british columbians will soon be able to get up to $16,000 off the cost of installing a heat pump
the funding will increase the province's existing heat pump rebate to cover up to $16,000 of the cost.
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ottawa has boosted b.c.’s heat-pump rebate program by more than $100 million, which federal and provincial energy ministers said will help lower- and middle-income british columbians switch to lower-emission heating and cooling systems. the funding will increase the province’s existing heat pump rebate to cover up to $16,000 of the cost. previously homeowners could receive up to $9,500 to cover the cost of a heat pump.
federal energy minister jonathan wilkinson and federal environment steven guilbeault were in victoria monday to announce $103.6 million in funding from ottawa, which will be topped up by $151 million from the province.
eligible british columbians living in northern b.c. can access an extra $3,000 towards installing a heat pump. homes that need an electrical system upgrade can qualify for an additional $5,000 to complete that work. people can find out more about the program here.
b.c.’s energy minister josie osborne said it’s a “myth” that heat pumps don’t work well in colder climates in b.c.’s north and interior. she said heat pump technology has evolved and many people in prince george and remote areas of the province are installing heat pumps.
the federal government is also trying to sweeten the pot for people currently using home heating oil, giving them a one-time payment of $250, on top of the rebates, if they switch to an electric heat pump.
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wilkinson estimated the provincial and federal cash will fund up to 16,000 retrofits in low- and middle-income households.
the b.c. government had been asking for more help funding heat pumps following prime minister justin trudeau’s surprise announcement in october that his government would pause the federal carbon tax on home-heating oil in atlantic canada, ontario and the prairie provinces.
premier david eby said at the time he was “disappointed by (ottawa’s) direction, which really focused on protecting a particular type of heating rather than protecting people.”
osborne said the province’s existing heat pump program will be overhauled to ensure people get the government rebate up front and are not paying out of pocket.
osborne acknowledged that people living in stratas and multi-unit buildings want to benefit from heat pumps which is why the government operates a separate program that helps offset the cost of heat pumps for those buildings.
the new rebates will take effect in mid-june. wilkinson’s office did not have details on the income threshold that will determine who will qualify for the rebates.
wilkinson told postmedia news the rebates are aimed at benefiting about 80 per cent of canadians.
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“the people who don’t get money back are the people who have a 6,000 square foot house and drive a hummer and those people probably shouldn’t get more money,” he quipped.
martin luymes, vice-president of the heating, refrigeration & ac institute of canada, said the industry supports rebates to help canadians switch to lower carbon heating and cooling, but he’s worried the surge in demand will result in unlicensed fly-by-night companies popping up in the hopes of getting a share of the government cash.
“right now, (in b.c.) there really aren’t enough people in the industry in the residential sector who have those skills to be able to meet the demand that’s being generated as a result of these rebates,” luymes said. “so that’s our worry is that it will create an opportunity for contractors to appear out of nowhere who will claim expertise. there’s evidence that this has happened already.
a heat pump installer should be able to show a refrigeration licence to prove they are qualified in installing the heat pump, luymes said.
“until we have confidence that there’s a sufficient number of those types of (qualified) contractors, the government should be careful about putting too much money into consumers hands,” he said, “because it will stimulate demand that the industry may not be able to keep up with.”
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b.c. green leader sonia furstenau said the province needs to improve its training system for heating and cooling technicians to ensure there are enough qualified installers to keep up with demand.
“there’s a problem right now that (heat pumps are) getting installed by people who don’t know what they’re doing,” she said. furstenau also wants to see regulations for the type of coolant that can be used, since some coolants can have a negative environmental impact if they leak.
she would also like to see the province introduce regulations that require all new residential and commercial buildings to include heat pumps instead of relying on fossil fuels.
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