TODAY we make a lot of our products in a warehouse we lease.
In the future, we'd love to build an 'off-grid' facility surrounded by pollinator gardens where we'd keep our own bees!
And how would we heat and cool it? Well...we've been exploring geo thermal heating and cooling along with a heat pump.
How It Works
Geothermal systems, also known as ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), use the stable temperature of the earth to provide heating and cooling. They include ground loops buried underground, which absorb heat from the earth in winter and dissipate heat back into the ground in summer, maintaining a consistent indoor temperature year-round.
Efficiency and Cost Savings
Those in favour, say they provide more than five units of energy for every unit of electricity used, translating to an efficiency rating exceeding 530%, reducing heating and cooling bills by 30 to 70 percent compared to traditional systems and lowering home operating costs by up to 70 percent.
Environmental Impact
According to the makers, a single geothermal heat pump can reduce emissions by 11 metric tons over its 20-year lifespan, which makes them arguably the most sustainable option.
If they're so great, why don't more people use them?
The biggest issues seem to be the upfront costs, complexity of the install and access to appropriate land.
Also, not a lot of people know about them... until now!
Canada has an Oil to Heat-pump Affordability Plan
To ease the transition from oil to heat-pumps, the Canadian government is offsetting some of the costs: "the Government of Canada has been providing an upfront, advance payment of up to $10,000 to low-to-median-income Canadian households that use home heating oil to help them cover the cost of purchasing and installing an eligible heat pump system."
So what do you think? Can we make this vision a reality?
