Islanders can save over 50 per cent on the cost of a state-of-the-art heat pump but, as we say, “only on Gabriola”.

Through the generous volunteer work by a group from Sustainable Gabriola headed up by Chris Boulsbee, heat pumps considered the most efficient on the market are available at wholesale cost. To date over 50 heat pumps have been installed on Gabriola and people love them.

The savings for people heating with baseboard heaters is amazing; up to two-thirds on your Hydro bill can be saved and there’s a government grant of $1,000 that’s available until March 2013 for even more savings. Go to www.livesmartbc.ca for details about the grant for the heat pumps as well as other energy saving improvements to your home that include substantial rebates.

The unit Sustainable Gabriola is bringing onto the island is the Fujitsu 12RLS2 which generates 16,000 BTU/hr. for heating and 12,000 BTU/hr. for cooling. The retail cost in Nanaimo is $5,300 including installation before the government rebate. On Gabriola you pay about $2,500 including installation before the rebate.

With the savings on Hydro consumption, the unit pays for itself in about 18 months. The savings to Islanders to date on the purchase of the heat pumps is over $125,000. Way to go Sustainable Gabriola!!

Chris Boulsbee is truly someone who puts his commitment and vision into action. He spends many hours ordering the heat pumps, bringing them over from Nanaimo and making sure the units are properly installed. I’ve been doing many of the installations and would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris for all the great work he’s doing with this program.

If you have any questions please call me at 250-247-0079.