TECA's respected Quality First™ training programs are developed by the industry, for the industry, setting minimum standards for the residential and light commercial heating, ventilating and cooling trade in British Columbia. Our courses provide contractors the information they need to install equipment that operates safely and comfortably at rated efficiencies. Quality First™ numbers for Forced Air, Hydronic Systems Design, Ventilation and HRV are required by regulatory authorities in an increasing number of municipalities throughout the province.
In response to concerns from TECA instructors, students' opportunities for success may be compromised in classes where there are difficulties with the English language, both spoken and written. In these classes, instructors struggle to meet the needs of all students, and student learning may be impacted negatively. Suggesting a minimum level of English proficiency is a step TECA is taking to improve our students experience. All students must retain a level of English proficiency that will allow them to comprehend the TECA materials, take part in classroom discussions and complete a written examination without the assistance of a translator. This language requirement ensures that all students will have the opportunity for success with TECA Quality First Courses.
TECA courses are offered in spring and fall in the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, Vancouver Island and may be held in varying locations based on demand. As of May 2020, we are also now offering on-line training while still maintaining the integrity of our certification. Seats are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
TECA training courses require a minimum number of participants. If course minimums are not met by the registration deadline advertised, TECA reserves the right to cancel the session. Registrants will be notified of the next available session in their area.
View our Cancellation Policy
PHOTO ID is required for all examinable courses. Identification must be current and one of the following:
ATTENTION: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, TECA is taking precautionary measures to protect our Quality First course registrants and instructors from any further risks associated with this virus. We are postponing all 'IN CLASS" Quality First courses scheduled until the Fall Season.
SPECIAL NOTE: We are happy to report that we are now offering "ON-LINE" virtual course delivery.
We apologize for any inconvenience the cancellation of in-class training may have caused; however, these are unique circumstances and the health and safety of our registrants and instructors is of the utmost importance. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
TECA's Updated Quality First™ Forced Air Guidelines course includes basic Heat Loss Heat Gain theory, appliance selection, duct layout and sizing. Appliance selection is done using a printout of "Results Pages" from an example calculated by Teca's new heat loss, heat gain software. The course covers requirements for furnaces, A/C coils, and heat pumps including a new appliance selection sheet for Variable capacity Heat Pumps without auxiliary heat. Duct layout & sizing to selected equipment capacity for standard and low-pressure systems. The updated manual includes instructions for checking External Static Pressure, checking pressure drop across fittings and preferred furnace room duct configurations. A "Best Practice" installation chapter has been added and graphics have been updated including common culprit fittings found in systems. Successful participants of the 16-hour course receive a registered number on a certificate and wallet card.
PLEASE NOTE: All those certified in Forced Air with an "HP" at the end of their certification number are still current and are NOT required to take the revised Forced Air class. Example of certification number 2019-0101-HP. It is important, however, to renew your Forced Air number with TECA every 2 years.
PHOTO ID is required for all examinable courses.
Identification must be current and one of the following:
The BC Housing, Licensing and Consumer Services recognizes and approves TECA's Quality First Forced Air course for Professional Development Points.
To date, TECA has offered this course 275 times and 1,875 industry professionals completed it.
ATTENTION: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, TECA is taking precautionary measures to protect our Quality First course registrants and instructors from any further risks associated with this virus. We are postponing all 'IN CLASS" Quality First courses scheduled until the Fall Season.
SPECIAL NOTE: We are happy to report that we are now offering "ON-LINE" virtual course delivery.
We apologize for any inconvenience the cancellation of in-class training may have caused; however, these are unique circumstances and the health and safety of our registrants and instructors is of the utmost importance. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
To those that have paid and registered for Quality First training during this timeframe, the TECA office will be reaching out to you with respect to issuing you a refund or credit on your account.
The course is intended to help participants perform accurate and code-compliant heat loss and heat gain calculations. The BC Building Code calls for CSA F280-12 for calculation of heat loss and heat gain, for Part 9 buildings. The TECA Heat Loss / Gain software has been designed to give users an accurate and simple way to calculate heating and cooling loads by the CSA F280-12 calculation methods.
