Heat pump installation
A heat pump moves heat rather than burning fuel. In winter it pulls heat from outside air into your house; in summer it runs in reverse and cools. One system, both jobs — which matters more in Vancouver every year.
Installed cost typically $12,000–$20,000 before rebates, which can be substantial.
Vancouver's climate is close to ideal for them: mild, wet winters where a heat pump operates efficiently, and increasingly warm summers where the cooling has stopped being a luxury.
Where a heat pump is the right call
Your furnace is at end of life anyway — the incremental cost over a new furnace is smaller than the standalone number suggests · You want cooling as well as heating · You're on electric baseboards, where the running-cost saving is dramatic · You have existing ductwork in reasonable condition · You have outdoor space for the unit and can live with the noise
Where it isn't, or isn't alone
Modern cold-climate heat pumps work well down to around -15°C to -25°C depending on the model, which covers Vancouver in almost every year. But:
In a poorly insulated house, a heat pump struggles where a furnace would brute-force through. Insulation first, sometimes.
If your electrical service is limited, a panel upgrade can add $2,000–$5,000.
If you want to keep gas as a backup for cold snaps and rate flexibility — that's dual-fuel, and it's often the better answer. Dual-fuel
No suitable outdoor location, or strata restrictions on exterior units in a condo.
Ducted or ductless
Ducted uses your existing ductwork — whole-home heating and cooling from one system, the natural replacement for a furnace. Ductless mini-splits use individual indoor heads, no ducts required. Right for homes with boilers or baseboards, additions, and zoned control. Mini-splits
The honest position on electrification
There's considerable pressure right now — from rebate programs and from contractors — to go fully electric. For many Vancouver homes that's genuinely the right move.
For some it isn't, or not yet. A poorly insulated house, a limited electrical service, or a household that wants gas backup for a cold snap may be better served by dual-fuel or by insulating first. We'll tell you which category you're in even when the bigger sale is the other one.
Heat pump installations may qualify for provincial and utility rebates, and the amounts are significant enough to change the decision. Programs and eligibility change, and some require the contractor to be registered with the Home Performance Contractor Network at the time you're quoted — being quoted by a non-registered contractor can make you ineligible even if the work is done later by a registered one. Ask us what's currently available before you collect quotes.
What it costs
Before rebates. · Financing
- Ducted heat pump, replacing a furnace
- $12,000–$20,000
- Ductless single-zone
- $4,500–$8,000
- Dual-fuel (heat pump + furnace)
- $14,000–$24,000
