Electric heat pumps good for environment

Re: “Heat pumps seem to do an inadequate job,” by Paul Crossley (Herald letters, April 23).

On the issue of heat pumps, the writer stated, "Our house was built in 2007 and the contractor convinced us to pay for the $5,000 option to install a heat pump along with what is defined as emergency heat (natural gas)."

Thanks to his choice of a clean electric heat pump all those years, his family kept tons of harmful fugitive gases and methane out of the atmosphere! We applaud you.

However, we have to acknowledge that technology has made huge strides since 2007 and modern heat pumps are vastly more efficient now and capable of keeping houses cool in summer and warm in winter temperatures down to -25C.

Given all that we know from hundreds of scientists in dozens of countries, in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report issued just a few weeks ago, it is crucial for our children's children that we all do what we can to lower GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions as quickly as possible.

This is urgent. And it is doable. There are solutions.

Buildings in Penticton create over 30% of the total emissions for the city. The recent Climate Action Plan the city adopted requires a drastic reduction in those emissions.

The ability to convert home heating from fossil fuels with technology that uses clean, renewable energy is within our reach with BC and federal government rebates and groups like CleanBC and First Things First Okanagan helping us navigate the transition.

Companies like Fortis are responsible for human health as well as shareholder profits. The millions of dollars allocated for a new pipeline should instead be directed to helping citizens and communities retrofit.

New gas hookups will never allow any town to reach its Climate Action Plan goals.

We can’t delay taking action for our planet.

Lori Goldman Penticton