Chosen for a Pilot Project Reducing My Home's Emissions by 100%
Photo by Raze Solar on Unsplash
A few years ago, my unwavering passion to get my home off fossil fuels was in full swing.
I researched, contacted people and got quotes. I wrote about my reasons for doing so here.
When researching ground-source heat pumps (geothermal), I was told they would be too expensive and make a massive mess in the yard. So, I decided on an air-source heat pump. Scott at Applewood Heating and Appliance was an integral person who spent endless time with me, making my dream a reality!
A few sources told me I would need to upgrade this 1972 home's electrical panel from 100 amps to 200 amps to accommodate the air-sourced heat pump, electric hot water tank, solar panels, and electric car charger.
The main electric company in BC was pivotal in upgrading the electrical panel, but on the day everything was going to be set in motion, it ground to an abrupt halt. Resolving a problem regarding the wiring to the electric box (in the front of the home) took a painstaking year and a half.
Unbeknownst to me, though I felt deeply frustrated that it was halted, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, which I will explain.
As a result, I redirected this passion and focused energy on my permaculture and herbology studies and creating a food forest in my front and backyard.
At the end of the summer of 2023, my dad and his partner's neighbour told them about a new pilot project called 'The HomeZero Collective' whose goal is to:
"Give Vernon neighbourhoods the chance to embrace clean energy retrofits with the greatest ease, efficiency, quality and affordability. From retrofit start to completion, residents will see exciting results of an 85-100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions."
I was so excited to learn about this brilliant local initiative that I attended an introduction talk at the local library and applied online as soon as I got home.
"HomeZero's extensive feasibility study demonstrates that doing clean energy retrofits on a neighbourhood scale, rather than one home at a time in different areas, makes it easier and more affordable for homeowners to make the switch to green home technology."
The HomeZero Collective
There were two retrofit options: one package involved an air source heat pump, an electric hot water tank, solar panels, and an electric car charging unit, and the other involved a geothermal heat pump. The rest was the same. Both packages included government grants and HomeZero grants. As a result, the cost of geothermal energy was reduced substantially and "the mess" will involve removing some cement so that I can plant things there instead.
A zero-interest Canada Greener Homes loan makes it possible to pay it over ten years, with your bills being no more than what you currently pay.
After a six-month application process, I found out in February that my home had been chosen for the pilot project! I always had a really positive feeling about it. Around 80 homes applied, and in the end, 11 were selected.
It now made sense to me why all the efforts did not work the first time. Something even bigger than what I ever could have imagined miraculously appeared!
It turns out I did not need to upgrade to a 200-amp panel after all. Okanagan Geothermal will put an 80-amp panel in the mechanical room. Though the electric company decided to upgrade the electrical box even though I would not need it, it is ready if and when my neighbours choose to do some upgrades.
A zero-interest Canada Greener Homes loan allows participants to pay it for over ten years, with our bills being no more than what we are currently paying.
With the geothermal heat pump, I will be able to reduce my home's emissions by 100%!! After the geothermal and hot water system installation is complete, I can disconnect the natural gas connection, so the expense and negative environmental impact will be gone immediately!
"After the solar installation, your BC hydro account will start accumulating credits from the extra solar power generation during the day. At night when you are not generating solar power, those credits will allow you to get electricity from BC Hydro at no cost. Also during the winter months when you are generating less solar energy, you will be able to use the credits that you accumulate in the summer."
Amandeep Singh, HomeZero Founder
Engineers developed an energy model on each home to estimate the energy consumption. In my case, the solar power generation will be close to my projected use, so my bills should be minimal. Energy measurement equipment will be installed to verify if the estimates are correct.
After ten years, I will have no loan payments, so my monthly costs will go down.
With the initial plan of an air-source heat pump, I would still need a backup furnace. I am over the moon that it worked out the way it did!
This whole process has been a big lesson for me in trusting the process, trusting the bigger picture, and trusting that this wise universe knows what is best and for the highest good.
I felt uneasy about all the time Scott spent making it work for me in the project's first iteration. When I told him about this opportunity that presented itself while we were waiting on the electric company, he was genuinely happy for me and desires to see and learn as it unfolds in the coming months.
I am eternally grateful for this opportunity to participate in this pilot project, and I look forward to seeing its powerful ripples expand beyond the initial eleven homes!
Life you are never boring and are full of beautiful surprises!
*More to come on this project as it unfolds.