The training manual elaborates on the dynamics of heat loss and heat gain. It is critical that users of the software understand what inputs are required by the software. The TECA Heat Loss / Heat Gain software comes with a comprehensive users manual for applying the software accurately.
Participants of this 1-day course will receive a Certificate of Completion. There is no exam.
Heat Loss / Heat Gain Software is not included in the course price. Please visit this link to purchase the software and have it downloaded to a laptop to attend the course: Heat Loss / Gain Software
Special Note: If you are attending this course IN PERSON (Not On-Line) with a COMPLIMENTARY CODE registration – you will receive a temporary version of the software at class.
Everyone must have a laptop to attend the course. Software is not presently available for MAC users. If you do have a MAC, you must have a partition in Mac to run Windows Software. The Heat Loss / Gain software is designed to run on one computer only. The computer that is used to install the software from the TECA web site will be the only computer capable of running it. Note: If you do not want to download to your laptop our instructor can provide you with a temporary copy of the software to use during class. You are still required to bring a laptop to class.
The BC Housing, Licensing and Consumer Services recognizes and approves TECA's Quality First Forced Air course for Professional Development Points.
PHOTO ID is required for all examinable courses.
Identification must be current and one of the following:
To date, TECA has offered this course 26 times and 179 industry professionals completed it.
ATTENTION: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, TECA is taking precautionary measures to protect our Quality First course registrants and instructors from any further risks associated with this virus. We are postponing all 'IN CLASS" Quality First courses scheduled until the Fall Season.
SPECIAL NOTE: We are happy to report that we are now offering "ON-LINE" virtual course delivery.
We apologize for any inconvenience the cancellation of in-class training may have caused; however, these are unique circumstances and the health and safety of our registrants and instructors is of the utmost importance. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
To those that have paid and registered for Quality First training during this timeframe, the TECA office will be reaching out to you with respect to issuing you a refund or credit on your account.
TECA's Quality First Heat Recovery Ventilator course encompasses the proper design, installation, and commissioning and balancing of a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) or an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). This course expands on the BC Building Code 9.32 and 9.36 requirements, and participants will leave with a comfortable understanding of the function and purpose of a balanced ventilation system.
This course provides instruction to ensure that participants have the skills and knowledge to design, install and balance an HRV/ERV principal ventilation system. Manuals include technical information and documents necessary to meet requirements of Municipal Inspection Authorities. Successful participants will receive a registered number on a certificate, a wallet card and stamp.
NOTE: Course fees include 6 hours of instruction, the 2-hour exam, and the Quality First™ HRV/ERV manual, provided at the start of class. Software is not included
PLEASE NOTE THAT CURRENT VENTILATION CERTIFICATION IS A PREREQUSITE TO THIS COURSE.
IMPORTANT ENFORCEMENT REMINDER FROM THE CITY OF VANCOUVER:
The HRV stamp will be required for issued new home applications or permits that are subject to the 2019 Vancouver Building By-law (VBBL), which came into effect November 1st 2019. That means projects with permits issued before this date, or are otherwise subject to the 2014 VBBL will not require the stamp.
*HRV is meant to represent either an HRV or ERV
The BC Housing, Licensing and Consumer Services recognizes and approves TECA's Quality First Heat Recovery Ventilator Design & Installation course for Professional Development Points.
Identification must be current and one of the following:
To date, TECA has offered this course 28 times and 232 industry professionals completed it.
TECA's Hydronic Systems Design manual with Hydronic & Combo Guidelines forms the basis of our Registered Designer program. Successful participants of the BCIT Hydronic Systems Design course are sent a form for optional registration with TECA.
NOTE: TECA is currently updating both our Hydronic Design Manual and Course. As soon as it is available for delivery we will offer this class province wide in either an In-Class or On-Line Delivery.
Quality First™ Registered Hydronic Designers receive a numbered certificate, wallet card and optional stamp for submitting system drawings from the Guidelines to inspection authorities.
Registration information for BCIT: BCIT Hydronic Systems Design Course
NOTE: Section 9.36 Energy Efficiency:
This section has been signed into law for all permits pulled after December 19th. No Longer will it be legal to run heating ducts up exterior walls.
To date, TECA has offered this course 122 times and 2,102 industry professionals completed it.
