MOVING toward
A self-described early adopter,
Kendall Christiansen previously had helped lead a movement to permit solar panels on the roofs in his historic Brooklyn row-house neighborhood. As his 35-year-old hot-water boiler neared the end of its life, it was a natural decision to convert to a more efficient heating and cooling system—one that was as close to fossil-free as possible.
Christiansen and his wife, Carol Shuchman, chose to replace the old hot-water boiler with a whole-house, air-source heat pump system. Commonly referred to as mini-splits and more accurately as
