The Pocket Change Project's Retrofit Coach, Paul Dowsett, made the ultimate green move with his own home recently - he got completely off fossil gas for his heating and cooling needs by replacing his gas boiler with two air source heat pumps. Oh, and did we mention he had three kinds of radiators - and kept them? Read on to learn how he did it.
When it became clear to Pocket Change Chair David Langille that his home was contributing to climate change, he knew it was time for a deep retrofit. On part 1 of his journey, David shares his tips relating to the insulation work he began with and the quotes he got for his next stages.
It took “Pocket adjacent” homeowner Chris about 12 years to do a deep retrofit on his home, complete with an air source heat pump, solar panels, and an EV charging outlet, among many other things Now his home is a model of retrofit innovation, and he is celebrating a major milestone - his home is now net-zero! In this video, Chris shares how he did it and what he learned along the way.
Wendy’s furnace broke down in the middle of January. With temperatures well below zero and the help of numerous space heaters and long underwear, she and her partner decided to replace it – and are now happy heat pump owners.
His old house was completely uninsulated in parts and had a drafty front door. But after a deep retrofit, Jeb was able to lower his natural gas consumption by more than 1/3 despite having more people living in the house.
I’ve been sweating about climate change for a while now. I’m part of an artists group bringing awareness to these issues and I am also a member of The Pocket Change Project, the Eco committee of PCA whose mission is to help our wonderful neighbourhood fight climate change, largely through home retrofits.
It all started when I was convinced raccoons or squirrels were living in my attic. I heard them moving every night. I had an inspection and they assured me there was no evidence of entry from the roof or below my upper story window. The inspector said I was probably hearing them crossing the roof, but it sounded like they were in the house.
Pocket resident Dan was an early retrofitter, having started his renovation five years ago. With a bit of perspective now, he offers some lessons on what he liked and what he would have done differently.