Taking Action for the Next Generation

Written by Michael Flanagan

After learning of the concerns of our youngest grandson about the looming effects of climate change, we decided that we needed to start acting. So in the Fall of 2021, Louise and I took the first step and added 16 solar panels to our home. This number was chosen by reviewing our electricity usage over the previous 12 months and adding a fudge factor to account for our plans to install a heat pump and increasing the usage of our clothes dryer. ​We had been hanging our clothes in our dry basement, but because of our advancing ages, we assumed that we would eventually have to stop carrying our clothes down the stairs. (So far we still carry them to the basement.)

The Flanagan's 16 solar panels.

The most energy-efficient way to dry laundry: a clothes line.

Installing the heat pump was a reaction to the very smoky summer of 2021. We normally had been cooling our home by opening the windows at night and closing them in the day time. Because of the hazardous air quality we couldn’t do that and our house became uncomfortable. So, if we were going to put in an air conditioner, we decided to step it up and get some heat out of it also.

At the time, we sized the heat pump for keeping our living area and our bedroom cool, opting for a mini split with two heads, one in each room. Through usage we have learned how effective the heat pump is in keeping our home comfortable for all but the two to three months of really cold weather. In retrospect, I now realize that a properly sized air-to-air heat pump can work throughout the winter season.

In-ceiling mini split head.

Wall-mounted mini split head.

Exterior heat pump unit.

In 2023, we replaced our 38-year-old electric stove with an induction model. This was part of our slow, overall upgrade to our kitchen. We are pleased with the induction stove and like the quick response to turning down the heat as the pot begins to boil, in particular. It reacts even quicker than a gas stove would and, obviously, doesn’t pollute the household’s air.

Spaghetti sauce simmering on the induction stove.

In summer 2024 we replaced our aging, gas hot water heater with a heat pump model. This wasn’t done for economic reasons (as gas is still very cheap in Montana), but instead to further reduce our use of natural gas. Doing some calculations on how much gas we used in the summer, when we were only heating our water and not our entire home, I calculated that the cost for switching from gas to electric would be a wash financially, except for the fact that we have always generated a surplus of electricity from our solar panels. So, actually, we should be able to utilize all of the extra electricity that our panels are generating to now heat our water.

Heat pump water heater.

Michael and Louise Flanagan.

And we aren't done yet. When we had the electrical wire installed for our hot water heater, we also had them install a 240V receptacle in the garage. I see a EV in our future.