Great time to be in the heat pump business, says operations manager

Heat pumps have been increasing in popularity on P.E.I. in recent years, and now business is really taking off.

Local businesses say the demand has skyrocketed in the last year, and particularly in the last month after government rebates were announced.

"Business is steadily increasing month by month," said Roy Vandermaar, operations manager for Greenfoot Energy Solutions.

"We're definitely seeing a big boom right now with any type of heat-pump technology."

Rebates having 'huge impact'

Business has doubled in the past year, Vandermaar said, in both new construction and retrofit projects.

The recent heat pump and electricity rebates have had "a huge impact," Vandermaar said, with half a dozen calls coming in daily.

"With the increase in rebates, it's really allowing people to afford high-efficiency units, a quality unit they know is going to come with good service."

'We try to be honest and forward'

Lower heating bills is the most common factor in people buying heat pumps, but with the recent hot weather, many are looking to cool off, Vandermaar said.

That being said, a heat pump is not guaranteed to pay for itself in the long run — it depends on the layout of the house and the existing heating source, he said.

"It definitely isn't the answer for everyone ... we try to be honest and forward with people."

'We saw a big need'

Peter Noonan of NRG says his company has also seen a major uptick in business.

He started the company eight years ago so his sons wouldn't have to leave the Island for work.

"We saw a big need and we were right," Noonan said.

As an energy auditor at the time, he was referring a lot of people to heat pump companies, but they were busy with commercial projects, he said.

Phone calls have at least doubled in the past month thanks to the rebates, Noonan said.

"It's just been growing all the time. We're finding a lot of people who've finally seen that the technology is actually working."

Environmental factors

Residents being conscious of the environment has also helped business, he said.

"People are looking at oil and CO2 and global warming. There's a lot of reasons when people buy a heat pump. It's making people really think about what they can do to make things better."

Bev Keenan got into the heat pump trend early, buying three units in 2010.

"I think I was one of the first ones to get one," she said.

'Win-win for the customer'

After moving in, Keenan decided on a pump because she felt wood heat would be too much work and her in-floor heating wasn't working well.

"They used to ask me, 'Does that thing really heat your home?'"

Now they're everywhere, she said.

"They're on just about every other house I see."

Increasing the heat pump rebate is smart, Keenan said.

"The oil companies might not be too happy, but I think it's a win-win for the customer and the government is putting the money where people need it."

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