Thank you to everyone who applied for the Making the Switch project. We had 67 households express an initial interest in the program, and 16 households have now been confirmed as participants.
For those that did not go ahead, some householders were reluctant to remove their wood heater, some were concerned about power outages, and some were concerned about the cost of switching to electric heating.
The August snowstorm made a big impact on recruiting, as some households reconsidered their heating needs during power outages. However, many households were already considering a switch to electric heating, and the project provided the support they needed to make the change.
Currently, installations of new electric heating systems and removals of old wood heaters are underway, with completion expected by early 2026. The project will continue to collect feedback and data from participants throughout 2026 to help inform future efforts to improve home heating, energy efficiency, and air quality in the region.