Here’s the short version:
We want your help converting our farm’s old and inefficient heaters/water heaters to heat pump systems to lower the cost of hosting a Ukrainian family. Our energy bills have more than doubled since last year, and utility rates are expected to skyrocket this winter due to the gas shortage caused by the war. Your contribution will help us upgrade the farm's space and water-heating systems, which will lower the Ukrainian family’s energy expenses.
Line-Item Budget:
- Air Source Heat Pump (multisplit, main house): $5,000
- Air Source Heat Pump (insulation + multisplit, secondary house): $4,300
- Heat-Pump Water Heater and plumbing connections: $3,500
More background:
Our farm in Dyo (France) has already served as a safe space for our family during the covid lockdowns and a reprieve from the scorching summer heat waves. Now we’re turning it into a true oasis by offering free, long-term refuge to a Ukrainian family. When the war started at the end of February, we saw the urgent need for people fleeing attacks. We decided to offer lodging at the farm to refugees on an official Ukrainian government website. The mother who responded to the ad braved a treacherous three-day train trip with her three sons from Kharkiv to France. We’re so glad she did because while Kharkiv and its surroundings have been shelled daily, the boys are leading a relatively normal, safe life (including going to school) free from the sounds of bombs.
This wonderful family has been staying with us since April. They have adapted to the challenges of living in a foreign country and different culture, considering the circumstances. Our neighbors have graciously smoothed their arrival with baskets of food, clothes, household items, toys, and bicycles for the boys so they can get to and from their bus stop. Our aunt has even loaned the mom a car so she can run errands. The French government has granted them asylum and has offered support for food, school supplies and healthcare.
What the government does not offer, however, is support for people hosting Ukrainian refugees. We are happy to host them without charging rent, but it is costly to invest in the home improvements required when doubling the number of people in your household. We fixed the plumbing in their lodging and invested in shelving to better share our space. We’ve already replaced the broken oven/range, installed an additional refrigerator and shared standalone freezer, and recently bought a new energy-efficient dishwasher to handle the extra dishes while saving water. An energy recovery ventilation system was the priciest investment we made this year but will reduce the energy needed to heat the primary building. We also built a mobile chicken coop that now houses eight egg-laying chickens. A ping-pong table has been a welcome addition that has brought all the kids and adults together in the warm summer evenings and keeps them off their phones.
Winter is fast approaching, though, and the farm’s utility bill has already doubled, thanks in no small part to Putin’s war. We want to upgrade the farm’s most energy-consuming features to reduce the cost of the utilities and make the farm more comfortable for what is turning out to be a more extended stay than anticipated. Improvements include switching to air-source heat pumps for both space and water heating. The living space we share for cooking and dining is currently heated by burning firewood and using electric resistance space heaters. Their separate unit has only an inefficient electric resistance heater and a wood stove that isn’t safe for the toddler, who is always in motion. The water heater serving their lodging is very old and inefficient, so a new electric heat-pump water heater will quickly achieve energy savings.
Our Ukrainian guests want to pay for the utilities because they want to contribute and will be the primary occupants of the farm. Without these energy upgrades, those bills would be higher than market-rate rent! So your donation will directly benefit them by extending their budget for what is turning out to be a long war with no end in sight.
Thank you!
Marion & Doug
We want your help converting our farm’s old and inefficient heaters/water heaters to heat pump systems to lower the cost of hosting a Ukrainian family. Our energy bills have more than doubled since last year, and utility rates are expected to skyrocket this winter due to the gas shortage caused by the war. Your contribution will help us upgrade the farm's space and water-heating systems, which will lower the Ukrainian family’s energy expenses.
Line-Item Budget:
- Air Source Heat Pump (multisplit, main house): $5,000
- Air Source Heat Pump (insulation + multisplit, secondary house): $4,300
- Heat-Pump Water Heater and plumbing connections: $3,500
More background:
Our farm in Dyo (France) has already served as a safe space for our family during the covid lockdowns and a reprieve from the scorching summer heat waves. Now we’re turning it into a true oasis by offering free, long-term refuge to a Ukrainian family. When the war started at the end of February, we saw the urgent need for people fleeing attacks. We decided to offer lodging at the farm to refugees on an official Ukrainian government website. The mother who responded to the ad braved a treacherous three-day train trip with her three sons from Kharkiv to France. We’re so glad she did because while Kharkiv and its surroundings have been shelled daily, the boys are leading a relatively normal, safe life (including going to school) free from the sounds of bombs.
This wonderful family has been staying with us since April. They have adapted to the challenges of living in a foreign country and different culture, considering the circumstances. Our neighbors have graciously smoothed their arrival with baskets of food, clothes, household items, toys, and bicycles for the boys so they can get to and from their bus stop. Our aunt has even loaned the mom a car so she can run errands. The French government has granted them asylum and has offered support for food, school supplies and healthcare.
What the government does not offer, however, is support for people hosting Ukrainian refugees. We are happy to host them without charging rent, but it is costly to invest in the home improvements required when doubling the number of people in your household. We fixed the plumbing in their lodging and invested in shelving to better share our space. We’ve already replaced the broken oven/range, installed an additional refrigerator and shared standalone freezer, and recently bought a new energy-efficient dishwasher to handle the extra dishes while saving water. An energy recovery ventilation system was the priciest investment we made this year but will reduce the energy needed to heat the primary building. We also built a mobile chicken coop that now houses eight egg-laying chickens. A ping-pong table has been a welcome addition that has brought all the kids and adults together in the warm summer evenings and keeps them off their phones.
Winter is fast approaching, though, and the farm’s utility bill has already doubled, thanks in no small part to Putin’s war. We want to upgrade the farm’s most energy-consuming features to reduce the cost of the utilities and make the farm more comfortable for what is turning out to be a more extended stay than anticipated. Improvements include switching to air-source heat pumps for both space and water heating. The living space we share for cooking and dining is currently heated by burning firewood and using electric resistance space heaters. Their separate unit has only an inefficient electric resistance heater and a wood stove that isn’t safe for the toddler, who is always in motion. The water heater serving their lodging is very old and inefficient, so a new electric heat-pump water heater will quickly achieve energy savings.
Our Ukrainian guests want to pay for the utilities because they want to contribute and will be the primary occupants of the farm. Without these energy upgrades, those bills would be higher than market-rate rent! So your donation will directly benefit them by extending their budget for what is turning out to be a long war with no end in sight.
Thank you!
Marion & Doug
Organizer
Douglas Kolozsvari
Organizer
Palo Alto, CA