We’ve only had our heat pump for 3 months, but have noticed an immediate difference in the comfort of our home. The temperature remains consistent throughout the house and with the increased efficiency and reduced GHGs, we can keep the temperature at a more comfortable setting. We are also looking forward to cooling and better air quality in the summer.
Most potential buyers considered our 1912 house a tear down. But we saw it had good bones and was solid. After all, the greenest house is the one that already exists. We wanted to demonstrate that virtually any old house can be made highly energy efficient, aesthetically pleasing and sound for another century. All our systems were dated and due for replacement. The solar estimate we received, combined with energy modelling showed the house could be powered by solar panels on our roof. A pre-renovation blower door test showed us how leaky the house was and helped us set the road map of upgrades with the goal of reaching net zero. We did it!
We got lots of help and encouragement from the local authorities. The City’s Community Energy Specialist turned us on to many city, regional and provincial resources. This was a complex renovation, and we feel fortunate to have had the time and resources to do it in one shot. We are thrilled with the results. We were inspired by the City of Victoria Climate Leadership Plan (CLP) goal to reach an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.
We documented the whole process of the 18 month renovation in a house website in hopes of helping others on their journey to reducing their carbon footprint and relying only on renewable energy to power their homes.
As part of a major upgrade to our 1913 house in Esquimalt, we replaced an oil furnace with a heat pump, and have been very happy with it. We now spend about $480/year on heating, which is pretty good for a 2150 sq. ft. older house. We also replaced our windows and added insulation so our house is now pretty efficient, given its age. We love our heat pump, and the fact that it’s close to zero carbon is a big plus for us.
We love our heat pump! It keeps our home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When we renovated to include a home music studio, we decided to install a heat pump to help our household be more energy efficient. The upfront costs were worth it – we love how well the heat pump works to keep our house at a comfortable temperature, we appreciate the savings on our energy bills, as well as the peace of mind of knowing we’re doing what we can to be more energy efficient.
We turned off one forced air furnace, five baseboard heaters and two in-floor heaters, and now heat our entire home with two mini-split heat pumps (with the combined electricity use of one baseboard heater). I love that energy-saving, environmentally-friendly math!
We’ve had our heat pump for over 5 years and really appreciate the efficient heating and cooling it provides. In addition to improving the comfort of our home, we also feel good about how much easier our heat pump is on the environment compared to heating and cooling systems that use fossil fuels.
After purchasing an Electric Vehicle in January 2020, I began looking for ways to reduce my overall electrical consumption. My electrical bills were high due to an electric in-floor boiler and space heating in the garage. I opted for a heat pump because it provided the benefits of heating and cooling in addition to a great resale feature when I decide to sell the home. I anticipate substantial savings over the coming year with my heat pump!
We had a heat pump installed within a year of moving into our manufactured home which was previously heated by electric baseboards. The big benefit is gaining more efficient and effective heating and cooling. With the heat pump installation, we were able to achieve a 30% reduction in electricity consumption and we estimate a payback of about six years.
While we were getting a new roof installed on our 1961-era house last summer, we took advantage of the opportunity to add some insulation to the attic space. Now we have R28 instead of the R6 that was there with the original insulation. Our upstairs was always quite cool in winter, and really hot in summer. Now with this extra insulation the upper floor is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Now we are enjoying extra savings on heating bills, and a much more comfortable living space.
We used to supplement our heat with a woodstove and the house would get too hot. With a heat pump, we are now saving money on wood and our heating bills are a third lower. The house is comfortable all the time and we love the air conditioning in the summer.
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