The eligibility and training requirements for membership in the Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN) HVAC sector are changing to integrate the new BCIT Residential Air to Air Heat Pump Specialist Microcredential. These changes reflect the evolving needs of industry and emerging best practices training.
The HPSC hosted a webinar on March 11, 2026, to discuss the upcoming changes. The event recording, slides, contact information, and Q&A are included below.
Recording
Slides
Download the presentation slides here.
Contact Information Mentioned in the Webinar
For questions about HPCN registration or membership, contact the HPSC at info@homeperformance.ca or 604-755-3469 ext. 0.
For questions about the BCIT microcredential, contact BCIT at soce-heatpump-microcredential@bcit.ca or 604-432-8697.
Q&A
The following questions were asked during the webinar in the Q&A box. We have organized them by topic. Note that any questions asked live by participants are only captured in the recording above.
For any outstanding questions, please visit our FAQ page or refer to the contact information section above.
Who Needs to Take the Training? What Training Do I Take?
| Question | Answer |
| As an hpcn member, I completed TECA courses when I joined in hpcn, also I am a red seal refrigeration mechanic installer. what courses I need to take? | Because you previously completed the TECA courses, and as a RACM you are exempt from the hands on course, you will need to complete the following courses:
Note that for non-RACMs or people who previously completed the HRAI courses, the training list will differ. Please review our FAQs and then contact our team if you would like further guidance. |
| if we had heat loss heat gain from TECA from last year, do we have to take it again? | No, you can simply provide proof of this training to BCIT when registering for the remaining microcredential courses. |
| Is the hands on in lap training required for someone with a gas fitting ticket? | Yes, Gas Fitters are included as an Eligible Trade under the new HPCN requirements. Eligible Trades must complete the entire microcredential, including the hands-on course. |
| Does a red seal refrigeration technician and journeyperson sheet metal worker (if you employ both) both have to take the training or is just one required within the company? | We require one trained installer per crew in the HPCN. That is an existing requirement and will not change. If those individuals work on separate crews, we will require both to be trained. If they work on one crew, we would require one of them to be trained. That being said, we encourage you to train all installers, especially while subsidies are available, to ensure all work is aligned with our best practices training. |
| just wanting to clarify that the person currently in our hpcn membership has to be the person to complete the other required courses before the deadline | Yes, the existing HPCN-trained installer will need to complete the net new training required of them based on their credentials (i.e. Eligible Trade or RACM). Keep in mind that we require one trained installer per crew in the HPCN and we encourage you to train all installers, especially while subsidies are available, to ensure all work is aligned with our best practices training. |
| What extra courses we actually needed to register as an existing HPCN member? | It depends on whether you are a RACM or Eligible Trade, and whether you’ve completed the TECA or HRAI courses previously. Please review our FAQs and then contact our team if you would like further guidance. |
| Is there or will there be a ratio of HPCN ticketed installers to apprentices? | Companies should follow all provincial regulations for trade apprentices per journeyperson. For HPCN membership, we require one trained installer per residential retrofit crew. |
| I request you to explain for an existing hpcn memeber, elegible trades in okanagan (vernon) slide | Please review our FAQs and then contact our team if you would like further guidance. |
| Could you please confirm that the information is indeed confusing? If we are already HPCN members, which courses should we take to maintain our membership? |
Yes it is a lot of information! The answer depends on whether your are a RACM of Eligible Trade, and whether you’ve completed the TECA or HRAI courses previously. Please review our FAQs and then contact our team if you would like further guidance. |
| does Air conditioning ticket is neded for the courses ? if so what happened to gas fitters? maybe i missed | Gas Fitters are included as an Eligible Trade under the new HPCN requirements. Eligible Trades must complete the entire microcredential, including the hands-on course, to participate in the HPCN. Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics are also eligible for the HPCN, they must complete the microcredential but do not need to take the final hands-on course. |
| Does the training need to be completed by the Red Seal or journey person specifically or can it be completed by another employee at the company? | Yes, companies wishing to join, or remain members of the HPCN HVAC sector, will need to employ installers who meet one of the following eligibility criteria AND have completed the new HPCN training requirements:
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| what if your inter provincal ticketed red seal ref/ac mech.
