Thinking about a heat pump
Your furnace, AC, or baseboards are due — and everyone has an opinion about heat pumps.
What it usually means
- Electric baseboard homes: the strongest case in Ontario — cold-climate heat pumps typically cut heating electricity 40–60%
- Gas-heated homes: at current Ontario gas prices the bill case is modest — the wins are AC included, comfort, and emissions; hybrids hedge
- Oversizing risk: without a heat-loss calculation, contractors guess — and guesses cost
What an audit measures
- A room-by-room heat-loss calculation (the audit's core output) sizes the unit properly
- Envelope findings first — insulation can shrink the heat pump you need by a full size class
Try first (cheap or free)
- Collect a year of bills before quotes — sizing from bills beats sizing from square footage
- Get quotes for cold-climate units (rated at -25°C 'CC' performance), not just any heat pump
The fix ladder
- Audit + envelope quick wins
- Cold-climate heat pump (up to $7,500 HRSP rebate; $2,000 if gas-heated)
Rebates that apply
- HRSP (with assessment) — Up to $10,000 per home for insulation, windows and air sealing, plus $600 back on your assessments — if the follow-up assessment is done by December 31, 2026
- HRSP (no assessment) — Heat pumps up to $7,500 ($12,000 ground-source), solar with battery up to $10,000, plus attic, thermostat and appliance rebates — no assessment needed
- Toronto HELP — City loans up to $125,000 (or 10% of your home's assessed value) for energy retrofits, repaid on your property tax bill
Want it diagnosed properly?
A registered energy advisor measures instead of guessing — blower door, thermal imaging, and a written upgrade report priced against rebates.
Email us what you’re planning, your postal code and the type of building (a house, a duplex or triplex, or a larger multi-unit building) — we’ll reply with registered service organizations for your area and which rebates apply.
Email dave@clickshift.ca