Brynn Cooksey

09/04/2026

🎙️ Inside the U.S. Heat Pump Summit

I recently joined Brent Davidson, Founder of the US Heat Pump Summit, on the ACHR NEWS Podcast to talk about where the heat pump industry is headed and what this transition means for contractors.

We discussed the future of heat pumps, the opportunities for both residential and commercial contractors, and why contractors need to develop the technical skills to properly design, install, and commission these systems. We also previewed what attendees can expect at this year’s U.S. Heat Pump Summit.

The technology is here. The opportunity is here. Now we have to make sure the workforce is ready.

I’m looking forward to continuing this conversation at the U.S. Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16 in Worcester, Massachusetts, where I’ll be delivering the keynote, “The Heat Pump Story.”

🎧 Listen to the full ACHR NEWS Podcast:

Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ryLUekYSlYxfNDVtkhvlZ?si=456a673e38314e4b

If you work in HVAC, building performance, electrification, or energy efficiency, I hope to see you in Worcester!

ACHR News Podcast · Episode

09/04/2026

MYTH #5: You can replace a heat pump like-for-like without doing your homework. 🚫

This is the myth that can get contractors—and homeowners—in trouble.

Replacing a 3-ton system with another 3-ton system doesn’t mean the new system is properly sized.

Before replacing equipment, we need to understand the house as a system.

What is the actual heating and cooling load?

Can the existing duct system move the required airflow?

What is the static pressure?

How leaky is the building?

How much capacity does the equipment actually deliver at design conditions?

Are there opportunities to reduce the load before sizing the new system?

A heat pump replacement shouldn’t just be an equipment swap.

Test in. Design. Install. Commission. Test out.

That’s how we get systems that actually deliver comfort, efficiency, and performance.

🎥 This is Myth #5 in my Heat Pump Myth Busting Series, also available on YouTube.

Want to dive deeper? Join me at the US Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

I’ll be presenting “Navigating the Heat Pump Jungle: How to Design, Install, and Commission Heat Pumps That Deliver.”

Use discount code BC26 for 15% off registration.

09/03/2026

🔥 **Texas, I’m Coming to the HVAC Contractor Forum!**

I’m excited to share that I’ve officially accepted an invitation to speak at the **2026 HVAC Contractor Forum in Frisco, Texas this November!**

One of the things I enjoy most is getting in a room with contractors and talking about what actually moves the needle in an HVAC business—better diagnostics, better installations, building science, IAQ, heat pumps, workforce development, and turning technical knowledge into profitable opportunities.

After 16 years of training contractors and technicians, while also operating an HVAC and building performance company, I’ve learned that technical excellence and business success have to work together.

I’m looking forward to bringing that perspective to the HVAC Contractor Forum and connecting with contractors from across the country.

Big thank you to **Carrie Cypert, Kyle Gargaro, ACHR NEWS, and the HVAC Contractor Forum team** for the invitation and opportunity.

📍 Frisco, Texas
📅 November 2026

See you in Texas! 🤠🔥

09/03/2026

📣 Michigan contractors: three Saturdays, one certificate, and no weekdays off the board.

I'll be teaching ACCA's Residential Design for Quality Installation in Southfield on September 26, October 3, and October 10, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day.

We intentionally spread this training out over a few weeks and hold it on Saturdays so contractors can keep their businesses running. You don't have to pull yourself or key team members out of the field for an entire week. Keep serving your customers during the week, then invest your Saturdays in building a skill set that can transform the way you design and install HVAC systems.

Over those three Saturdays, we'll work through load calculations with Manual J®, equipment selection with Manual S®, duct design with Manual D®, and grille and register selection with Manual T®. You'll leave with CEUs, an ACCA certificate, and over $450 in ACCA manuals.

Mastering how to calculate heating and cooling loads is one of my superpowers—and it transformed my business. Understanding what a building actually needs instead of relying on rules of thumb changed the way I size equipment, design systems, solve comfort problems, and approach HVAC as a whole.

➡️ Register here: https://www.acca.org/certification/residential-design/rdqi

09/01/2026

The heat pump story didn’t start with today’s technology.

Ahead of the U.S. Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16, I had the opportunity to interview Brent Davidson, founder of the U.S. Heat Pump Summit, for my latest Forbes article, “The Heat Pump Story.”

We discussed something that often gets overlooked: heat pump market transformation has been tried before.

And it didn’t always go well.

Earlier generations of equipment had significant limitations, particularly in cold climates. Combine that with poor system design and installation practices, and many homeowners were left with bad experiences that shaped the reputation of heat pumps for decades.

Today, the equipment is dramatically better. Variable-speed compressors, inverter technology, improved controls, and cold-climate heat pumps have changed what these systems are capable of doing.

But that raises the next big question:

Has contractor training kept pace with the technology?

A great heat pump installed incorrectly is still a bad HVAC system.

Successful heat pump projects require more than swapping boxes.

Contractors need to understand load calculations, building science, airflow, duct systems, equipment selection, controls, balance points, backup heat strategies, and commissioning.

