Heat pumps, induction burners and other (free) ways to make your home more green

About two years ago, Heather McDiarmid replaced her furnace and air conditioner with a heat pump.

She says there were a few motivations to make the switch. One was that home heating was the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for her family.

"As a climate change professional, I know that there is an urgent need to take deep cuts to emissions and I want to do everything that I can," McDiarmid, who runs a climate change consulting firm in Waterloo region, told CBC News.

Many people, from scientists to residents in Waterloo region, are concerned about the impacts of climate change and are looking for ways to curb their own use of energy to help the environment.

Statistics Canada reported that in 2019, almost one-quarter of the energy used in the country was by households, and homes were responsible for 18.4 per cent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions, "mainly because of the large share of household energy coming from electricity." 

In Ontario, household greenhouse gas emissions were 3.8 tonnes per person, per year, which was on par with the national average.

But Evan Ferrari, executive director of Emerge Guelph, says many people don't want to make changes if it's going to cost money.

"Unfortunately, when it comes to the environment, one of the first things that people ask is: Is it economically worth it?" he said.

"I would argue, do you want your children to continue breathing? How economically worth is that for you to make decisions that ultimately are going to prolong the problems of climate change?"

For the McDiarmid family, a heat pump cost more to install than another gas furnace, but in the long run it saved them money.

"It's cheaper to operate than our gas system and air conditioner ... and we're going to save back the extra upfront cost," she said.

The McDiarmid family isn't alone in making the switch to a heat pump and seeing the benefits.

Reep Green Solutions, an environmental charity based in Waterloo region, posted a blog post on Wednesday about a Kitchener couple who renovated their home using the Canada greener homes grant. They upgraded the air sealing and insulation in the home and replaced the gas furnace with a heat pump and have lowered their energy consumption by 55 per cent. 

The Canadian government touts heat pumps as a "proven and reliable technology" that works year-round, including the most humid days of summer and coldest days of winter.