When a dormitory or residence-hall facility continues to rely on electric baseboard heaters as its primary heating system, it’s effectively locked into space-heating served by 100 % electric resistance heating. While that model is simple and familiar, it comes with a high thermal-cost burden.
However, a shift to efficient heat-pump systems can unlock substantial savings (both in energy use and operational cost) and also improve occupant comfort and system versatility. Below are key talking points that make the business case, supported by recent studies and retrofit evidence.
Why electric baseboard is “inefficient” in today’s context
- Electric baseboard heaters convert nearly all the incoming electrical energy into heat (i.e., ~100 % thermal efficiency). This may sound ideal in theory, but when compared to modern heat pumps, the relative efficiency is poor.
- By contrast, a properly selected heat pump can deliver multiple units of heat per unit of electrical input because it moves heat rather than purely generating it. For example, ground-source systems can have Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 3-6 or higher, meaning 3-6 units of heat out for each unit of electricity in.
- A professional retrofit analysis by the American Council for an Energy‑Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that converting from electric resistance heat (including baseboard) to heat pumps in one-to-four unit residential buildings could cut electricity use for heating by “a little more than half” on average.
- In multi-unit / multifamily contexts, a recent case study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that in a mid-rise multifamily building in a mixed-humid climate, electrification via cold-climate heat pumps reduced annual site heating energy by up to ~70 % compared to a conventional system.
For a dorm facility currently using electric baseboard, replacing that with a high efficiency heat pump offers an opportunity to cut a large chunk of heating energy (and therefore cost) while preserving or improving heating service.
Ice Air and Your Specification-Advantage
According to ConstructConnect, an astounding 69% of the 249 dorm projects in North America presently in the planning phase are in these ten states/provinces:
- California
- Texas
- Ontario
- Florida
- Québec
- British Columbia
- Massachusetts
- Pennsylvania
- Colorado
- Maryland
Only 11 out of these 249 projects right now have “heat pumps” in their specification, meaning that the 111 architects handling these projects need to learn about the advantages of Ice Air heat pumps!
The Time to Act is Now
Besides taking one of Ice Air CEU courses which focus on heat pumps online or requesting a personal presentation at https://www.iceairceu.com/, architects and engineers should now be aware of these key points.
- Ice Air solutions can be integrated with controls that allow zoning, setback scheduling, maintenance alerts, and monitoring—key in a dorm environment with thousands of heating/ cooling zones.
- When Ice Air partners with housing authorities, campus facility teams, property managers, we consider the total lifecycle cost, not just first cost; heat pump retrofit represents a smart investment in operational-cost reduction, occupant satisfaction and sustainability goals.
- Ice Air recommends starting the retrofit conversation with an energy audit, establishing actual baseboard energy consumption (via submeters or billing history), modeling the heat pump alternative, and then developing a phased plan (e.g., starter wings, summer install, optimize controls, occupant education). We are here to help!
- Finally, data from multiple studies confirm that shifting from electric resistance heating to heat pump systems is not speculative. It is real, measurable, and in many cases delivers payback in the timeframe relevant to dormitory asset-owners.
Consider Scheduling a Feasibility Assessment with Ice Air
This assessment would examine current baseboard heating electrical consumption, building envelope and load profiles and more. Ice Air’s expertise in dormitory/residential-multi-unit HVAC, the ability to customize product/controls, and the alignment with broader institutional energy-and-sustainability goals are part of the company’s core principles.
Request your assessment by emailing info@ice-air.com or filling out the contact form here: https://www.ice-air.com/contact/