Grandparents take action to help protect their grandkids’ future » Yale Climate Connections

Jon Slote of Newton, Massachusetts, is a proud grandfather. And he’s concerned about how climate change will affect his three grandchildren.

Slote: “They didn’t create the world that they’re inheriting. We did. And I feel like we have an obligation to make that world work for them as well as it possibly can.”

So Slote and his wife are committed to reducing the climate impact of their century-old home.

They started by improving the home’s energy efficiency. They weather-sealed cracks and added insulation to the attic and in the walls.

They installed electric air source heat pumps for heating and cooling and an electric induction stove, so they use very little gas.

And they installed solar panels — which produce enough clean energy to provide more than 70% of the electricity the home uses each year.

Slote: “And so most of the months, I think maybe eight months of the year, we don’t pay anything. And we get a nice hefty rebate from the utility, actually, in the order of six, seven hundred dollars a year.”

He says he likes knowing that they’re doing their part to reduce global warming pollution. And he enjoys seeing all the money he’s saving month to month.

Slote: “It’s nice to have these gifts that keep on giving. So the value of all of these savings accumulate over time and make these things cost-effective and really an investment in our grandkids’ future, which we’re thrilled with.”

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media / Rewiring America

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