What Nova Scotians need to know if they want to switch to heat pumps
Rebates are available for some through the federal government, Efficiency Nova Scotia
After Ottawa announced it would pause the carbon tax on heating oil for three years, giving rural Canadians more time to switch to alternative sources like heat pumps, some Nova Scotians might be wondering where to start.
Information Morning Halifax guest host Preston Mulligan spoke with Barry Walker, a heat and energy expert with Efficiency Nova Scotia, about how heat pumps work, how much they cost and what kind of rebates Nova Scotians can access.
Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
For people who aren't familiar with the concept, how do heat pumps work?
Well, a heat pump is a mechanical heating device. It basically extracts heat from the outside air and brings it into the home. Unlike units that people may be more familiar with, like electric baseboards which are 100 per cent efficient, heat pumps can range upwards of 300 per cent efficient, meaning that for every unit of energy you put in, you can get up to three units of heat energy back out.
But getting a heat pump installed, it starts with an energy assessment of your home, right?
That's correct. Most programs will ask the homeowner to get a home energy assessment done first. This assessment gives the homeowner a good idea of where they can spend their money to get the best results, and that's always important.
If you get a heat pump, can you blend it with your existing heating infrastructure? Like let's say you've got a forced-air furnace with all kinds of ductwork. Can you hook up your heat pump to that?
Absolutely, yeah. This is an exercise I went through in my home some years ago. I took out my old warm air oil furnace and put in a central ducted heat pump. It works great, and so yes, you can use existing ductwork for central units. They do work well and it really saves a lot of money when you have your ducting already in place.
How long after the assessment will you start enjoying nice heat-pump heat?
Right now, on average, I know most of the contractors are booking out well into the new year in some cases. So once you get your assessment done, everything's ready to go, you're probably going to be looking at a month or more to actually get the unit installed. Now, a homeowner can kind of mitigate that time lag a little bit by getting some quotes on the work while they're getting the home energy assessment done.
So when they get the piece of paper in their hand from the energy assessor, they know, "OK, I'm going to go with it. I've got my quotes." You can call the companies and get the work done.
Is there a shortage of installers? Is that an issue?
No, not really. The demand has increased and we saw a huge demand for heat pumps going back to 2020 when more people started working from home due to COVID and they were missing their air conditioned offices in the summer, so they started putting in the heat pumps for that.
Then of course people who were working from home all winter wanted more energy efficient, lower cost heating, so there was quite an uptake on heat pumps during 2020. But I think most of the contractors now have got pretty much all caught up and any of the supply chain issues I think have been smoothed out over the last year or two.
It is a bit confusing when you're trying to calculate the rebates, whether they're federal or provincial, and to know whether it's affordable. Like is a heat pump going to cost me $20,000 or is it going to be free, you know?
Yes, to both. For a homeowner who is within the low or moderate income, there are programs where a homeowner may get a heat pump at no cost to them.
There are programs with tremendous rebates for what we call moderate income homeowners. And those who are above the moderate income level, we still have tremendous rebates for them to upgrade their home, not only for heat pumps but insulation, draft ceiling and weatherproofing windows and doors.
Who's the first call to get someone to come in and help take advantage of these rebates?
Efficiency Nova Scotia — always your first call.
A heat pump system will be different from one home to another home. What do you need to think about if you're designing a system for your home?
Well, no two homes are identical, contrary to popular belief. You do need a heat pump expert to come in and do a site survey of your home to find out where the units would be best located. There's no question that some homes are better suited for heat pumps — specifically, homes that have a more open concept.
The home that I grew up in was a 140-year-old farmhouse. Heat pumps would work but they wouldn't be nearly as effective as, of course, they are in my home now, which is a little bit newer. So a lot depends on the layout of the home.
What kind of savings are people looking at? It'll cost different homeowners a different amount of money depending on their income, but is the savings more uniform?
Energy savings will be consistent across the board regardless of the homeowner's income or the home. We are normally looking at energy savings, anywhere between 50 or 60 per cent from existing systems of electric baseboard or oil systems. I know when I put my system in almost 20 years ago, I saw an immediate 40 per cent saving on my energy cost.
Is it a different kind of heat?
Yes, it is. Unlike warm air systems where you get that surge of super warm air, heat pumps are designed to run continual at a much lower temperature. So when people are putting heat pumps in a central unit, you'll notice that a heat pump moves a larger volume of air at a lower temperature, and what this means is that you get a much more even, steady, consistent heat in your home.
We had this announcement with the pause on the carbon tax and the updates and the rebate program. How do you see these things affecting people in Nova Scotia? How much can we really save here?
I think for homeowners that are in the low-to-moderate income, they're really going to see a difference. What we're getting from the prime minister's announcement, I believe there is up to $5,000 of additional assistance from the federal government for the low and medium income homeowners to put in heat pump systems. The real advantage here is that some of that money can be used, not only for the heat pump itself but also for upgrading their electrical panel where necessary and even to remove existing systems if they're going that route.
What do you mean by moderate income? What is the net income cutoff for a free heat pump?
The definition of a medium or moderate income for a household of four members or more is actually a gross of $105,000.
What kind of rebate will that get you?
The federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program, that's now up to $10,000. The recent announcement was an additional $5,000 for that, but again, the homeowner can look at their own finances.
They may be able to take advantage of other programs where they can have the work done and get rebates after, through Efficiency Nova Scotia's Home Energy Assessment program, rebates up to $5,000, Canada Greener Homes, which has been with us for a couple of years through the federal government, again $5,000. So you start adding all these together for homeowners that are in the right category, rebates are close to $20,000.
What if you live in a house with drafty windows and it's not as tight a house as it should be, to really take advantage of that kind of heat pump? Would you still qualify?
Yes, but we always tell people to look at the building envelope, the environment of the house. In most homes, up to 40 per cent of your heat loss and therefore heating cost is through drafts and cracks and splits around your building foundation.
Is there any worry that Nova Scotians might not be able to kick oil due to the housing crisis, and maybe people can't afford homes that support a heat pump?
Oil has always been the preferred method of heating in Nova Scotia. We know that approximately 70 per cent of the homes in Nova Scotia have oil heat. Affordability of heat pump systems are going to make it easier for people not only to put in a more energy efficient heating system, but to perform the upgrades on their home to make the home itself more energy efficient, and that is the insulation and all the other rebates.
With files from CBC Radio's Information Morning Halifax