Related question: what about for companies that are coming from other provinces? What are the guidelines for those companies that do not have any ticketed installers in BC but they have one in New Brunswick for example? |
We require companies joining the HPCN to have installers located in BC. For BCIT’s microcredential, a RACM Trade Qualification from another province or a Red Seal RACM (Interprovincial Certification) would still be exempt from the final hands-on course (MZEB 3110). |
| Just to clarify, the link in the portal “BCIT Residential Air to Air Heat Pump Specialist Microcredential” is referencing MZEB 2120? | It is referring to the entire BCIT microcredential. As described in the slides and FAQ, HPCN installers must complete either the entire microcredential (Eligible Trades) or most of the microcredential except for the hands-on course (RACMs). |
| Where do we take HVAC 0145 or do we not need to? | Requirement is that students have a certificate number for refrigerant handling as required under current BC regulations. Two courses providing this certificate are BCIT’s HVAC 0145 or HRAI – Canada’s Ozone Layer Protection Awareness Program. One of these courses, is required to register for the in-person course (MZEB 3110 – Residential Air Source Heat Pump Installation Skills). |
| I have one employee that I currently completing the Quality Installation of Force Air Furnace Heat pump Retrofit BC Homes, with this new rules, this is no longer mandatory then? | Correct, this course will no longer be part of the HPCN mandatory training pathway as of the effective dates.
For new registrants: If your employee has not yet started the Quality Installation of Forced Air Furnace and Air Source Heat Pump Retrofits in BC Homes course, or is less than 50% of the way through the course, we strongly recommend you consider switching them to the BCIT microcredential training pathway instead. Training subsidy support will be available to offset the time they’ve committed to the existing course. Existing members whose employees are completing this course within their 6 month deadline: contact HPCN staff to discuss options given the training requirement change. |
Accessing Training
| Question | Answer |
| On the HPCN portal under Mandatory External courses TECA/HRAI course 1 of 2, it states that you can complete the BCIT microcredential course “in place of this course” Please explain | We mean to say you can upload the BCIT microcredential Digital Badge (i.e. certificate of completion) in place of the course certificate of completion. We will accept either. We have updated the Portal to provide further clarity. |
| I don’t see the Residential air to air heat pump system retrofit design on the Teca site? Just the air to air heat pump design. I don’t think they are the same? | The “Retrofit Design” course (MZEB 2120) is only offered at BCIT and builds upon TECA’s Heat Pump System Design Course (listed as MZEB 2111 when run at BCIT). Please see FAQ #6 here for guidance on how to register for the new required courses. |
| where we can find infor on MZEB2120 on teca | MZEB 2120 – Retrofit Design is offered only at BCIT – it is a BCIT course, that leverages some additional competencies related specifically for retrofits that build upon TECA’s Design Course (MZEB 2111) and prepare you for installation course (MZEB 3110). Please see FAQ #6 here for guidance on how to register for the new required courses. |
| I could not find this course on TECA website | Please see FAQ #6 here for guidance on how to register for the new required courses. |
| do I need to completed the first 3 course before take the 4th bcit MZEB 2120 course ? | Ideally, yes we recommend you complete the courses in order as they build on each other. It is difficult to complete the more challenging retrofit design assignments in MZEB 2120 without having completed MZEB 2111 (TECA’s Heat Pump System Design course). Please see FAQ #9 here for guidance on the order in which to complete courses and required pre-requisites. |
| Will Teca be offering the MZEB 2120 in the future or will it always be through BCIT? | TECA does not plan on delivering 2120. |
| this is very short notice to travell 12hrs | For those outside of the Lower Mainland, the in-person course will not be required until 2027 or 2028. Please refer to the FAQs for when these requirements will become eligible for your region. |
| I have emailed the email address provided for BCIT to ask questions about the course and have received no response.
