By Graham Anderson, former Director of Community Energy, Ecotrust Canada.
I recently had the opportunity to meet with a number of heat pump program participants alongside my colleagues, Josephine Schrott and Shannon Lough, in Northern Vancouver Island communities. We had extra time on the final morning, so we reached out to a number of Sointula residents who had attended a community workshop with Michael-Anthony Lutfy, our Regional Retrofits Program Manager. We promptly received positive replies, and the next morning I was on the early ferry from Port McNeill.
“I’d be happy to speak with you; I LOVE my heat pump!”
Upon my arrival, I was welcomed to Marnie’s sunny cottage by six small dogs clamouring for a greeting. A retired teacher, Marnie now spends her days painting and caring for dogs, including her three Jack Russell terriers.
With a sweet little dog named Yogi comfortably settled on my lap, we started chatting about what inspired Marnie to get a heat pump.
“I used wood until last winter, but when I fell bringing in wood, it knocked out my teeth, and I realized, ‘Marnie, you’re getting too old for this!’”
The biggest benefit for Marnie is consistency and ease of use compared to wood heat. She likes how easy her heat pump is to turn on. The heat is just there without extra work, and it keeps going at a comfortable set temperature overnight. Marnie has respiratory challenges, so she also appreciates the cooling—she can close the windows and stay comfortable if it gets smoky outside.
Marnie wanted a heat pump for a long time but said she “didn’t have the money up front to ever get one.” That changed with the launch of the CleanBC Energy Savings Program, which offered $5,000 off the cost of her heat pump. Critically for Marnie, she “didn’t have to ask for money back.” The program is designed so that contractors are paid directly, and the residents just cover the difference.
Since she had hers installed, Marnie has been promoting heat pumps in the community.
“I keep telling all my other old retired friends, ‘You’ve gotta do this, guys, it’s wonderful!’”
“Every once in a while I notice a woodshed is empty and it’s been used to store other stuff, so I know they probably got a heat pump!”
And she’s starting to see the impact: “It’s cheaper, and it’s constant heat—those are the two big benefits. It’s amazing. I thought, ‘I’ll still use my wood heat all winter. But NAH, you don’t!’”
“I’m not dealing with propane anymore!”
Linny welcomed me into her bright kitchen, and I grabbed a seat under a set of framed black-and-white fishing photographs, across from an ominous warning sign: “Spoiled Cat Lives Here.”
Linny told me about how her home is over 78 years old and was originally owned by her husband’s grandparents. “That picture up there of those guys pulling net,” she pointed out to me, “those are all my husband’s relatives.”
She first visited the home when she was 19 and hoped one day it would be her own. During my visit, Linny shared her passion for Sointula.
“It’s a special place. There’s a pull here. When I first came, I didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to go back to the city.” Living on Sointula, Linny has worked a vast array of jobs, including firefighting, bartending, graveyard maintenance, and working at the local fish plant. She said, “There’s strength in whatever you do, right?”
Linny was inspired to get a heat pump because “propane had become extremely, extremely expensive.”
She found it hard dealing with the propane company on orders, delivery, and billing.
Now Linny has seen massive savings. She estimates that her heating bills have gone down from $5,000 per year to about $1,800. It’s also more convenient; she likes that it’s all on one single hydro bill.
Linny knew she wanted to get a heat pump, but she “was kind of freaking out, wondering how I was going to pay for it.”
At the end of the day, with a $16,000 grant from the CleanBC Energy Savings Program, the new system cost her about $300. She also had insulation installed in her attic and basement ceiling with support from the program.
With the new savings on her energy bills, Linny is focused on other things that her home needs: “My big goal is to get my roof done!”
“It’s the best thing we did!”
I met up with Vern and his partner Sisko on the balcony of Sointula’s mainstay café—Coho Joe’s.
Vern told me about how they got a heat pump 10 years ago because they had baseboard heating and “they suck—your hydro bills are like $600 or $700 a month.”
Vern was born in Sointula and has lived in the community his entire life. He told me how Sointula was settled by Finns and what it was like growing up. “When I was a kid, this was a Finnish-speaking community, and everything was in Finnish.” They originally knew about heat pumps because Sisko is from Finland, and heat pumps are very popular there.
More recently, they added insulation to their home after finding out about CleanBC’s Energy Savings Program through one of Ecotrust Canada’s community workshops.
Since getting the heat pump and more recently adding insulation, their hydro bills have dropped from $700 to $250 per month. They also find that the heat pump provides better heat—a consistent warm heat instead of turning on and off like baseboards. It keeps the home comfortable even on the coldest nights of winter.
Vern has noticed the impacts of wood heat on the community’s air quality and has been recommending heat pumps to his neighbours. For anyone burning wood, he points out that it’s better for health and air quality both inside and outside the home.
Vern and Sisko didn’t hesitate when I asked if they would get a heat pump again.
“It’s the best thing we did ‘cuz we’re old and warm instead of old and cold!”
Reflections
As it happens, this visit coincided with my final month at Ecotrust Canada after eleven years with the organization. It has been an incredible honour to work alongside such an amazing team and contribute to expanded access for energy efficiency upgrades across BC.
I first became aware of the issue of energy insecurity when I met an Elder who could no longer chop wood and was facing a $1,000 hydro bill using baseboard heat. The stories above underline the importance of retrofit support programs that help people stay warm and comfortable without breaking the bank or compromising their safety.
Energy Efficiency retrofits provide incredible benefits to households across BC, and the CleanBC Energy Savings Program has provided critical support to ensure that those who benefit the most from these upgrades can afford them.
In the coming months, our team will be sharing more stories about the impact of retrofits, and we will be collaborating with partners to advocate for ongoing investment in this valuable program.
If you would like to find out more about the Energy Savings Program and other supports to get a heat pump or install energy efficiency measures, please contact Michael-Anthony here.