Dear friends of the dark retreat,
construction of the northern sanctuary is in full swing and within 14 days we’ll be putting on the finishing touches.
Since you sent us enough financial contributions in advance, there was even enough for a reversible heat pump, so the northern sanctuary will have air conditioning for the summer. By the way, it was a bit of a challenge to make sure the air conditioning doesn’t give off any light 🙂
A dark retreat at a pleasant temperature
The heat pump has an output of 2 kW for both heating and cooling. The outdoor unit stands on the ground, so no vibrations are transmitted into the sanctuary. It’s also super quiet, at just 46 dB, which is about as loud as a hushed conversation. The indoor unit is set to night mode, so its noise level is only 21 dB, roughly like a quiet garden. The heat loss of the sanctuary is about 0.5 kW, so the pump can easily heat and cool the sanctuary (it’s the least powerful pump you can get on the market).
The heat pump, including professional installation, cost 50,000 CZK, and we’ve calculated that what the heat pump saves on heating in winter will be used up on cooling in summer. This means the daily cost of a dark retreat shouldn’t go up.
The temperature can be set anywhere between 18 and 28 degrees with a remote control specially adapted for blind people, so the buttons have distinct shapes that can be told apart in the dark.
A request for contributions
At the moment only the northern sanctuary has a heat pump with air conditioning, and because it’s so great, we’d love to give all participants cooling in the other sanctuaries this summer too.
The total cost of the heat pumps and the necessary changes to the electrical wiring is 170,000 CZK. We’re able to save 15,000 CZK a month, so air conditioning in the other sanctuaries wouldn’t happen until next year.
If you’re planning to come to us, you can choose in the booking form to help us fund air conditioning for the other sanctuaries too, by sending us your contribution for the dark retreat in advance, either in full or in part.
If you’ve already been with us and you’d like to and are able to contribute by making a donation towards air conditioning, we and all the other participants will be very grateful if you send your donation to account 2000223289/2010 with the reference “dar na tepelnou pohodu” (a gift for thermal comfort).
Thank you, and may the light be with you
Tomáš and Lenča
