When you think about heat pump installation time, you probably think of the work that happens onsite. But what about the days, weeks, or even months it takes for permitting? Or, when a distributor only stocks gas heaters, so the shipping lead time is half a year? Data on these other, offsite delays is very sparse, especially for commercial and multifamily buildings. What we do have comes from TECH Clean California’s awesome database: These data are a great starting point; we can see that the installation duration ranges from one day to nearly a year. What we don’t know is how this field was defined. Contractors simply listed their start date and end date on a job, so the driver of these lengthy installs is unclear. To help paint a better picture of multifamily and commercial heat pump installation timelines, we’re collecting data via a short survey. If you’ve ever installed or had a contractor install mini splits, heat pump RTUs, window units, or VRF systems, we’d love to hear from you. We’ll analyze the results in a few weeks and share any insights with you! By Noah Gabriel, New Buildings Institute
