing training
  offered by the Oregon Department of Energy or
  Climate Crafters can be certified without
  additional training. They will be contacted by
  Ecos to determine interest in participating in
  PTCS training.
• Anyone who had 2-day duct sealing training
  offered by ENERGY STAR can be certified for new
  homes without additional training. They will
  need to take the 3-day training to perform
  retrofit work.

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Training Overview

• Kathy Moore, Umatilla Electric Cooperative
• Other utilities

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Reporting and Recording PTCS Measures

• Technicians fill out a 2-part form.
• Certification document
• Field form Utility enters measure information
  into Regional Technical Forum Planning, Tracking,
  and Reporting (PTR) system (certification part
  only).
• Assurance of compliance Ecos vets field form to
  assure compliance with standards.

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Quality Assurance

• Results used to improve duct sealing and heat
  pump commissioning.
• Site visits coordinated through utility.
• Results shared with utility and certified
  technicians.
• 10 percent of certified sites subject to QA
  visits.
• Non-compliant sites flagged for follow up by
  technician for corrective action.