‘We are turning down work’: Vancouver’s demand for AC heating up

Vancouver HVAC companies are feeling the pressure as demand rises for residential air conditioning, almost a year after the province’s deadly heat wave last summer.

The extreme heat in the summer of 2021 claimed hundreds of lives. It also prompted many to seek out relief from the soaring temperatures, with many turning to air conditioning units and fans to cool down.

Bobby Watt, who owns and operates Watt HVAC, says he’s having trouble matching the current need for air conditioning installations.

“I could hire 10 guys and still be behind on the work. I’m just saying no to work because I can’t get enough labour workers to do it. The amount of stuff that’s rolled in because of last year, because of the heat wave, everyone is trying to get themselves ready for this year,” Watt said.

Watt points to labour shortages, shipping delays on new equipment, and excessive demand as some of the reasons he’s had to turn potential clients down.

“Everybody’s been really disappointed. They are trying to ask if I know somebody else, and for the most part I keep on telling everyone, ‘I ordered equipment last October — I’m still waiting for it.’ So, even if we had the manpower to do it, I can’t get my hands on the equipment.”

Watt believes the lack of workers is due to tradespeople not being aware of the need in the industry.

“I think getting the word out that there’s a big hole in the market here. It’s the highest-paying trade out there and there’s a massive need for workers. It might jumpstart the awareness of the shortage, because if we can get more people in and trained up, we can take care of the problem. I don’t think a lot of people know about the trade and how lucrative it is.”

Watt adds for the most part, companies don’t require any post-secondary education for new hires. However, he notes having it helps.

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• B.C. summer heatwave claimed at least 595 lives

• B.C. Chief Coroner says air conditioning should be essential in homes

Other companies in Vancouver are also turning down work due to a lack of staff.

Riley Speers, who works in HVAC sales in the city, agrees the worker shortage is the biggest factor for this service backlog.

“Even trying to hire people and pay them a living wage, like $25 an hour plus benefits, it’s still almost impossible to find people,” Speers said.

He adds his company is booked up until the middle of August, which is very unusual for this time of year.

“This year has been absolutely insane …Typically, we’re only booked out a few weeks on average before this heat wave stuff started,” he told CityNews.

“We’ve had people who call us back a month after providing a quote and being irate that we can’t service them immediately. It’s been crazy.”

Last summer’s heat wave prompted many to call for making air conditioning more accessible in B.C. The province’s chief coroner also said it’s likely fewer people would have died if their homes were equipped with AC.

The City of Vancouver approved a policy last Friday which will require all new buildings in the community to include air conditioning. Although that policy doesn’t come into affect until January of 2025.