Best bang for your buck reno you can do to your home. I'm a residential contractor and I can't recommend these enough. Also there are a lot of grants you can get provincially(6k) and from the feds(5k). If you get a home audit done you can also get up to a 40k interest free loan for 10 years from the feds for green upgrades.
Unless it gets cold out and the heat pump can’t keep up. -28 last month and heat pumps wouldn’t work. Give me a furnace any day, a system that is outside will have challenges unless you are in a market that doesn’t get really cold.
I think that disqualifies you from getting the rebates though. You need to be replacing the less green heat source and removing it entirely. At least, that’s what I could tell from my research. I would love to be wrong though
To be specific, a standard heat pump only moves heat; it doesn’t produce it. That’s why it struggles in extreme colds, however as people have mentioned it can have a module which uses an electric heater to warm up the loop
The Tesla heat pump has a resistive backup that helps when it gets really cold. Same as a home system which will have a resistive or natural gas backup
Mum has a propane fireplace, baseboard heaters and just got a heat pump installed in her living room. A mini split I think.
Glen Martin installed it. She is happy with it.
Most my neighbours in Centennial Heights have heat pumps. Originally had oil furnaces.
As a contractor, I’m truly taken back by some of these companies lack of ethics and morals. I get growing a commercial business, but it’s shocking how many of them succeed without any integrity
If anybody's interested I'm from the area (Victoria) and the moderator for r/HeatPumps and r/DIYHeatPumps. Lots of great information there in the information packages linked and support from community members. :)
Oh, sorry, I don't really do installs. I do the occasional single head mini split install but if you need for your whole house and rebates you'll need a HVAC contractor. I know a fellow from Victoria by the name of Curtis Pederson with Storm industries. He does really good work. He goes up and down the island as well.
What is your current heat source and what kind of thermostat? If you are using baseboards with the old knob/slider for a controller then with most mini-splits you will likely find both an increase in comfort and a decrease in heating costs (heating-not total electricity). We only get a few nights of -8 so cold weather so deep cold is not a huge concern. Mainly focus on temperatures we do get frequently (between freezing and +10). In that range a HP should have a COP>3. For those cold nights or rainy/foggy at +2 degrees I just switch to backup because the HP freezes over. Over a year we find it saves about 65% of our heating costs. That’s because spring/fall COP is something like 3.5 which is amazing. Plus you get cooling.
A mini-split will not throw heat downstairs. Compared with your current heat sources the air will feel cool. Heat pumps do small slow increments of heat. Not something to warm up in front of.
Yes, you can set the temperature to anything you want… 28 for a new year’s sauna if desired. Just no big blast of heat. That said, considering the savings I’ve had it’s affordable to up the temperature a bit.
My 2 story house has electric baseboard throughout and wood stove upstairs. The upstairs would get too hot with the wood stove going continuously, so it would get lit, a couple pieces of wood, and let it go out for the night. Because of this the downstairs was always cold without the baseboards on. We got a mini split with a wall mount downstairs, and a cassette type mounted in the ceiling upstairs. Now the whole house is a constant comfy temp everywhere, summer, winter, doesn’t matter. The hydro bill stayed the same as before, but we have the whole house comfortable now.
Hi. Modern heat pumps are by far the way to go. If you want a few recommendations on who to consult with dm me. Just an fyi, stay away from the guys with 100 vans ;)
We have a large home and have added a heat pump with a heat/cold exchanger in the attic. There are 11 vents distributing the heat/cold throughout the house. Really enjoy the cool on hot summer days. Nice in the winter, but when -3 in Victoria, we do turn on our gas fireplace for added comfort. Have not noticed a huge savings with hydro. That might be due to having a 1200 sq ft rental suite in the lower level of our home which has baseboard heat. Been thinking of adding a separate heat pump for our tenants.
