More and more Canadians are switching to heat pumps
to heat and cool their homes.
Here’s why.
Heat pumps are a highly efficient (200 to 540 per cent) and cost-effective way to stay warm in winter, cool in summer, and lower harmful emissions.
And they’re cheaper. According to a 2023 report by the Canadian Climate Institute, “the lifetime cost of a standard heat pump using an electric backup system is 13 per cent lower than a gas system with air conditioning.”
Check out these results for Toronto from the Canadian Climate Institute’s interactive calculator and try the tool yourself.
But Baby, Canada’s Cold Outside!
Countries with the coldest climates have the biggest uptake in heat pumps. Norway: over 60 per cent of households. Sweden and Finland: 43 per cent and 41 per cent of households, respectively.
Learn more about cold climate efficacy, heat pump efficiency, and how heat pumps work.
Cold Climate Heat Pump Articles
The Heat Pump Podcast — The heat pump should always do the heavy lifting. Emergency heat should be supplemental, not a full replacement. February 2025
Leading heat pump manufacturers successfully develop next-generation prototypes to withstand subfreezing weather Clean Technica, January 2024
Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold National Observer, September 11, 2023
Coming in from the cold: Heat pump efficiency at low temperatures Joule, September 11, 2023 (Oxford study)
Heat pumps twice as efficient as fossil fuel systems in cold weather, study finds The Guardian, September 11, 2023
A heat pump in every home
[ZERO] CARBON, Chris Hatch, November 10, 2023
Heat Pump Efficiency and Lower Costs
At the end of the day, if you are looking to get a new heating and cooling system in your home, you will get a better, more efficient heating and cooling system if you do a heat pump — and you’ll get it for the same or oftentimes lower cost to the homeowner.
Greg Donahue, Product Manager, Reliance Home Comfort
| Air conditioning is out. Heat pumps are in Heat waves, improved technology and government rebates behind soaring interest. CBC News, July 27, 2023, Kyle Bakx | |
| How heat pumps pay off: comparing heating and cooling options across Canada Canadian Climate Institute Report, September 2023 | |
| HEAT PUMPS PAY OFF: UNLOCKING LOWER-COST HEATING AND COOLING IN CANADA Heat pumps are the lowest-cost option for heating and cooling most homes in Canada. Canadian Climate Institute website | |
| Heat pumps will save you big money Refers to the Canadian Climate Institute’s interactive calculator National Observer, September 21, 2023 |
“…you probably know that [heat pumps are] as close to magic as things get in the climate world — they aren’t just “heat” pumps but air conditioners as well. And they’re outlandishly, even perplexingly, efficient. More than 100 per cent efficient.”
Chris Hatch, Canada’s National Observer, November 2023
Feel-Good Homes
Canadian heat pump installer and author Drew Tozer has written Feel-Good Homes, the book on heat pumps to help you find the right heat pump for your house, with a “simple framework to transform any house into a comfortable, healthy, sustainable home.” According to BusinessMondays.co.uk, “The book’s digestible format uses illustrations and Q&A style sections so homeowners can implement the process with ease.” Already a best-seller on Amazon, you can buy it there or, if you’re in Ontario, claim your free physical copy. (Residents outside of Ontario can get a free digital copy at the same link.)
Get the facts, learn the basics about how heat pumps work, and weed out misinformation.
How a Heat Pump Gets Heat From Cold Air, Part 2 — this explainer helps you understand heat pumps by talking about something that works on the same principle: your fridge!
The Top 10 Heat Pumps for 2025 — a tongue in cheek explainer with some heat pump examples you won’t expect
Canadian Heat Pump Myth Buster — this great piece from Efficiency Canada debunks common myths with facts and explanations
How a heat pump works — from the IEA’s Future of Heat Pumps report
Make the switch to a heat pump — benefits, factors to consider, types of heat pumps and more, from BC Hydro
What Is a Heat Pump and Are They Expensive? All You Need to Know — UK-based article details the mechanics, process, energy-savings and installation information, from Bloomberg
Do you need a hybrid system? Not likely!
Drew Tozer is an HVAC expert and heat pump installer who is frequently asked about hybrid systems. Here’s a great piece he posted on LinkedIn, which I’m posting here with his permission. You can learn more about Drew at foundryheatpumps.ca
There’s a lot of buzz around hybrid HVAC.
That’s a heat pump with a backup furnace.
Here’s my take. ⚡️
1. Contractors’ risk aversion is the reason for this conversation. Electrification isn’t stuck between a rock and a hard place—it’s stuck between a rock and a person that doesn’t want to move the rock because they haven’t done it before. I wish contractors were jumping on heat pumps, but they’re not.
2. Hybrids will continue being a talking point for oil and gas advocates as a way for gas utilities to avoid losing ratepayers. It’s about delaying their death spiral, not improving homeowner experiences or helping the grid.
3. For homeowners in Toronto, there’s rarely a good reason to get a hybrid. We live in near-perfect conditions for fully electric heat pumps. I’d be frustrated as a homeowner if my contractor recommended a hybrid just because they didn’t know enough about heat pumps.
4. I only recommend hybrids for extremely large or inefficient homes (i.e. heat loads greater than 3.5 tons) where the homeowner isn’t willing or able to do a deep energy retrofit—it’s also a solution for ductwork constraints, limited electrical service or panel issues, remote areas with frequent power outages, and colder climates like Alberta and Manitoba.
5. Because of #3 and #4, I’ll continue to prioritize finding the *right* solution for each house to create comfortable, healthy, sustainable homes. Most of my projects will be fully electric heat pumps, but I’ll install hybrids when it’s the best option for the house or homeowner.
6. Whether it’s a fully electric heat pump or a hybrid system, installation quality matters more than equipment selection. Poor installation methods will cause early failures, poor tech support, and bad homeowner experiences, which could slow heat pump uptake.
7. Hybrid systems are better than like-for-like gas furnace replacements (“something is better than nothing”), even when it’s not the *best* option.
Heat Pump Popularity
Heat Pumps Outselling Gas Furnaces in America — “Americans bought 37% more air source heat pumps than the next most popular heating appliance — gas furnaces — during the first 11 months of the year” Clean Technica, January 24, 2025