Do I need a heat loss calculation?
A heat loss calculation will show you how much energy your home uses for heating, allowing you to accurately size your heat pump, furnace and boiler, or air conditioner.
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Heat loss calculations can be done on both new and existing homes. Homestep offers both block load and room-by-room calculations.
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New $10,000 dual-fuel rebate from FortisBC requires a heat loss calculation to be eligible.
Improve homeowner comfort
Heat loss calculations are the first step to sizing new equipment. For retrofits involving a heat pump it is more important than ever to calculate the actual heat loss instead of rule of thumb measurements.
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For a properly sized system you can expect:
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Improved efficiency
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Lower electricity bills
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Better control of temperature and humidity​
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Increased equipment lifespan
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A certified heat loss calculation will lead to better duct design and equipment sizing, helping you to reduce customer complaints and professional liability.
Access rebates
A certified heat-load calculation is required for many heat pump rebate programs, including:
Types of heat loss calculations
There are 2 basic categories of heat loss calculation: block load and room-by-room analysis.
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A block load measures the overall heat loss/gain of the home, allowing you to size the equipment for the whole home. This service is required by the BC Building Code in new homes.
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A room-by-room analysis measures the heat loss of each room, or zone, individually. This helps to design a system without cold or hot spots. A block load result is automatically included in this service.​​
What is the F280 standard?
The F280-12 Standard is an official calculation method provided by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
The BC Building Code requires F280 calculations to size equipment in new homes, and a growing number of municipalities are enforcing this rule. F280-certified documents are also used to determine eligibility for rebate programs, including for FortisBC, BC Hydro and CleanBC.
HomeStep uses F280 verified software for all our heat loss and heat gain calculations.
Reduce your liability
As F280 calculations are required by the BC Building Code to size equipment in new homes, a customer complaint could become a lawsuit if your documentation is inadequate.
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Make sure your project has an F280-verified heat loss calculation to reduce the risks for both you and your customers.
Definitions
Heat loss measures the energy you're losing from your home through the envelope (walls, windows, floors, and ceilings).
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Heat gain measures the heat that comes into your home through the envelope, as well as the heat from the sun and the heat generated by appliances and occupants.
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Heat load is the size of the heating system that will keep your home warm on a cold winter day.
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Cooling load is the size of the cooling system that will keep your home comfortable on a hot summer day.
Block load is a simple calculation that measures whole home's heating and cooling loads.
Room-by-room is a detailed calculation that provides heating and cooling loads for each room/zone in your home.
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