Replacing an aging heating and cooling system is something that most homeowners will have to do very rarely. It can be daunting to learn about the latest heating and cooling technologies, and quotes provided by installers can be hard to understand.

Volunteer coaches can help people get a firmer grasp of the steps that are involved, so that they are more confident about choosing an installer and equipment. Serving as a volunteer coach can be a satisfying way to get to know others in your community, learn more about heat pumps and home electrification, and amplify your personal impact on reducing carbon emissions.

Heat pump coaches don’t have to be experts. Coaching is done at different levels: At the basic level, coaches explain the motivation for converting to heat pumps, the types of systems that might be appropriate for their home, available financial incentives and how to take the next steps.

At the advanced level, coaches may analyze a home’s past energy use to assess its efficiency, suggest questions to ask contractors, and help their client evaluate installation proposals.

How much time a heat pump coach commits to assisting homeowners is up to them. It can range from the occasional gig to a full-time retirement activity!

Steps to Becoming a Coach

Foundational requirements:

• Though not essential, most coaches have installed or lived with a heat pump in their own home
• An affiliation with a community-based outreach effort to promote home electrification
• Basic knowledge of home energy and heating systems, either by self-study or taking our training course.
• Mentoring, either from more experienced coaches in your community, or by participating in the HeatSmart Alliance

If you are enrolled in our training course, you can access the content via our on-line training portal.

Become an official HeatSmart Alliance Volunteer Coach

Becoming an official HeatSmart Alliance coach can help to establish your credibility with clients, especially if your community does not have its own energy coaching program. Start by downloading our Steps to Becoming a Volunteer Coach and complete all steps. In brief, you'll join the Alliance, attend a suitable training course consisting of 4 or 5 weekly sessions, review recommended reference material and complete a coaching-skills self-assessment. After completing these steps, you'll complete an application that we will review within 2 weeks.