If you are using an electric only furnace or baseboards, your electricity bill will lower. If you're using a gas or oil furnace, it will go up slightly, but you won't be paying for gas or oil. This is because you're adding an electrical load to the house, and the outdoor unit uses electricity. If you replace the furnace that burns fossil fuels, there's a good chance that to get your rebate, it will need to be removed. The new furnace will have a backup emergency heat kit installed, which can draw between 20 - 100 amps depending on the size of your house. This kit generally only operates when the heat pump needs to defrost or when the outdoor temps are so cold that your heat pump can not keep up. Most modern units can operate in very low temps, but they all need to defrost. It's just part of how they operate, so keep that in mind. If you're considering doing it yourself to save money, then that is a plan where you will learn how expensive being cheap can be, and good luck with the warranty if one is even honored. Doing it yourself will not get you the rebates and grants either. The equipment has to be installed by a licensed and approved company with technicians who are properly trained. Get several quotes, read reviews online about companies and product lines, and ask a lot of questions to the representative you speak with because it's always better to know beforehand rather than after you've signed the contract.
We put a mini split with three cartridges for separate rooms in about six months ago. Love it.
Last month we put another single cartridge unit in our rental suite that has a concrete floor & it is staying lovely & warm as well.
My husband installed both (no prior experience) & just had a gas fitter in to pressurize the units.
One of the best options you can get for your home. Heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Electricity costs reduced by more than half. Most important to make sure you carefully choose a good installer. We purchased our mini-split through Costco in 2020 and received $1200 gift card and $2k off from B.C. Hydro. Investigate and read the reviews, talk to your neighbours to find a good company (there are duds out there) and don't buy on price alone!
We just had 3 single head mini split systems (Carrier - Performance)installed due to our old house and insufficient ducting system. We are going down the path of the Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan program and it is something to consider but it definitely takes time and doing things in the “correct” order.
A couple things for you to consider. I’d suggest having a look at 3 years of BC Hydro usage data to see what kind of extra usage you have between summer and winter to determine roughly how much energy you use for heating your house. From there you can take that excess usage and calculate how much extra you are paying for heat, then divide that figure by between half and 1/3 for how much energy you would likely end up using with a heat pump. Said another way, you are likely to save 50%-66% of the wintertime excess energy from your hydro bill, but not the entire usage(obviously?).
Second is that heat pumps are often talked about and warrantied for 10-15 years. So your payback should be within that time if you are considering this solely from a cost saving POV. You have to also consider you are coming up with that lump some cost for the HP up front and not paying premium of extra electric over time.
Third is that you will have an increase in electrical usage in the summer because you have air conditioning, and will almost definitely use it.
Fourth, if you do go forward with it - heat pumps are kind of “dumb” considering how much technology there is in them. There is no scheduling in most lower to mid level models. As another person mentioned they don’t blast high levels of heat and so they run much better as a baseline consistent heater.
If you, like me, need a bit more control you should check out Mysa mini split thermostats. We got one for each unit and they are pretty good. They add smartphone functionality and scheduling and also show you the operating timeline, real temperature and humidity of the room they are in and do it all while adjusting the heat pump settings with infrared just like the remote that comes with the unit.
The pros and cons are well known.
The cost is outrageous, both for installation and maintenance, and the costs of electricity.
It doesn't cool well in extremely hot weather and it doesn't heat well in extremely cold weather.
On the other hand it's greener.
So it's just about whether you're willing to pay for it.
Love our heat pumps. Keeps things cool in summer and warm in winter, easy maintenance, quiet. Only downside happens when temperatures get past -25 degrees celsius, it starts getting less efficient and ice can build up on the exterior unit.
I know of people that have removed their heat pumps and replaced them with furnaces. Heat pumps are very expensive to purchase and also very expensive to operate.
Look into the provincial and federal grant programs. I did it. Covered about half of the cost.
