Feds, Yukon gov't announce $2.4M to spur heat pump uptake

The Yukon government is launching a new rebate program for electric heating systems.

Yukon homeowners can apply for a maximum of $24,000 per household. There are additional rebates available to install heat pumps in homes that use oil, propane or electric baseboards.

The fund is intended for low- to median-income households below the income eligibility threshold. Applicants must own the home as their primary residence, and the house must be more than six months old.

Applications and eligibility requirements are available on the Yukon government's website.

Yukon MP Brendan Hanley and Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker announced the funding Thursday.

Streicker said he hears "a lot of talk about whether heat pumps can work in the North." He said they're an efficient choice for most of the year.

"We don't think they can replace our heating systems," Streicker said.

Heat pumps should be installed in addition to a home's existing system, Streicker said. The heat pumps will work most of the time, with backup systems kicking in when it's extremely cold.

"I'm really excited – this is a big jump for Yukoners," Streicker said.

The rebates will come out of a nearly $2.4-million fund of combined federal and territorial money. The money will be available for three years.

Streicker said the rebate is going to help the territory meet its climate change goals, as outlined in Our Clean Future, which include installing 1,300 smart electric heating systems by 2030. 

Yukon-based company awarded $1M for retrofit consulting

Earthrise Building Services has won an additional $1 million over three years from the federal Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program.

The company has been tasked with using the money to build a "roadmap for deep energy retrofits" in the territory.

Part of that strategy will include grouping similar homes into one retrofit project, a news release states. If similar houses can be retrofitted in similar ways, then bulk orders for energy-saving upgrades could make retrofitting faster and cheaper – instead of every homeowner fending for themselves.

Earthrise Building Services' CEO Matthew Ooms, a former energy manager with the Yukon government, said there are redundancies in the system that can be streamlined. He says many retrofit projects start with similar questions and are solved with similar answers "over and over again" because no concrete processes are in place.

"We're really looking at ways we can cut that fat out of the system, and bring the price down for these projects, because they're too expensive right now," Ooms said.