The Arden United Church has a Heat Pump, should you?

Feb 26, 2025

There’s a “new” technology that might be better, and cheaper, and more a convenient way to heat our homes. It’s called a Heat Pump.

According to Natural Resources Canada*, just 7% of Canadian homes are using a heat pump, and 54%of Canadian homes still using fossil fuel heating.

I was intrigued when I heard the United Church, in ARDEN, has converted from “oil” to heat pump. To learn more, I reached out to Bill Wong, Chair of The Stewards Committee of The Church.

Turns out, before he retired, he was a professional engineer specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency for buildings, and he knew a lot about energy efficient solutions.

I met Bill at the church last month on one of the coldest days of the year, it was -22C. I had a few questions to find answers for. I asked why? Why convert the church to a heat pump? He said it was simple; “the heating bill was around $10,000 per year, and we only heat from October to April. It was $8,200 a year before”. Before the oil furnace, the church had a wood furnace in the basement, Bill showed me the hole in the wall where the wood heat was transferred into the duct work to warm the church. Gosh, how many bush cords of wood to heat that place, I wonder. We use 4 bush cords to heat our off-the-grid log home.

Bill did more investigating and found there was a grant available. The grant was a 2 for 1, to a maximum of $30,000. So for every dollar the church raised, Faithful Footprints program of the United Church of Canada would contribute $2. It was calculated that the oil furnace for heat pump upgrade would cost around $47,500 (including some energy efficiency improvement work, ceiling fans, upgrading the electrical service from Hydro One and new high voltage wiring, etc.). Therefore, the congregation of the Arden United Church would need to raise $17,500. The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program offers inspiration, tools, and grants to help its communities of faith reduce their energy and carbon footprint. Together, they are stepping up to help reduce the United Church's carbon emissions 80% by 2030. More here https://www.faithfulfootprints. org.

“In the Fall of 2023, we submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Faithful Footprints grant program for replacing the oil furnace by a heat pump system. Our goal is to replace the oil furnace and have the new heat pump system in place before the next heating season starts in September 2025”. The last question I had for Bill was “who did you find in Arden to decommission the oil furnace, and install the heat pump”? He smiled wryly at me and said a neighbour of his had installed a heat pump at the lake, and said he has a “guy for that”. Of course he does. That’s how we get stuff done in the country. We share “our guy or gal” with friends in the community. Like Bill & I, the “heat pump guy” had left the city, and relocated to Central Frontenac to live with nature and raise his family here. Apparently, he’s keen on how the heat pump technology can make things better, and cheaper, and more convenient when heating our homes, businesses, and churches too. What if you want to join Bill, Bill’s neighbour, and the Arden United Church and become part of the 7%-er’s? That is, You’ve ditched your oil furnace for a modern, efficient heating & cooling solution. There’s a $10,000 Federal Grant for that from Natural Resources Canada. “The program helps eligible homeowners with median income or less who are currently heating their homes with oil make the transition to a better, more efficient option. There is no need for a home energy evaluation as part of this program”. Before you go, if you’d like to learn more and where to begin, Bill is hosting a free “Heat Pump 101” seminar on Sunday, March 2, 2025 at The Arden United Church (1076 Railway Street, Arden) for all that are interested. It starts at 2pm, coffee & tea will be offered.