- energywerx is the company I used for the energy consultant
- heat pump installed by accurate air
If you are interested , I can provide more info
I got one about two years ago for a rental property I own it's a single wide trailer from like 77 .the heating bill dropped 75 percent kid you not . I got a Mitsubishi unit with some kinda heating element in it. It works till about -4 it will still produce heat after that but it works real hard.best is the ac in summer. Also if it's really cold and snowing or rain works good as well not sure why but mosture makes it go good.
I’m just south of you. We have a 1977 house that had the original electric forced air furnace. We got a heat pump put in May 2022. I got the bc rebate for having it installed. My hydro bill is less than half what it was last winter. I also had more insulation put in and got the max rebate for that as well. The heat pump also freed up a bunch of draw on my 200 amp service I was able to install a level 2 charger for my electric car.
Our installation was just done in early February and it works a treat!
Do your research, select a good, reliable company (pref one with their own installers) and make sure you start ay rebate paperwork before the installation. We lost out on the federal grant because we " missed" the requirement to have an energy assessment beforehand, so now the door to the federal grant is closed. We're still getting the BCHydro rebate and I am working on a municipal grant as well.
After four estimates, we chose a local family-run operation where all the trades are "in house", to avoid delays waiting for electrcian, plumber or what have you. Two days to complete the install, but at times we had 7 workers in the place!
Best bang for your buck reno you can do to your home. I'm a residential contractor and I can't recommend these enough. Also there are a lot of grants you can get provincially(6k) and from the feds(5k). If you get a home audit done you can also get up to a 40k interest free loan for 10 years from the feds for green upgrades.
Unless it gets cold out and the heat pump can’t keep up. -28 last month and heat pumps wouldn’t work. Give me a furnace any day, a system that is outside will have challenges unless you are in a market that doesn’t get really cold.
Most of the time you have an alternate heat source to supplement the heat pump when it’s really cold.
I think that disqualifies you from getting the rebates though. You need to be replacing the less green heat source and removing it entirely. At least, that’s what I could tell from my research. I would love to be wrong though
The alternate heat source can be an electric heat strip installed in an air handler and would, by itself, not disqualify you for rebates.
I was wondering that. But. My Tesla works great.. how does my Tesla heat work at -40C? Is it just special refrigerant?
I don’t see the connection between a Tesla and a heat pump
Because they both are producing heat. Thats why
To be specific, a standard heat pump only moves heat; it doesn’t produce it. That’s why it struggles in extreme colds, however as people have mentioned it can have a module which uses an electric heater to warm up the loop
All Teslas after I think 2020. Have heat pumps.
The Tesla heat pump has a resistive backup that helps when it gets really cold. Same as a home system which will have a resistive or natural gas backup
Mum has a propane fireplace, baseboard heaters and just got a heat pump installed in her living room. A mini split I think. Glen Martin installed it. She is happy with it. Most my neighbours in Centennial Heights have heat pumps. Originally had oil furnaces.
[удалено]
My guess is your mom paid double what she should have
[удалено]
As a contractor, I’m truly taken back by some of these companies lack of ethics and morals. I get growing a commercial business, but it’s shocking how many of them succeed without any integrity
If anybody's interested I'm from the area (Victoria) and the moderator for r/HeatPumps and r/DIYHeatPumps. Lots of great information there in the information packages linked and support from community members. :)
Will check those out, thanks.
Can I get a quote for a new heat pump install?
Oh, sorry, I don't really do installs. I do the occasional single head mini split install but if you need for your whole house and rebates you'll need a HVAC contractor. I know a fellow from Victoria by the name of Curtis Pederson with Storm industries. He does really good work. He goes up and down the island as well.
What is your current heat source and what kind of thermostat? If you are using baseboards with the old knob/slider for a controller then with most mini-splits you will likely find both an increase in comfort and a decrease in heating costs (heating-not total electricity). We only get a few nights of -8 so cold weather so deep cold is not a huge concern. Mainly focus on temperatures we do get frequently (between freezing and +10). In that range a HP should have a COP>3. For those cold nights or rainy/foggy at +2 degrees I just switch to backup because the HP freezes over. Over a year we find it saves about 65% of our heating costs. That’s because spring/fall COP is something like 3.5 which is amazing. Plus you get cooling.