The technology is ready.

Now we have to make sure the workforce is ready too.

Read my latest Forbes article, “The Heat Pump Story: How Modern Systems Have Advanced Over The Years,” here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brynncooksey/2026/09/01/the-heat-pump-story--how-modern-systems-have-advanced-over-the-years/

Looking forward to continuing this conversation at the U.S. Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16, 2026, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

08/31/2026

🎙️ **The Heat Pump Conversation You Don’t Want to Miss!**

Check out our conversation on the **Passive House Podcast!**

Brent Davidson and I sat down to talk all things **heat pumps** ahead of the **U.S. Heat Pump Summit** — including practical tips and tricks, what contractors need to know, and where the heat pump industry is headed.

If you work in HVAC, building performance, electrification, or just want to understand where this market is going, give this episode a listen!

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iPNHxrk9UXr6p0IYF8NM8?si=43c19211038d4b91

📍 U.S. Heat Pump Summit
📅 September 15–16, 2026 | Worcester, MA

See you at the Summit!

Passive House Podcast · Episode

08/31/2026

I’m headed back to BS + B**r, and this time we’re taking it to Worcester!
On Monday, September 14 at 5:30 PM, I’ll be presenting “Energy Auditing Best Practices” at Building Evolution Corp. We’re going to get into how the Air Doctors team actually approaches an energy audit—from the process and techniques to the tools we use in the field to identify opportunities for better comfort, efficiency, and building performance.

I’ll be in Worcester for the US Heat Pump Summit, where I’m honored to be a keynote speaker, so we’re making this the official “unofficial event of the evening.”

If you’re coming to the Summit, come hang out with the building science geeks Monday night. We’ll talk blower doors, diagnostics, thermal imaging, energy auditing, and probably a whole lot of heat pumps.

📍 Building Evolution Corp.
138 Green Street, Suite 203
Worcester, MA

📅 Monday, September 14
⏰ 5:30 PM

Free pizza and drinks, too!

Big thanks to TruTech Tools for supporting the event, Building Evolution Corp. for hosting, and the BS + B**r crew for having me back.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gfQ3NAvU

Pre-register for Energy Auditing Best Practices
See you in Worcester!

08/31/2026

MYTH #4: Every home needs a combustion appliance as backup. 🔥

Not necessarily.

There are homes and climates where dual-fuel systems make sense. There are also homes where a properly designed cold-climate heat pump can handle the heating load without combustion backup.

The key word is DESIGN.

Before deciding what backup heat a home needs, we should understand:

The actual heating load.
The heat pump’s capacity at design temperature.
The building envelope.
The duct system.
Electrical capacity.
Utility rates and operating costs.

Backup heat should be an engineering and economic decision, not an automatic assumption.

🎥 Myth #4 of my Heat Pump Myth Busting Series takes on the idea that every heat pump needs a furnace behind it. The video will also be available on YouTube.

I’ll cover heat pump design in much greater detail at the US Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

My session: “Navigating the Heat Pump Jungle: How to Design, Install, and Commission Heat Pumps That Deliver.”

Use BC26 for 15% off registration.

08/28/2026

MYTH #2: Heat pumps aren’t efficient. ⚡

A heat pump doesn’t create heat the same way a furnace or electric resistance heater does—it moves heat.

That distinction is important.

Under the right operating conditions, heat pumps can deliver multiple units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed.

But rated efficiency and real-world efficiency aren’t always the same thing.

Poor sizing, bad ductwork, excessive static pressure, improper controls, unnecessary auxiliary heat, and poor commissioning can turn great equipment into a poorly performing system.

So when someone says, “Heat pumps aren’t efficient,” my next question is:

Was the system actually designed, installed, and commissioned correctly?

🎥 Watch Myth #2 in my Heat Pump Myth Busting Series. The video will also be available on YouTube.

Want to go deeper? Join me at the US Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

I’ll be presenting “Navigating the Heat Pump Jungle: How to Design, Install, and Commission Heat Pumps That Deliver.”

Use code BC26 for 15% off registration.

08/28/2026

MYTH #3: Heat pumps just move the emissions to the smokestack. 🏭⚡

I hear this argument a lot:

“If the electricity comes from a power plant, aren’t we just moving the emissions somewhere else?”

It’s a fair question—but it leaves out a major part of the equation: efficiency and the changing electric grid.

Heat pumps move heat instead of producing all of it through combustion or electric resistance. That allows them to deliver significantly more heating energy than the electrical energy they consume.

At the same time, the electricity generation mix continues to evolve.

The emissions conversation around heat pumps deserves more than a slogan from either side. We need to look at how the equipment operates, where the electricity comes from, system efficiency, and how those factors change over time.

🎥 I break it down in Myth #3 of my Heat Pump Myth Busting Series. The video will also be available on YouTube.

Join me at the US Heat Pump Summit, September 15–16 in Worcester, Massachusetts, where I’ll present:

“Navigating the Heat Pump Jungle: How to Design, Install, and Commission Heat Pumps That Deliver.”

Use discount code BC26 for 15% off.