Why I’m Buying a Heat Pump for my Grandchildren

We live in a northern climate, and that means it gets bitterly cold in the winter. So cold that water pipes will freeze and crack and a cup of coffee would freeze solid if left on the counter overnight. In Canada, as in most northern countries, heating our homes is not just a matter of comfort– it’s a matter of survival.

So as our old oil furnace gets long in the tooth, our thoughts turned to more efficient ways to heat our home. And mostly it’s been recommended that we go with high efficiency natural gas or propane. Those who know me well won’t be surprised that we’re taking the contrarian view.

Now, God bless all those who are advising us in favour of the fossil fuel alternative, because they’re trying to save us short term money. Quite a bit, actually– and that’s a whole other discussion. Fortunately, we don’t have to choose on that basis.

We’re going with the thermal pump alternative not only because the cost will all sort itself out over time, but because we’re grandparents. We’re thinking about Jasmine’s and Rylee’s world in twenty years, of Sienna’s and Lincoln’s future, and whether David and Mallory will have much of a planet left for them.

None but the wishful thinkers believe that the world’s climate is not quite literally going to hell in a handbasket. We have perhaps a year or two before we reach a tipping point into the unthinkable. Even if the predictions are off by a factor of five or ten, it’s still going to get ugly. And that’s the world my grandchildren will inhabit long after I’m gone. Unless, of course, we all smarten up. All of us.

And so today I have to choose how I’m going to heat my house, how often and how far I drive my car, how much plastic I’ll accept from packagers, even how much lawn (if any) I’m going to cut and water.

Saving the planet is exactly like dieting or getting back in shape– it ain’t easy. But if I intend to lose weight or build muscle, I need to be disciplined, and it’s going to hurt. There are no shortcuts to good health, and there are no shortcuts to saving our planet for our kids and grandkids.

That’s just me. I’m not preaching. Well, I guess I am, but it’s for a good cause. If you have children or grandchildren, I’m sure you get my point.

(Since writing this, we see a glimmer of hope. Australians went to the polls and tossed out the worst of their climate change deniers, and elected a fair number of parliamentarians who stand for change. I for one was not shocked, predicting this in a January 2020 posting (https://mailchi.mp/c10e36d091eb/resolution-for-2502449?e=[UNIQID]) .)