April 2023. Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. TAF commissioned Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors to conduct a bulk procurement study to assess the barriers, opportunities, and trade-offs to scaling up heat pump retrofits through aggregation and bulk procurement.
Key Takeaways
Report findings suggest cost savings have some potential, but the best value of bulk purchasing heat pumps comes from streamlining processes and addressing supply and workforce gaps. Benefits of bulk purchasing programs include:
- Streamlined supply chains and minimized disruptions and supply delays;
- Improved customer product, technology awareness and buy-in;
- Better market penetration and availability of market options;
- Increased demand for local contractors and installers and more knowledgeable, experienced workforce to install and service this equipment.
Updating procurement policies to include bulk purchasing of heat pumps can help with speeding up initial heat pump uptake while still allowing for consumer choice and innovation.