An expansion of the province’s heat pump rebate program is targeted at making clean energy retrofitting affordable to low- and middle-income households, including renters, B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix announced Wednesday.
“Since our government started providing incentives for people to make the switch to heat pumps, we͛’ve seen a huge uptake across the province, but cost is still a barrier for many,” said Dix in a statement announcing the program’s expansion.
B.C. will invest $50 million over each of the next two fiscal years, which it says will provide up to 8,300 rebates.
Those living in multi-unit residential buildings can apply for up to $5,500 in rebates for a ductless mini-split heat pump. The province did not clarify in its initial statement what income requirements or other metrics potential applicants must meet to qualify for the rebate.
Through a partnership with BC Hydro and FortisBC, the province is also offering heat-pump installations to the lowest-income households in homes and individual units in residential buildings.
Heat pumps are an electrical heating system that present a more efficient alternative to traditional indoor climate control systems by transferring warm and cool air instead of generating it. They can also be installed in addition to existing heating or cooling systems in a home to form a hybrid system.
Switching from fossil fuels to heat pumps can save households up to 80 per cent on their energy bills, the province says, with the average cost of installing a heat pump between $8,000 and $19,000.
More than 13 per cent of B.C. households currently use heat pumps, which number about 275,000 across the province, according to B.C. Hydro.
In 2023, the B.C. government also launched a program offering free air conditioners to low-income households. It says more than 27,000 free units have been installed by BC Hydro since it began.
Last year, the government expanded eligibility for that program, changing the combined salary range for a family of four from $114,647 a year to $185,620. The province is offering those families a rebate of up to $10,500.
Homeowners are also able to apply for up to $5,000 to support the installation of a heat pump by upgrading their electrical service.
According to BC Hydro, sales of heat pumps began to exceed those of furnaces in 2022.