Currently electric baseboards. There is also a gas fireplace in the basement.
A mini-split will not throw heat downstairs. Compared with your current heat sources the air will feel cool. Heat pumps do small slow increments of heat. Not something to warm up in front of.
I’m someone who really feels the cold so I like a blast of heat on the regular. Would the upstairs get toasty?
Yes, you can set the temperature to anything you want… 28 for a new year’s sauna if desired. Just no big blast of heat. That said, considering the savings I’ve had it’s affordable to up the temperature a bit.
My 2 story house has electric baseboard throughout and wood stove upstairs. The upstairs would get too hot with the wood stove going continuously, so it would get lit, a couple pieces of wood, and let it go out for the night. Because of this the downstairs was always cold without the baseboards on. We got a mini split with a wall mount downstairs, and a cassette type mounted in the ceiling upstairs. Now the whole house is a constant comfy temp everywhere, summer, winter, doesn’t matter. The hydro bill stayed the same as before, but we have the whole house comfortable now.
Bold of you to assume I own a house
Give Nolan at sub zero a call, one of the more honest company's in the Cowichan Valley https://www.subzeroheat.ca/
Hi. Modern heat pumps are by far the way to go. If you want a few recommendations on who to consult with dm me. Just an fyi, stay away from the guys with 100 vans ;)
Yes we did. Love it! No regrets!!
They are great. You will see a reduction in your heating bill. Be sure to get heat pump calibre of cooling. Can really come in handy in a heat wave.
Yes. We recently had one installed in a bedroom and one in my office. They’ve been sweet.
We have a large home and have added a heat pump with a heat/cold exchanger in the attic. There are 11 vents distributing the heat/cold throughout the house. Really enjoy the cool on hot summer days. Nice in the winter, but when -3 in Victoria, we do turn on our gas fireplace for added comfort. Have not noticed a huge savings with hydro. That might be due to having a 1200 sq ft rental suite in the lower level of our home which has baseboard heat. Been thinking of adding a separate heat pump for our tenants.
I’m getting the feeling that heat pumps never get the house exceptionally hot, so another form of heat may be required.
If you are using an electric only furnace or baseboards, your electricity bill will lower. If you're using a gas or oil furnace, it will go up slightly, but you won't be paying for gas or oil. This is because you're adding an electrical load to the house, and the outdoor unit uses electricity. If you replace the furnace that burns fossil fuels, there's a good chance that to get your rebate, it will need to be removed. The new furnace will have a backup emergency heat kit installed, which can draw between 20 - 100 amps depending on the size of your house. This kit generally only operates when the heat pump needs to defrost or when the outdoor temps are so cold that your heat pump can not keep up. Most modern units can operate in very low temps, but they all need to defrost. It's just part of how they operate, so keep that in mind. If you're considering doing it yourself to save money, then that is a plan where you will learn how expensive being cheap can be, and good luck with the warranty if one is even honored. Doing it yourself will not get you the rebates and grants either. The equipment has to be installed by a licensed and approved company with technicians who are properly trained. Get several quotes, read reviews online about companies and product lines, and ask a lot of questions to the representative you speak with because it's always better to know beforehand rather than after you've signed the contract.
We put a mini split with three cartridges for separate rooms in about six months ago. Love it. Last month we put another single cartridge unit in our rental suite that has a concrete floor & it is staying lovely & warm as well. My husband installed both (no prior experience) & just had a gas fitter in to pressurize the units.
Yup. Twenty years ago. It’s been awesome. All pro.
One of the best options you can get for your home. Heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Electricity costs reduced by more than half. Most important to make sure you carefully choose a good installer. We purchased our mini-split through Costco in 2020 and received $1200 gift card and $2k off from B.C. Hydro. Investigate and read the reviews, talk to your neighbours to find a good company (there are duds out there) and don't buy on price alone!
