In 2009 the Nelson United Church congregation undertook a project to retire the existing furnace and upgrade to a new environmentally greener heating system. the original system is a very old gas-fired boiler system. In 2007, one of four pilot lights quit and the only one replacement in North America could be found on eBay. Not satisfied with the potential expense of maintaining this boiler, a committee headed by Bob Steed undertook a plan to replace the heating system.
Several options investigated were investigated:
- Geothermal
- High efficiency gas boiler
- Medium efficiency gas boiler
- Electrical boiler
- Air heat exchange pump
By far the best option in terms of both promised efficiency and cost was the air heat exchange pump.On behalf of the committee, Bob made a presentation to the congregation for approval to finance a recommendation for a system that qualified for a "LiveSmart" energy grant from Fortis BC.
Financing for the conversion was approved:
- Total cost: $43,058
- $27,000 congregational fund raising campaign
- Remainder: $17,000 bank loan
- Monthly loan payments covered by energy cost savings
- Debt scheduled to be eliminated by Dec 2011
The balance of the loan was retired in 2010 with the generous donation of a member of the congregation.
To date (March 2011), energy savings realized by the effort to replace the primary heating source with heat exchange pumps and replacement of floodlights with 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs has resulted in:
- Energy costs (gas and electricity combined) decreased by 36% in the 12 months following instillation compared to the 12 months prior. (with no adjustment for price increases)
- and overall Energy USE (converting Gigajoules and Kilowatts/hour to BTU's) decreased by 44%!
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