Related question: We have reached out to the BCIT email supplied by HPCN in the previous email, for program costing and availability, and we have had zero response. Is there a source of this information that doesn’t depend on email? Seems inefficient and difficult so far. |
If you do not receive a response to your email from BCIT within 5 business days please call them at 604-432-8697. |
Subsidies, Substitutions, and Miscellaneous
| Questions | Answers |
| As an existing member, if our installers were able to access any of the free seats for Teca MZEB 2111, would they still be eligible for training hours to be compensated? If so, when would that be? Do we need to wait until all of the new requirements are fulfilled in 2027? | Yes, HPCN members are eligible for wage subsidies for eligible installers even if they received the course for free through other discounts. Note that our wage contributions are a pre-calculated fixed amount.
You can submit for reimbursement in the HPCN Portal after the installer(s) has completed the entire training pathway and so long as your company is an active member in good standing with the HPCN. You can submit for reimbursement anytime after the entire training requirements are complete (you do not need to wait until 2027). |
| What is the turn around time for the training subsidies to be processed and how long will those funds last for? | HPCN subsidies: It can take 1-2 months for processing. The funds do not have an end date, rather we have them until they are used up. HPCN member Company Admins are sent a quarterly member newsletter which provides updates on remaining subsidies. We have over a million dollars available at this point. |
| For travel reimbursements, are those expenses covered 100%? | BCIT has set reimbursement allowances. Contact them for more information at soce-heatpump-microcredential@bcit.ca or 604-432-8697. Note that travel reimbursements are only available through BCIT for a limited time. The HPCN does not offer travel reimbursement as part of our training subsidies. For those outside of the Lower Mainland, the in-person course will not be required until 2027 or 2028 so travel is not required. |
| So If we want to take last two in BCIT (2120 and 3110), are we going to be covered the fees by HPCN and how? | If you are eligible to join/remain a member in the HPCN then yes, you can apply for 100% of course reimbursement after completing all the required courses. When you sign up for the courses through BCIT, they may have some upfront discounts or grants available as well. |
| what happens if we just paid and are enroled in the Teca heatpump design that e says is offering as free how do we get a refund?? | Please email Todd Backus at TECA for a refund: tbackus@teca.ca and CC training@teca.ca |
| if your a remote member theres little chance to take place in savings | All courses except the final hands-on course are offered online. For the hands-on course, until Fall 2026 it is only offered on campus in Burnaby (BCIT). If you want to travel to BCIT, BCIT have a grant to reimburse you for travel costs until Fall 2026 when the Mobile Lab will be deployed to offer training in other regions. Please contact BCIT if you want to know more about these travel subsidies: soce-heatpump-microcredential@bcit.ca
For those outside of the Lower Mainland, the in-person course will not be required until 2027 or 2028 so travel is not required. |
| will the TECA MHPC certification can be considered to same as air to air heat pump design credits? | No, the Municipal Heat Pump Certification (MHPC) course is not interchangeable with the new Residential Air to Air Heat Pump course. |
| Does the trade designation apply only to BCIT or does PVC (https://pacificvocationalcollege.ca/) qualify | Proof of a trades designation requirement is required for registration of final hands-on lab course at BCIT (MZEB 3110) as we build on existing trades safety and competencies. training is regulated by the Ministry of Post Secondary Education & Future Skills and an existing trade qualification is required by the Ministry. Note – many other students complete design courses to support their work on mechanical design or project management. |
| is it the same as the refrigerant handling ticket | ODS Certificate is earned by completing BCIT’s HVAC 0145 or HRAI’s ODS Course |
| how are you ensuring office staff isnt dong the traing but instalation crew?? | The HPCN collects information on employee roles within a company when they register and we confirm that the appropriate staff are providing the training certificates. TECA, HRAI, and BCIT require knowledge checks for most of their training courses which ensures that knowledable staff are completing the courses. Adding the new in-person course will also provide an opportunity to confirm the individual’s identity. There is always a risk that an improper staff member takes the training instead of an installer and our Contractor Management protocols are a final step to catch these scenarios. |
| What happens when a trained HSPC installer leaves the company ? Do you lose your certification immediately ? | No, but HPCN members are always required to have one trained (eligible) installer per residential retrofit crew. If you need to replace a trained installer, you will be given a window of time in which to do so, otherwise your membership will be paused. Previously this window of time was 60 days; we will be revisiting this now that our training requirements have changed. Stay tuned for more details. |