ATTENTION: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, TECA is taking precautionary measures to protect our Quality First course registrants and instructors from any further risks associated with this virus. We are postponing all 'IN CLASS" Quality First courses scheduled until the Fall Season.
SPECIAL NOTE: We are happy to report that we we will provide the POMA Course in a virtual format sometime in the near future.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, however these are unique circumstances and the health and safety of our registrants and instructors is of the utmost importance. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
To those that have paid and registered for Quality First training during this timeframe, the TECA office will be reaching out to you with respect to issuing you a refund or credit on your account.
Since it was first introduced in 2008 and titled 'Basics of Air', enthusiastic attendees have offered many suggestions for improvement now including 100 photos in addition to 150 drawings, graphs, charts and tables. The complete overhaul of this manual includes this supplementary information. The manual is now titled: 'Principles of Moving Air" it is clearly understood that it is an in-depth air moving course. While important to those working in both new construction and change out when it was first published, it is even more important today. Manufacturers continue to shrink the cabinet sizes of heat/cool equipment and yet the air moving requirements (cfm) on a CFM per BTU and CFM per ton has doubled or tripled compared to the standard efficiency gas furnaces these are replacing. A large benefit of applying this new information is a quiet system with heat/cool air volumes delivered to individual rooms appropriately as needed.
True to the original, POMA maintains its focus on residential air handling systems. POMA uses plain language, practical math and a fully instrumented scale model to demonstrate these important principles. The manual begins with an introduction of terms: flow rate, velocity, air density, duct aspect ratio, static and velocity pressures. It digs deeper into friction losses, fitting losses and system effects all of which compound to restrict the airflow through the system and which determine the power required (transport energy) to do that. This knowledge will also help users to justify the space and more convincingly sell the capital cost to provide adequately sized ducts and the few custom fittings required to provide a quiet comfortable space conditioning system.
PLEASE NOTE THAT you will be asked for Photo ID for all examinable courses.
Identification must be current and one of the following:
The BC Housing, Licensing and Consumer Services recognizes and approves TECA's Quality First Principles of Moving Air course for Professional Development Points.
There is some basic math required to complete this course. While not math intensive, POMA does assume an ability to do multiplication, division, squares and square roots. Click here to review a math tutorial. If you can handle this or learn it before this course, you will have no problem math-wise.
To date, TECA has offered this course 41 times and 321 industry professionals completed it.
ATTENTION: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, TECA is taking precautionary measures to protect our Quality First course registrants and instructors from any further risks associated with this virus.
We are postponing all in class Quality First courses scheduled until at least the end of May.
SPECIAL NOTE: WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE WILL BE OFFERING ON-LINE TRAINING and it is our plan to have this course ready for delivery in a virtual format in the very near future. We will be notifying all TECA members when registration is open.
We apologize for any inconvenience the cancellation of in-class training may have caused; however, these are unique circumstances and the health and safety of our registrants and instructors is of the utmost importance. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
To those that have paid and registered for Quality First training during this timeframe, the TECA office will be reaching out to you with respect to issuing you a refund or credit on your account.
TECA's Quality First™ Ventilation Guidelines course covers the latest (December 2018) requirements of BC Building Code Section 9.32 Mechanical Ventilation.
It also provides the prerequisite information required for TECA's HRV course. Successful participants of the one-day course receive a certificate, wallet card and numbered stamp for use on TECA's Mechanical Ventilation Checklists.
Manuals include technical information and documents necessary to meet requirements of Municipal Inspection Authorities. TECA's Quality First™ Ventilation Guidelines databases are made available to inspection authorities on request for purposes of confirming successful completion and issued number. Certified Ventilation Guidelines numbers must be renewed at BC Building Code change, approximately every 5 years.
NOTE: Course fees include 6 hours of instruction, the 2-hour exam, and the Quality First™ Ventilation Guidelines Manual, provided at the start of class. Software is not included.
The BC Housing, Licensing and Consumer Services recognizes and approves TECA's Quality First Ventilation Guidelines course for Professional Development Points.
SAMPLE OF CURRENT VENTILATION STAMPS BEING ACCEPTED BY BOABC:
Identification must be current and one of the following:
To date, TECA has offered this course 296 times and 3,049 industry professionals completed it.