Getting Ready for Harvest: What every homeowner should know

Nik Ingle is a materials scientist and team leader with a deep background in the development of energy storage and climate technologies. As Harvest’s Director of Field Operations, he’s been inside a lot of basements, closets, garages, and crawlspaces – on a mission to delight homeowners with the most sustainable and cost-effective HVAC and hot water. In this interview, we explore how Nik prepares homeowners for their journey with Harvest to ensure it fits seamlessly into their lives. 

David: What are some of the things people come to appreciate about Harvest after installation that they didn't know before? 

Nik: Well, I think one of the things that people are surprised about is how quiet the heat pump is. I normally get them to come over when it's turned on and they’re like, “Oh, wow. Okay.” 

The other thing is the amount of sound inside the house. A lot of people have switched from a gas furnace which often sounded like a jet engine. With a good duct system and a Harvest setup, it's really quiet. They may not even know that the heating is on.

David: What should people do to prepare for the installation process? 

Nik: Well, it’s going to be a little intrusive for a few days. There’s no way around it, these are two major systems of the home being replaced. Most of the time, there will be crews, usually between two to five people crawling throughout the house. Three days is probably the shortest, four or more is often the case. 

The one thing I would say is just hang in there, because when you get to the end, you’ll have a pretty nice system that should last you 15 to 20-plus years. 

David: Often, homes need additional measures before an installation to stop drafts and leaks. What does that process look like?

Nik: I like to break this down into three steps.

1. Understand what is working and what is not. This involves looking at the house envelope — the combination of surfaces that separate the conditioned space inside the house from the unconditioned space outside. Assess how leaky it is and how much insulation is on the envelope in different places.

2. Prioritize what can be done. There will be a huge list of possible actions. Identify which ones are most cost-effective and which are easiest to do. Some actions might be too complicated, so we find alternatives that are manageable.

3. Get the work done. The HVAC system installer might be able to handle some tasks. There are insulation companies that can get in and out quickly and do impressive work. Some tasks might be simple handyman jobs. Often, sealing might be a DIY operation like weatherstripping around doors or caulking.

This third step — the execution — is always the hard one, but you can imagine doing these over time. Not all tasks need to be done simultaneously. Understanding the situation and making a plan is definitely a good place to start.

David: So if you're spending $500- $2,000, in that range, what do homeowners get from that?

Nik: Comfort, comfort,  comfort. People find they are comfortable throughout the house. There aren't any cold spots. You won't find yourself sitting on a couch and feeling uncomfortable because of the temperature in one area.

It also impacts energy bills. While the return on investment for these improvements tends to be over the long term— you could save 20-30% on your energy bills over the life of the system by sealing up your house and ensuring proper insulation.

David: You've been in a lot of homes. You've crawled into crawl spaces and looked behind places that typically are not visible to the naked eye. What's the grossest thing you've ever seen?

Nik: Wet spaces under a house are very unpleasant. These conditions are also bad for the house. If there's water in a damp crawl space, it impacts the house and everyone living there. For me, the grossest thing was opening a closet and finding mold growing up the walls. The homeowner cleaned it repeatedly, but it kept coming back.

We immediately sussed out what was going on. There was a small gap where moist air was coming from the crawl space into the closet. Two walls of the closet were on  the outside of the house and were cold because they weren’t insulated. That moisture condensed and caused mold to grow.

It was gross but really fixable. A strip of caulking and a good cleaning, and they were good. 

This interview was lightly edited for clarity and length.