Need An Air Conditioner? Buy A Heat Pump

Maybe it’s the name? While people are becoming more familiar with the environmental, financial and heating benefits of heat pumps, what’s not quite as well-known is that they’re not just for heat—they’re for cooling, too.

“Heat pumps are an amazing technology because they replace the furnace and the AC,” says Jake Miller, the executive director of Toronto Home Energy Network. “When people get confused about heat pumps I often point out that they already have one. Heat pumps are just an air conditioner that can heat as well as cool.”

Miller says that while Canadians are often focussed on keeping their homes warm—and rightly so, we are a very cold country!—the climate crisis also means that we are one of the fastest-warming countries in the world. Air conditioning is becoming increasingly necessary. Thinking of upgrading your AC? Here’s why you should consider a heat pump.

Quick, can you give me a heat pump refresher?

Heat pumps get their name because they pump heat from one place to another—bringing heat indoors during winter and moving it outdoors during summer. They’re incredibly efficient and, unlike furnaces, use electricity as a power source instead of burning fossil fuels like oil or natural gas—meaning they have environmental benefits and in many cases cost savings as well.

How effective are heat pumps as air conditioners? 

Sonya Hwang has lived in Whistler, B.C. for 30 years, where, she says, heat hasn’t been much of an issue—that is, until the 2021 heat dome. That extreme-weather event saw temperatures in B.C. peak at 40C, causing 619 heat-related deaths across the province. “It was horrid, horrid, horrid,” Hwang says. She ordered a ductless heat pump the same year (ductless heat pumps, as the name suggests, don’t require existing ducts to operate).

She says having air conditioning has been wonderful (and she’s even more impressed with her pump’s heating capabilities). It has been especially handy during wildfire season—keeping her 2,000-square-foot detached house cool without having to open the windows. Hwang doesn't have a specialized filter on her heat pump to help get rid of wildfire smoke, but notes the pump still helps: “The water that came out [of the heat pump] was dirty—it was pulling [smoke] particulate out of the air.” (To filter out particulate matter from smoke, look for a heat pump with a filter with a MERV rating of 13 or more or a hepa filter; conventional ACs equipped with an equally high-quality filter can also help with wildfire smoke) 

GTA homeowner Conan Wong and his wife, Sun Ngo (who is, in full disclosure, Chatelaine’s creative director), have had a heat pump for two years. They bought it out of environmental responsibility, Wong says. And, so far, as an air conditioner, its performance has been “awesome.”

What should you look for when buying a heat pump when it comes to air conditioning?

First off, figure out what size of pump you need based on the square footage of your home. Wong says while their current heat pump works well for AC, heating-wise it’s too small for their 5,000-square-foot detached house. They have a natural-gas furnace that works in conjunction with their heat pump; there was a bit of uncertainty, Wong says, about whether or not the heat pump they bought could handle a larger house. After much adjustment of their thermostat, their house is now comfortable year-round, but if they were to do it again, Wong would consider a bigger heat pump to eliminate the need for a furnace entirely. (Note: if you have a smaller home, getting a heat pump that’s too big also isn’t ideal.)

Miller says heat pumps generally come in half-tonne increments and typically an average-sized home will require a heat pump between 2.0 to 4.0 tonnes. “Sizing a heat pump is a little bit tricky, because to do it right you need to calculate your home's heating load. The heating load is how much heat is needed to keep your home as warm as you like it during the coldest days.” Factors to consider include the home’s size and how well insulated it is, he says.

Next, consider the decibel rating. Wong says that his heat pump is quieter than a typical air conditioner, but Miller emphasizes that if noise is a factor for you, to talk to your contractor—each brand should have decibel ratings.

Work with an installer who is familiar with heat pumps. My family has a heat pump water heater that works well, installed by a company that specializes in heat pumps. But other installers we talked to who were less familiar with the technology told us our current basement configuration couldn’t accommodate a heat pump water heater or that we’d need to get a new electrical box—which we didn’t!

Do heat pumps have the same physical footprint as a conventional air conditioner?

Heat pumps sit outside and are typically bigger than a conventional air conditioner. (However, depending on the kind you get you can free up space in your basement by getting rid of your furnace.) 

Are heat pumps cheaper to run than air conditioners?

It depends! But you get to use electricity for all your heating and cooling, and electricity is less susceptible to price swings than oil or natural gas (and, of course, is much greener than burning oil or natural gas). And, if you’re looking to buy Canadian, the vast majority of our electricity is produced here, whereas if you live in Ontario or Quebec, half of natural gas is imported from the U.S.

It also depends on what you’re replacing. If it’s an old air conditioner for a new heat pump, then yes, you will notice cost savings in the summer, Miller says. Otherwise, he says, in a city with temperatures and utility costs similar to Toronto, where he is based, typically the costs are about the same.

Wong says that he thinks he is paying a bit more to heat and cool his home with a heat pump than his previous AC and furnace—less in gas, but more in terms of electricity. 

Hwang has never had AC before, so she can’t compare directly but says that she’s found that the cost to run her heat pump for cooling is “negligible” and in the winter it’s much more cost effective than the electric baseboard heaters she had previously. 

So do you need a backup heater for a heat pump?

Yes, this article is about AC, but because your heat pump will also replace your heating system, it’s something to consider! Miller emphasizes we need to get rid of the myth that heat pumps won’t work in cold climates. Cold-climate heat pumps can work efficiently down to -25C. And, while previously, homeowners would often install hybrid systems—meaning you had a heat pump with a natural gas furnace as backup for when it got too cold—now you can get backup electric heating installed on top of your heat pump. “Like a toaster coil,” Miller says, “for that little extra bit of heat if you need it.” So, bottom line, newer heat pumps may not need a backup gas furnace, but talk to your installer. 

How much can a heat pump reduce your carbon footprint?

Home heating accounts for the majority of residential carbon emissions, with cooling playing a far smaller role. “When I talk to people about reducing their emissions, they're always talking about an electric car. But moving from a gas furnace to a heat pump for most families is the same as getting an all-electric car [from an emissions perspective], but you do it at such a lower price point,” Miller says. 

How much do heat pumps cost?

You can get a simple heat pump, Miller says, for about $7,000. “It might be a bit of a noisier unit. It might not be as fine-tuned, or it might be a little less efficient.” Then, really high-end units that are “really fantastic could maybe be double that—$14,000 to $15,000.” 

Plus, keep in mind you’ll have to factor in regular servicing, as you would with a conventional air conditioner. If you buy a quality heat pump, and service it according to your installer and manufacturer’s recommendations, Miller says heat pumps can last at least 15 to 25 years.

What government incentives are there to buy a heat pump?

Jessica McIlroy, the Vancouver-based buildings program manager with the Pembina Institute, says that broader government programs to fund heat pumps have pivoted to programs that help lower- to middle-income households reduce energy bills. But incentives regardless of your income do exist. You can start with this federal government page, which lists some of the existing federal and provincial incentives for heat pumps and other home efficiency projects. McIlroy also suggests speaking with your contractor or installer—they should know what incentives are available depending on your province or utility. It doesn’t hurt, however, to check directly with your province or utility to confirm. She points out that both Quebec, where you can get up to $6,700 for a new heat pump (through Hydro-Québec's LogisVert program), and Ontario, up to $5,000 (for electrically heated homes) or $2,000 (for natural-gas heated homes) via the HomeEnergySaver or Home Efficiency Rebate Plus programs, have both recently announced significant efficiency incentives. 

The bottom line

“Air conditioners just work in the summer and then they're just sitting there like a lump in your backyard,” says Miller. “Heat pumps work all year round.”