The Coastal Heat Pumps team
SIDNEY – A contract between Coastal Heat Pumps and Heiltsuk First Nation transforms lives.
One of Coastal Heat Pumps owners’ Don Gulevich notes that over 300 families now have heat pumps in their homes in the northern BC coastal community of Bella Bella, thanks to a project with the Heiltsuk Nation that started with truth and reconciliation in 2017.
“This was a big project that was successful thanks to strong relationships, passion and perseverance,” says Don. “We were there to support a project driven by truth and reconciliation, and accomplished this by providing comfort and increased quality of life through the installation of heat pumps. We also educated homeowners, and provided working opportunities for community members throughout the process.”
“We were commissioned to do a pilot project where we installed heat pumps in 20 homes with working and non-working baseboard heaters. We had extensive conversations with Band Representatives and came up with a plan,” Don recalls. “Once we were able to overcome the logistics of the project, including the shipment and barge arrangements for equipment, material, and vehicles, we got to choose the most reliable equipment for the community.
Coastal Heat Pumps team members with a ceremonial blankey from Bella Bella. From left: Joanne Gulevich, Pamela Wilson, Don Gulevich, Jordan Caton and Ashley Gulevich
“Bella Bella is only accessible by air or water, so ensuring quality, and reliability, was very important. The installations were audited and the performance of the equipment was monitored for almost two complete heating seasons.”
The end results were very favourable to convert more homes to heat pumps. However, many homes had existing oil furnace systems complete with ductwork, so the project took on a different direction that promoted the elimination of fossil fuel equipment and install complete central heat pump systems in all the qualified homes.
“The Heiltsuk Nation helped us, and we helped them,” Don notes. “Many friendships were formed as we converted over 300 homes from oil heat to comfort systems using heat pumps.”
There were homes where the furnace had not worked in over 20 years and families were relying on the use of their kitchen stove and oven and fans, or plug in the wall heaters.
“It has been especially rewarding to our installing technicians, as when they left a home they knew the lives of residents had been changed for the better,” he adds. “Not only do homes have comfortable heat, their air is also being filtered and circulated for a healthier home. Another reward is the significant reduction in heating costs, due to the elimination of fossil fuels that need to be barged in from the mainland. Our technicians would return home after a round of installations, very tired but so full of energy as the project was so rewarding.”
One story was particularly touching, as Don noted a Heiltsuk elder burst into tears when the Coastal Heat Pumps team completed her installation and shared with our team that this was the first time in 20 years that she had a working heating system in her home.
“This project is more than heat pumps, it is about truth and reconciliation, and equity,” Don says. “We at Coastal could not have completed this project without the cooperation and assistance of the Heiltsuk Nation, as we both joined forces to overcome obstacles, logistics, and a pandemic, to ensure all systems were designed and installed for optimum operation.
“As a result of this project the Heiltsuk Nation has drastically reduced their carbon footprint, and almost eliminated the majority of home heating oil to be barged into the community.”
Bella Bella has also been awarded the Clean BC Community Initiative for 2022.
“For a locally family owned and operated business to work closely together with and impact a community has been one of the biggest rewards in my career, and one of the biggest honors,” Don says.
Coastal Heat Pumps has been in business since 2005 and is a local family owned and operated Heat Pump Company specializing in residential heat pump design, sales and installations.
All installation staff members are either Red Seal Journeyman Refrigeration Technicians or indentured apprentices, and Don notes that “Great quality equipment combined with a quality installation will ensure many years of reliable operation.”
