The tipping point.. a $709 oil bill for 2 weeks of heat!

The Cost of Oil

I knew that oil was expensive, but did not realize just how expensive it was!! In early 2022 during a particularly cold spell, I could not believe it when I received an oil bill for $709.89 for only two weeks of heating the house!

It's a good thing that my partner loves solving problems, as he then spent time figuring out the cost of electricity vs oil, and when to use each source of fuel at which time of day to reduce the cost of heating. The house has baseboard heaters in a few locations - but only in the dining room, his office, and in the basement! That, in addition to wearing extra layers and a warm pair of slippers decreased my heating bill to a more affordable cost the following month! And at that point, I decided that I had no intention of refilling the oil tank EVER again!

The Options of Gas, Propane, and Electric

I had previously looked into switching to a gas furnace, but found out that there is no gas line to the house, so it would have to be brought from down the road and would cost a minimum of $25,000. YIKES! I wasn't keen on propane, so went back to looking into other options.

My Introduction to Heat Pumps

I had been following Ottawa's SmartNET Alliance (now rebranded as the Smart Net Coalition), and registered for their webinar "A Smart Guide to Heat Pumps" on March 11, 2021. This began my learning about cold weather air source heat pumps and mini-splits and heat pump hot water heaters. This webinar is also where I first heard about some of my trusted team, including Stephen Magneron from Homesol, when he was recommended by one of the presenters!

This is also where I first heard that the City of Ottawa was planning to launch a green build program, and I made sure that I kept checking back to find out when it would launch.

So many decisions...

By the time this heat bill came around, I had already been looking at what I wanted to do for renovations for almost a year. After dealing with mice issues (to be talked about in a separate blog post), asbestos, and working around some unique aspects of the existing building, I knew that I needed to start making some decisions!

I had completed my energy audit with Homesol and applied for the Canada Greener Homes Grant. On recommendation from Stephen, and after speaking with/interviewing a number of contractors, I made the decision to look for an architect and builder specific to designing and building an energy efficient home, with the goal of being as close to Net Zero as I could afford! Casey Grey and his company The Conscious Builder had been recommended by a number of people as a leader in Net Zero and energy efficient renovations, and E. Jane Wilson understood working with septic systems and waterfront issues as she had experience working with Rideau Valley Conservation Authority on other waterfront builds, including her own!

Fast Forward to December 2022

Although a lot had happened between that oil bill and the end of the year, and renovations weren't starting until February 2023, I did not want to refill my oil tank! We went ahead and had the Mitsubishi Zuba air source heat pump and Rheem ProTerra heat pump hot water heater installed. Both had been approved as part of my energy audit, and I had also been approved for both the Ottawa Better Homes Loan Program and the Canada Greener Homes Loan. More on both of these loan programs, as well as the Canada Greener Homes Grant in a separate post!