Nanaimo Climate Action Hub Launches Heat Pump Affordability Campaign
Heat pumps are an essential tool in the fight against climate change.
Having a heat pump in your home can mean the difference between life and death during extreme temperatures, yet too many British Columbians are unable to afford them.
The Nanaimo Climate Action Hub wants to change that, and that’s why the organization of Nanaimo and area environmental groups has launched a campaign to make them affordable.
The heat pump affordability team of NCAH vice-chair, Larry Whaley, and organizers Kathryn Hazel and Laurie Friskie has started lobbying local MLAs.
A survey done by NCAH of 227 Nanaimo and area residents about their experience with heat pumps found that more than half had not installed them due to cost.
And rebates from CleanBC did not help. In February, 2022 rebates were increased - but with the increase in rebates came an increase in the overall average cost of more than 39 per cent.
Rebate conditions and demand for heat pumps, combined with a shortage of approved installers, mean there is little incentive for companies to keep their prices affordable, and that’s a problem, says Whaley.
The team has five recommendations for making heat pumps more accessible.
First, use a system similar to Prince Edward Island, where a qualified consumer makes an application, the provincial government assigns the job to a contractor, and once the work is done, the government pays the contractor.
Second, do what Gabriola Island has done, where more than 950 not-for-profit heat pumps have been installed in the past 13 years, and allow and encourage not-for-profit installers by giving them access to CleanBC rebates. Use CleanBC staff to inspect the installation to ensure it is done correctly, if necessary.
Third, establish a Crown Corporation or have BC Housing obtain and install heat pumps in homes throughout the province.
Fourth, fix the existing CleanBC process by eliminating the requirement that heat pumps be supplied and installed by an approved list of contractors.
And finally, require installers to provide fully itemized estimates in order to obtain CleanBC rebates for installations.
“If these actions are taken, heat pumps will be more available to everyone, reducing energy consumption, combatting climate change, and making homes more comfortable in both summer and winter,” says Whaley.
Having a heat pump in your home can mean the difference between life and death during extreme temperatures, yet too many British Columbians are unable to afford them.
The Nanaimo Climate Action Hub wants to change that, and that’s why the organization of Nanaimo and area environmental groups has launched a campaign to make them affordable.
The heat pump affordability team of NCAH vice-chair, Larry Whaley, and organizers Kathryn Hazel and Laurie Friskie has started lobbying local MLAs.
A survey done by NCAH of 227 Nanaimo and area residents about their experience with heat pumps found that more than half had not installed them due to cost.
And rebates from CleanBC did not help. In February, 2022 rebates were increased - but with the increase in rebates came an increase in the overall average cost of more than 39 per cent.
Rebate conditions and demand for heat pumps, combined with a shortage of approved installers, mean there is little incentive for companies to keep their prices affordable, and that’s a problem, says Whaley.
The team has five recommendations for making heat pumps more accessible.
First, use a system similar to Prince Edward Island, where a qualified consumer makes an application, the provincial government assigns the job to a contractor, and once the work is done, the government pays the contractor.
Second, do what Gabriola Island has done, where more than 950 not-for-profit heat pumps have been installed in the past 13 years, and allow and encourage not-for-profit installers by giving them access to CleanBC rebates. Use CleanBC staff to inspect the installation to ensure it is done correctly, if necessary.
Third, establish a Crown Corporation or have BC Housing obtain and install heat pumps in homes throughout the province.
Fourth, fix the existing CleanBC process by eliminating the requirement that heat pumps be supplied and installed by an approved list of contractors.
And finally, require installers to provide fully itemized estimates in order to obtain CleanBC rebates for installations.
“If these actions are taken, heat pumps will be more available to everyone, reducing energy consumption, combatting climate change, and making homes more comfortable in both summer and winter,” says Whaley.
