[oldE]

Unclebilly! Ease up my friend. Step away from the natural gas pipeline for a minute and think about where Dennis and I live. PEI and Nova Scotia stick out into the ocean and, as a consequence don't get the really cold temps which render air source heat pumps ineffective. Furthermore, since many homes in Atlantic Canada (including mine) were built with electric baseboard heat, it reduces electrical demand to switch to a heat pump. If as some of my neighbours have done, you install ground source heat pumps, you can thumb your nose at the mercury.
I understand the current administration in AB is beating the "Let the Eastern Bastages freeze in the dark" drum, but that really doesn't apply to Dennis and me because as everyone out West knows, Eastern Canada refers to ON and PQ. (The exception to this truism would be the Maritimers who actually go out there to work in those crappy conditions.)
I admit, over the years I have voted for candidates of each of the three major parties, both federal and provincial, so I am not 'married' to any one party. However, when some politician starts in with,"we're being treated badly by those bullies in Ottawa (or Edmonton) who don't understand us", I get suspicious.
Dennis, just for the record, when my heat pump was installed five years ago, the installer suggested we put it on the end of the house where there would be no rain dripping off an eave. Also snow blows away from that position in most cases. Your neighbour's solution looks neat.

Best
Les