B.C.’s expanded heat-pump rebate is hot stuff for Haida Gwaii.
Rebates of up to $19,000 are now available to Haida Gwaiians who switch to a heat-pump for primary home heating.
Amounts vary depending on household income and how many people live in the home. For middle- and high-income earners, there are rebates up to $15,000 and $13,500, respectively.
Another big change is that homeowners no longer need to pay up front and then wait for a rebate from the province. Instead, a registered contractor who installs the heat-pump will wait for the rebate. Homeowners will only pay the difference between the rebate and installation cost, or maybe nothing at all.
Brent Bird owns Haida Gwaii Heat Pumps and will soon be on the list of contractors registered under the new CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings program.
Bird said a typical heat-pump installation on Haida Gwaii costs between $8,000 and $18,000, so it’s possible for some homeowners to get a heat pump installed for free. He regularly refits homes with heat pumps to replace oil, propane, or firewood heating systems.
“I’m seeing them all,” Bird said. “Of course, the oil to heat pump is your biggest rebate — it pretty much covers the whole cost of your installation, especially if you’re making under $47,000.”
Bird installs central, ducted heat-pump systems and systems with one or more wall-mounted blowers called mini-splits.
For anyone new to heat pumps, Bird said one tip is to clean the dust filters at least every three months.
Many people don’t realize that mini-split heads and the ducted heat-pump systems have removable filters that need cleaning, he said.
“Most of the time when I get a service call and they’re saying that the unit’s not blowing out heat, I pull out the filter and it’s totally plugged.”
Bird also recommends getting heat-pump systems professionally cleaned every two years, mainly to prevent corrosion on the heat-exchanger plates.
While many older heat pumps were only rated to produce heat at outdoor temperatures down to -5C or 10C, Bird said the models he installs now can put out heat at -30C and are still 100 per cent efficient at -14C.
The Better Homes Energy Energy Savings program also provides rebates for heat-pump hot water systems, and for retrofits that improve home insulation, windows and doors, ventilation, or health and safety features.
To apply, visit www.betterhomesbc.ca.