Pilot program encouraging switch to hybrid heating
Enbridge Gas, supported by London Hydro and the City of London, is running a limited-time pilot program that provides up to $3,200 in incentives for homeowners to install a hybrid heating system with smart controls.
“It’s Vvery similar to an air conditioner, but what it does, it has the benefits of air conditioning. But it can also operate in reverse, if you will, so it can also provide home heating,” says Tom Grochmal of Enbridge Gas.
West London couple Sheri and Pat DeMester made the switch two weeks ago.
“Our house is at the age where it needed a furnace and air conditioning replacement, so we already needed to make a change anyway,” Pat says, adding his wife Sheri came across an ad for the incentivized program and became interested.
“That just kind of got my attention, it’s like oh, lets see the research on these heat pumps and see what they’re all about,” she explains.
Enbridge says the DeMesters are the type of homeowners with older heating and cooling systems they are targeting with this, but it is open to anyone who would like to make the switch, stressing it is a limited time offer.
“We’re offering it to 100 customers because it’s an introductory offer,” says Grochmal. “In exchange we’re asking homeowners that they complete some surveys, and that they operate this as intended for a period of two years.”
That data is going to help inform not only Enbridge but London Hydro as well. The City of London’s involvement is purely getting the word out to encourage homeowners to lower their carbon footprint.
“Home heating is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions as a whole,” says Jamie Skimming from the city.
How it works
An illustration of a new, electric air-source heat pump and an existing gas furnace operated by a smart controller that uses variables such as temperature and the pricing of gas and electricity to determine the most efficient way to heat a home. (Source: City of London)
With a hybrid heating system, the electric air-source heat pump - which is capable of both heating and cooling your home - replaces your current air conditioning unit.
In warmer weather, the heat pump extracts heat from your house to provide efficient cooling. In cooler weather, it runs in reverse to extract heat from the outside to warm your house. When the weather gets colder (below -2.5C), the system automatically switches to your existing natural gas furnace.
A new hybrid heating cloud-based system used in this program can consider variables such as the pricing of gas and electricity or the effect of weather on equipment performance.
To take part in the pilot project, which can provide up to $3,200 in incentives from Enbridge Gas, residents must:
- own a home in London, Ont.
- be a residential customer of both Enbridge Gas and London Hydro, on time-of-use electricity rates for the duration of the pilot
- heat their home with a condensing natural gas furnace
- have a central air conditioner in need of replacement
- have Wi-Fi for the smart controls to access
For more information, residents can contact Enbridge Gas at: hybridheating@enbridge.com
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
4 charged with manslaughter, forcible confinement in Burnaby 19-year-old's death: IHIT
More than a year after a Burnaby man was killed during a home invasion, charges have been laid against four suspects for their alleged involvement in the fatal incident.
Ottawa woman dies after battle with pancreatic cancer
An Ottawa woman who raised more than $500,000 for cancer research at the Ottawa Hospital has died after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
Northern Ontario beekeeper says she lost nearly 2 million bees this season
CTV News Northern Ontario provides and update on the story of more than 1.5 million bees be lost earlier this summer.
How a false rumour about pets in Ohio and Laura Loomer’s presence helped derail Trump’s planned attacks on Harris
Donald Trump wanted to spend this week attacking one of Democratic rival Kamala Harris' biggest political vulnerabilities. Instead, he spent most of the week falsely claiming that migrants are eating pets in a small town in Ohio and defending his embrace of a far-right agitator whose presence is causing concern among his allies.
Andrew Scheer avoids answering if Conservatives will cancel dental care program
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer won't say whether his party will scale back or fully scrap Canada's federal dental care program, despite new data showing nearly 650,000 Canadians have used the plan.
'We're at a high degree of spread': What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ontario
As we head into another respiratory illness season, here’s a look at where Ontario stands when it comes to COVID-19 and what you need to know.
A landslide triggered a 650-foot mega-tsunami in Greenland. Then came something inexplicable
It started with a melting glacier that set off a huge landslide, which triggered a 650-foot high mega-tsunami in Greenland last September. Then came something inexplicable: a mysterious vibration that shook the planet for nine days.
Staff member hospitalized after assault at B.C. maximum security prison
A corrections officer at B.C.'s only maximum security federal prison was taken to hospital after an assault earlier this month.
Jane's Addiction concert ends early after Perry Farrell throws punch at Dave Navarro
A scuffle between members of the groundbreaking alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction came amid 'tension and animosity' during their reunion tour, lead singer Perry Farrell’s wife said Saturday.