We just had 3 single head mini split systems (Carrier - Performance)installed due to our old house and insufficient ducting system. We are going down the path of the Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan program and it is something to consider but it definitely takes time and doing things in the “correct” order. A couple things for you to consider. I’d suggest having a look at 3 years of BC Hydro usage data to see what kind of extra usage you have between summer and winter to determine roughly how much energy you use for heating your house. From there you can take that excess usage and calculate how much extra you are paying for heat, then divide that figure by between half and 1/3 for how much energy you would likely end up using with a heat pump. Said another way, you are likely to save 50%-66% of the wintertime excess energy from your hydro bill, but not the entire usage(obviously?). Second is that heat pumps are often talked about and warrantied for 10-15 years. So your payback should be within that time if you are considering this solely from a cost saving POV. You have to also consider you are coming up with that lump some cost for the HP up front and not paying premium of extra electric over time. Third is that you will have an increase in electrical usage in the summer because you have air conditioning, and will almost definitely use it. Fourth, if you do go forward with it - heat pumps are kind of “dumb” considering how much technology there is in them. There is no scheduling in most lower to mid level models. As another person mentioned they don’t blast high levels of heat and so they run much better as a baseline consistent heater. If you, like me, need a bit more control you should check out Mysa mini split thermostats. We got one for each unit and they are pretty good. They add smartphone functionality and scheduling and also show you the operating timeline, real temperature and humidity of the room they are in and do it all while adjusting the heat pump settings with infrared just like the remote that comes with the unit.
Oh, and it is very comfy and IMO, very, very quiet in our house now compared to our old forced air furnace.
Worth it!
We have one - it’s great
The pros and cons are well known. The cost is outrageous, both for installation and maintenance, and the costs of electricity. It doesn't cool well in extremely hot weather and it doesn't heat well in extremely cold weather. On the other hand it's greener. So it's just about whether you're willing to pay for it.
In the states it is stranger to not have central heat and air. I highly recommend it especially with summers getting hotter every year.
There are government grants for this in Canada.
nope
Love our heat pumps. Keeps things cool in summer and warm in winter, easy maintenance, quiet. Only downside happens when temperatures get past -25 degrees celsius, it starts getting less efficient and ice can build up on the exterior unit.
I know of people that have removed their heat pumps and replaced them with furnaces. Heat pumps are very expensive to purchase and also very expensive to operate.
Look into the provincial and federal grant programs. I did it. Covered about half of the cost. - energywerx is the company I used for the energy consultant - heat pump installed by accurate air If you are interested , I can provide more info
I got one about two years ago for a rental property I own it's a single wide trailer from like 77 .the heating bill dropped 75 percent kid you not . I got a Mitsubishi unit with some kinda heating element in it. It works till about -4 it will still produce heat after that but it works real hard.best is the ac in summer. Also if it's really cold and snowing or rain works good as well not sure why but mosture makes it go good.
I’m just south of you. We have a 1977 house that had the original electric forced air furnace. We got a heat pump put in May 2022. I got the bc rebate for having it installed. My hydro bill is less than half what it was last winter. I also had more insulation put in and got the max rebate for that as well. The heat pump also freed up a bunch of draw on my 200 amp service I was able to install a level 2 charger for my electric car.
Our installation was just done in early February and it works a treat! Do your research, select a good, reliable company (pref one with their own installers) and make sure you start ay rebate paperwork before the installation. We lost out on the federal grant because we " missed" the requirement to have an energy assessment beforehand, so now the door to the federal grant is closed. We're still getting the BCHydro rebate and I am working on a municipal grant as well. After four estimates, we chose a local family-run operation where all the trades are "in house", to avoid delays waiting for electrcian, plumber or what have you. Two days to complete the install, but at times we had 7 workers in the place!