5 Reasons Why You Should Switch Over to Heat Pumps Unless your heating system broke down in recent memory, chances are, you didn’t wake up this morning thinking of heat pumps. But with extreme summers and bitterly cold winters becoming the new normal, the way you cool and heat your home is a conversation worth having sooner than later. More and more Canadian homeowners are recognizing the benefits of switching to heat pumps, seeing them as the smarter, cleaner, and future-proof alternative to traditional furnaces or baseboard heaters. If you’re thinking of upgrading your heating system or just want to understand why so many Canadians are making the switch, here are five reasons why you should consider a heat pump and why it will be the best investment into your HVAC needs. 1. Heat pumps can save you money This is probably top-of-mind for anyone considering making the switch; is a heat pump worth the cost? The truth is, there is no straightforward answer. The dollar savings depend on where you live, the size of your house, the existing heating and cooling systems in your home, and what you’re switching to. An average Canadian household that heats with oil consumes roughly 1,350 litres a year; in Atlantic provinces this rises to around 1,500 litres. This means that based on current oil prices, you can expect to spend anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000 annually on heating fuel. A major benefit of switching to a heat pump is eliminating this expense and potentially saving around $2,000 each year, according to Efficiency Canada. The same study estimates that the heat pump could pay for itself in just over three to four years.1 The average household using propane in Canada spends $300-600 a month on heating costs. Heat pumps can bring down your heating costs to half of that. You stand to save a significant amount of money even if you’re already using electricity. Electric baseboard heaters operate at 100% efficiency, which means they produce 1kW of heat for every kW of electrical energy they consume. Heat pumps, however, can be 200% to 300% efficient, producing three-times as much heat as they use up in electricity. With a government push to phase out fossil fuels and promote cleaner, more energy-efficient home heating solutions, there are several incentives and grants you could take advantage of if you qualify for them. You can find more information about these rebates here and see how much money a heat pump can save you; in fact, you might not even have to pay anything at all for your heat pump if you’re looking to make the switch from oil. Some resources you can check out to help make a decision The Canadian Climate Institute offers a nifty calculator that allows you to input your unique situation to identify the best and cheapest heating option for you. Efficiency Nova Scotia also has a calculator that estimates roughly how much you stand to save by making the transition to heat pumps. Jouleia has also developed a calculator that gives you a detailed breakdown of how much you can cut your utility bills and emissions with the switch to a heat pump. Our custom pricing tool can help you estimate how much your heat pump will cost. You can compare it against your current heating expenses and see if it makes sense to switch soon. A cheaper, more reliable alternative to oil and gas If you’ve been keeping an eye on oil prices, you’ve probably noticed they’ve dropped sharply in recent months. So, if oil is cheaper now, why consider switching to a heat pump? While common heating sources like natural gas and propane might be more affordable at the moment, there is no guarantee that will remain true in perpetuity. Gas and oil prices are known to be volatile, influenced by economic and geopolitical conditions. Oil prices have nearly doubled in every single province between June 2020 and June 2025. A chart to see how oil and natural gas prices have evolved over the last five years. Current prices are not a reliable predictor of what heating costs will look like in the next decade. On top of that, ongoing changes to federal carbon pricing and climate policies continue to add uncertainty about the future cost of fossil fuels. A heat pump eliminates this uncertainty by offering clear, consistent costs and long-term savings. According to a federally conducted study, households switching from an electric furnace to a heat pump saved around $700 to $1,900 a year in utility bills and those with oil furnaces saved $1,000 to $3,500 a year. Notably, this study was conducted during the pandemic when oil prices were historically low. Another thing to note is that, unlike oil, electricity prices in Canada are highly regulated, predictable, and have remained relatively stable over the years. The average cost of electricity in 22 major cities across North America is 22.84 cents per kWh; ten out of 12 major cities in Canada have energy costs below this average. In certain provinces like BC, electricity costs can be even lower than the rate of inflation. 3. Cut your carbon footprint with energy-efficient heat pumps An average two-person Canadian household heating with oil and electrical backup emits up to 11.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent every year. This is the same amount of emissions as taking 28 flights between Toronto and Miami. Graphic: Use the equivalencies calculator to come up with other things Since heat pumps only transfer heat instead of generating it, they require significantly less energy to run and result in lower overall emissions. They are, in fact, two to four times more efficient than other space heating systems in Canada and could cut global greenhouse gas emissions by more than 500 million tonnes by 2030. Canada has set the ambitious target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. By choosing a heat pump for your home, you’ll not only save on energy costs, but also play a key role in driving the country’s transition towards a sustainable future. Researchers agree that a green future will not be possible without increasing the adoption of technologies like heat pumps. You have the power to lead this change and be at the forefront of this movement to protect our planet. 4. Long-lasting, low-maintenance home heating A heat pump can cost anywhere between $5,000 to $25,000—that’s a pretty penny to spend. After spending that much on your heating & cooling system, you will want to get the best bang for your buck and avoid frequent repairs. A perfectly-installed and well-maintained heat pump can hum along for fifteen years on average. While an oil or gas furnace could probably last longer, the cost savings you enjoy with a heat pump make it a smarter long-term investment. That said, the lifespan and performance of your heat pump depends on several factors, including proper sizing and installation, frequency of use, and the quality of maintenance. The best way to make sure your investment in a heat pump is worth it, is to hire experienced professionals for installation and schedule annual maintenance to prevent breakdowns. With good care, your unit could even last up to twenty years. 5. Year-round comfort and improved indoor air quality An often overlooked advantage of heat pumps is how seamlessly they can fit into your lifestyle. Electric baseboard heaters can get noisy and take longer to warm a room since they rely on convection (slowly heating the air). They also need additional insulation to prevent heat loss, making them inefficient for larger spaces. The way they operate can create hotspots near the vents white leaving other areas cooler. Additionally, these units can be physically hot to the touch, posing a risk to families with young children or pets. You’ll also need to keep furniture and blinds at a safe distance from your heaters and make sure that the vents remain unobstructed. In contrast, heat pumps are quiet and provide even temperature distribution, avoiding sudden bursts of hot or cold air. They work by pushing through a higher volume of warm air and heating it to a comfortable temperature (around 25°C to 45°C), unlike furnaces that deliver a smaller volume of air, but heat it to higher temperatures (between 55°C and 60°C). Heat pumps also improve indoor air quality by filtering the air and reducing allergens. Since they don’t rely on combustion like propane, natural gas, or oil furnaces, there’s no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The bottom line Despite the hefty initial investment, heat pumps are the smartest long-term choice if you’re looking to upgrade your heating & cooling system. On top of significant cost savings, more efficient heating and cooling, and predictable energy use, heat pumps are quieter, safer, and better for your indoor air quality. There are many government incentives and rebates you can take advantage of if you’re looking to convert to a heat pump. This will save you money and help Canada get one step closer to its net-zero goal. Not sure which model is right for you? Let us help! Take our three-minute quiz to see which heat pump is the best for your needs and exactly how much it will cost you. You can also browse through our selection of mini-split heat pumps or central ducted systems and make a smart choice today.
