I will consider a heat pump when I upgrade my home heating and cooling system. FACT: Cut your electrical heating bill by up to 60% and cool for 30% less with an ENERGY STAR certified ductless heating and cooling system. Heating and Cooling with a Heat Pump (nrcan.gc.ca)
Heat pumps are not new, they have been around for more than 150 years. You already have at least one in your home. Every refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner has a heat pump. They all pump heat out of a space you want to keep cool. Cooling your living space will become increasingly important during the extreme heat weather events we can expect in the future.
Heat pumps can also pump heat from an external source into your living space. Home heating in Canada accounts for 62 percent of residential energy use. Most Canadian homes are heated with fossil fuels. This presents us with a huge opportunity to reduce our green house gas (GHG) emissions.
To reduce your emissions, first minimize heat loss from air leakage and poorly insulated areas of your home. This will reduce your heating requirements.
Next, in a home with fossil fuel central heat, retrofit to a heat pump with an indoor air handling unit that can work within your existing ductwork. You will reduce GHG emissions and save money.
If you have no ductwork, or you have costly electric baseboard heat consider a ductless mini-split heat pump system. Call your local HVAC expert. You may be eligible for a Canada Greener Homes Grant (nrcan.gc.ca)
More Information
- Ductless heating and cooling (nrcan.gc.ca)
- Are Heat Pumps worth it in Canada? – New Canadian Life
- How To Heat Your Home In Canada Without Fueling Climate Change (chatelaine.com)
After-thought
Heat Pumps for Peace and Freedom by Bill Mckibben. Joe Biden Could Damage Putin Badly–and He Doesn’t Have to Ask Joe Manchin
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