It’s not everyday that a family in need receives anything for free, but Heat UP Saskatchewan is giving away free furnaces to families in need.
It’s the first time the Lennox program has come to Western Canada, after many successful years in the U.S.
Up to 100 families in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta will be given a furnace, installed by a local dealer.
In Regina, that family was Don and Judy Lowenberger.
Don said it has been really tough in the winter. Their 30-year-old furnace broke years ago and they weren’t able to afford to fix it.
During the cold weather, Don chopped wood to heat the house.
“I’d cut till my fingers got cold, warm my hands up on the fire, go back out and cut some more,” he said.
Now, they have a brand new $6,000 furnace installed for free.
“The old furnace was in pretty rough shape but there was a few wires and things hanging out of it, it wasn’t working for quite a while,” Curtis Beingessner, owner of Arrow Plumbing & Heating, said.
Don said he can’t believe it.
“That’s the best thing that people can do for somebody else.”
It’s also a humbling experience for the installers.
“We don’t do enough in the community to give back to the community that helps us, we just thought there is a lot of needy people in the area we would be glad to help.”
Just a half day of installation, is life-changing for Lowenbergers.
“To just set the thermostat and leave it. That works for me,” Don said.