HRAI is developing a training program that will prepare HVACR contractors for engaging with customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial focus of the training will be on residential applications, but it may expand to include small commercial and ICI sectors.

Created with financial support from FortisBC, the HRAI program is focused primarily on the health and safety of HVAC contractors, their employees, and their customers. Through this training, contractors and their employees will also be able to speak to the benefits and risks associated with COVID-19 and specific HVAC technologies that contribute to indoor air quality, such as ventilation, air cleaning, filtration, and humidity control.

Gord Cooke, an HVACR trainer and a renowned expert on indoor air quality, will oversee this proposal and lead subsequent course development and delivery. Cooke will be assisted by a small group of technical advisors, including ASHRAE instructor Robert Bean and other relevant experts from the organization.

Three separate modules will be included within the training, each approximately two hours in length and followed by a test necessary for certification:

• “Principles for Running a Business in a Pandemic”: A self-guided module that will mostly specify protocols for ensuring company compliance with personal and public health and safety protocols.
• A scheduled, moderated webinar in a virtual classroom format, led by Gord Cooke, that will focus on how contractors should speak to the benefits of HVACR upgrades.
• A smaller virtual classroom session focused on specific roles for HVACR contractors to play in maintaining healthy homes and buildings in a post-COVID-19 environment. Topics will include humidity levels, filtration, ventilation, UV light, electrostatic, dehumidification versus cooling load design, ventilation versus heating load design, and forced air system considerations. During this session, participants will be able to speak to each other in a group discussion format.

Sessions are expected to start as early as the middle of July, beginning in British Columbia. For more information, visit HRAI’s website.