Hydronics Conference Shines in Saskatoon

CHC Chair Jerry Leyte welcomes attendees to the Canadian Hydronics Conference in Saskatoon.

The Canadian Hydronics Conference, the bi-annual event organized by the Canadian Hydronics Council, returned with an information-packed two days in Saskatoon, September 27-28, and according to CHC Chair, Jerry Leyte (Viessmann Canada), attendance was improved over the last event which was held in Ottawa in 2019.

Attendees enjoyed sunny days and above average seasonal temperatures in the Bridge City, and the conference delivered high-level and informative content for the hydronics industry professionals in attendance, and over 40 exhibitors were on hand to share information and demonstrate products.

Keynote delivered by Robert Bean.

The opening keynote, delivered by Robert Bean, a regular contributor to HPAC Magazine, focused on electrification and net-zero concepts. Bean commented that carbon reduction will come at a cost, both a societal cost as people need to change their way of living and break old habits, and there will be an economic cost as well as the transition to new technologies will be more costly up front but the pay back will accelerate over time as the improved efficiencies combined with higher carbon costs take hold.

He encouraged the audience to incorporate an integrated design approach when it comes to heating and cooling buildings. We must consider all facets of the building to improve the overall performance and comfort level for the occupants and avoid having tunnel vision and just doing things the way they’ve always been done.

Robert Bean, keynote address.

“There are huge opportunities for this industry, because as the world moves towards these net zero, green sustainability goals there’s a huge opportunity to fix the buildings that we have … and in Canada the federal government is targeting by 2030 that roughly 3.5 million new homes will be built,” said Bean.

“You guys are sitting at one of the most opportune times in your careers, the marriage between high-performance buildings, the drive for renewable systems, low temperature heating, high temperature cooling, large surface area heat exchangers—it will never get any better than this, so your timing is excellent.”

Other educational sessions over the two days included topics like: air-to-water heat pumps, chemical and non-chemical water treatment options, snow melt systems, managing home owner expectations, solar thermal for hydronics, a CSA B214 update, and more.

The final session of the conference had a Saskatchewan focus with a series of presentations from government and energy officials outlining building code issues for the province, updates to the national plumbing code and incentive opportunities offered through SaskEnergy, the gas distribution company.

Overall the two days offered plenty of learning opportunities combined with valuable networking time for this passionate group of hydronics professionals.

CHC

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