Like many Park Slopers, Stephanie Doba is concerned about sustainability. She long ago replaced all her light bulbs with LED’s, subscribed to a wind- and solar-generated electricity supplier, and upgraded her house’s insulation, but she wanted to do more. So for the last several years she has been transforming her 10th Street home, which she purchased 25 years ago, into an energy-efficient showplace of sustainable technology.
She installed solar panels on the roof, an air-source heat pump system for quiet whole-house heating and cooling, and traded in her Prius for a Tesla Model 3. All benefited from government incentives and save her money on operating costs. Still on the agenda: replacing the gas stove, old water heater and clothes dryer with counterparts that run on electricity.
Stephanie enjoys the superior performance and comfort of the new technologies. She also takes satisfaction in the knowledge that by ridding her own home of fossil fuels, she is not just talking the talk, but walking the walk, on sustainability and climate.
If you have been contemplating similar changes but didn’t know where to find resources, visit Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn, a non-profit outreach service. There you can ask questions and sign up to have your home evaluated for weatherization and clean heating and cooling options. It’s a great place to start!
