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CGC National Quality Program Expanded to Include Direct Expansion Technology

Montréal, October 26th 2009

The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) has expanded its Global Quality GeoExchange Program^® to incorporate direct expansion (DX) technology today. This change to the Canadian quality program follows the publication of an amendment to Standard CAN / CSA C-448-02 (C-448) by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).  The amendment adds DX technology to the Standard and is a significant advancement for the industry in North America.  

Starting today, CGC will review residential DX systems across Canada for compliance with the amended standard, and certify these systems in accordance with the terms and conditions of the quality program. CGC would like to remind industry stakeholders and customers that CGC has never offered system certification retroactively and therefore cannot offer retroactive DX system certification. An updated and amended CGC System Certification application form is available at this time on www.geoexchange.ca. 

Regardless of the above, CGC does not have control over any grant and subsidy programs and CGC does not decide if or when DX technology will qualify for financing and grant programs anywhere in Canada. The decision to require CGC System Certification is the prerogative of governments, utilities and other stakeholders as they see fit to suit their own programs’ objectives. CGC itself has never offered and currently does not offer any grant or subsidy. CGC will keep its members and other industry stakeholders informed of any developments in this matter. 

Since late 2006, CGC has worked diligently toward a targeted amendment to the C-448 standard. Among other things CGC has: 

§         Required that DX be included in the development of CGC training material in Fall 2005;

§         Contracted with an industry specialist in early 2006 to develop additional training material (as a separate training component) to address DX installation and design more specifically;

§         Created a DX members’ subcommittee within CGC;

§         Proposed the amendment to CSA, and served as the Project Proponent in the CSA processes;

§         Successfully advocated for funding for the CSA activity;

§         Facilitated debate and development of DX installation and design modifications to C-448;

§         Organized a workshop in late 2007 to extensively discuss and prepare a draft amendment;

§         Forwarded draft DX modifications/amendments to the CSA and engaged stakeholders in the review process. 

The work towards such an amendment was finally initiated in early 2009. “We are very pleased that this amendment process has finally come to a conclusion,” said Denis Tanguay, CGC president and CEO. “It has always been and will always be a puzzle as to why this particular technology – and other technologies for that matter – was explicitly and specifically excluded from the C-448 standard. Many contractors have financially suffered a great deal because of this exclusion and we commend them for their patience of the past three years.” he added.

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