You'll notice in the photo above a mini split heating unit mounted on our updated south wall. This is a part of a new heat pump heating/cooling system installed at the Hall in early January.
This system is part of our Energize The Hall campaign. The primary goals with this new system are to improve the comfort at our facility while also moving from propane to electricity (more on the reasons behind this in future posts).
Even in the midst of this cold spell we're experiencing, the quality of heat at the Hall is much improved. We still have more work to do improving the energy-efficiency of the Hall, which you'll hear more about throughout 2025.
This new system will also allow us to provide cooling capabilities at the Hall for the first time ever, which will be a relief to those who use the Hall during warmer days in the summer months. One related benefit is that we will now be able to host blood drives during the summer months, something that previously was not possible due to the risk of excessive temperatures.
Now that the older propane furnace has been removed from our utility room, we have space available for backup batteries when solar is installed at the Hall.
Funding
We are happy to announce that this project was 100% funded through two sources.
First, local grassroots group Kicking Gas contributed $7,500 (they also contributed to our purchase of an electric induction stove for the Hall last fall). Kicking Gas works to make home electrification measures accessible and affordable, and have been very active in Island County and have also expanded to other areas in the Puget Sound. They are a great resource of knowledge and financial support if you are considering a heat pump system. Thank you to everyone at Kicking Gas for your support of the Hall!
We are also receiving just under $10,000 for the new heating/cooling system from Sustainable Connections through the State Department of Commerce Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program (HEAR).
Sustainable Connections "advances a regenerative local economy that builds community, strengthens food systems, catalyzes climate solutions, and expands access to housing in NW Washington." Aside from securing funding for our heat pump system, they've been very helpful in offering input and advice for our overall Energize The Hall campaign, and we used them to do an energy audit of the Hall to help us better understand our needs & options.
Thanks also to all the folks at Energywise for making the planning & install process go so smoothly. They were terrific to work with.
For those interested in additional details about the system...
We had a Daikin Atmosphera system installed. This newer system uses the latest R-32 coolant that is more efficient and better for the planet (and us), and will soon be required in all heat pump systems. There are two exterior units that each power one mini split unit inside the Hall: one on our kitchen and the other in our larger, main room.