A Heat Pump That Holds Through a Kitchener Winter
A heat pump loses capacity as the temperature drops, so the number that matters is the one it has to hold. In Kitchener that is minus 19 degrees, minus 21 at the one percent figure, and a cold climate unit sized on that keeps producing useful heat well below freezing.
Most houses here keep the gas furnace as the backup and run the two together, because the city has its own gas system and the furnace is already in the basement. We set the changeover point on site instead of leaving it at the factory default, which is what decides your running cost through January.
Kitchener lists changing the heating source among the work that needs a building permit, and says you need one to change your HVAC heating system. We confirm your job with the building division and handle the application.
Does the Rebate Reach Your Address?
The provincial rebate is the largest single number in a heat pump quote, and in this city it turns on who sells you gas. We settle it against your address before you plan around it.
If your gas comes from Kitchener Utilities
Most of this city does. The Home Renovation Savings Program pays toward heat pumps, but a gas-heated home has to be an Enbridge Gas customer to qualify, so those homes sit outside the program for now. We will tell you where that stands when we quote.
If you heat with electricity, oil, propane or wood
You are eligible today. Pre-approval has to be in place before the work starts and replacing an existing heat pump is excluded, so say early which one you are doing. Income-eligible households heated by electricity or oil should also look at Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program.
What the Heat Pump Install Covers
The same scope on every Kitchener quote, including the parts that are easy to leave vague.
- A heat loss calculation and a cold climate capacity check at the design temperature.
- A straight read on which incentives your house actually qualifies for, before you order anything.
- The permit application the city asks for, and the inspection arranged.
- A level pad, the line set run and sealed, and the wall penetration made good.
- The electrical circuit sized and the disconnect fitted, with the work filed as the code requires.
- A thermostat that can run the heat pump and the furnace together, with the changeover point set for this climate.
- Both modes commissioned before we leave, so the cooling side is proven in the same visit.
- The manufacturer warranty registered in your name, with the paperwork your rebate application needs.
If you are replacing a heat pump rather than adding your first one, say so early. The current program rules exclude replacements, and that changes the maths before it changes the quote.
Three Ways a Heat Pump Goes Into a Kitchener Home
Dual fuel with your gas furnace
Your furnace stays in the basement and takes over on the coldest nights, while the heat pump does the everyday heating. It is the usual answer in this city, because the gas line is already there.
All-electric cold climate, ducted
The heat pump carries the winter with electric backup behind it. It suits homes already heated by electricity, where the rebate is also open.
Ductless heads
One head per room, a cored hole per run, and not a metre of duct anywhere. This is how a century home without ducts upstairs gets heat pump heating at all.
How your house is heated today decides most of this, and the rebate rules decide the rest. Our heat pump installation page covers the cold climate equipment we carry, and ductless mini split installation covers the room-by-room route.
Where the Money Goes on a Heat Pump Install
We price after the site visit, because the electrical and the placement decide as much as the equipment does. Spreading the cost is covered on our financing options page.
| What you are putting in | What the work involves | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Dual fuel with your furnace | A cold climate outdoor unit, a matched indoor coil, and controls that hand over to the furnace at the point we set. | The capacity you need at minus 19, the cold climate tier, and whether the panel has room for the circuit. |
| All-electric, ducted | The heat pump carries the season, with backup heat sized behind it and the ductwork checked to suit. | The backup heat, the electrical service, and what your ducts can already move. |
| Ductless heads | One outdoor unit and a head in each room that needs one, with a cored hole and a line set per run. | The number of heads and the run back to each of them. |
A rebate does not change our price, it changes what you pay, so we settle your eligibility before you order anything.
Who Sizes It, and Who Fits It
A heat pump is a bigger decision than a furnace swap, so the sizing, the changeover and the rebate should come from the same person who fits it.
Over 10 years in this city
Ten years of local work sits behind the answer you get on the driveway, and the owner, Sina, is still the technician on most of them.
Authorized Lennox Dealer
Factory training and parts access on the equipment we install, including the cold climate line.
Five HomeStars Best of Award wins
The award is voted by the people whose houses we worked in, and we have taken it five times.
Sizing and rebates in one conversation
The capacity at minus 19 and what your address qualifies for come out of the same visit, not two.
We had Sina install a new AC system and new hot water heater. Sina did a very good job, took his time answering all of my questions and provided excellent communication. He responded quickly and provided clear scope of work. Would use him again and recommend his company to others.
Chris HadlockGoogle review
Four Steps, From the Call to the Changeover
Four steps, and the rebate question is answered at step two rather than after the invoice.
You tell us how the house is heated
Call or send the form with your heating fuel, your gas or hydro provider and what you are hoping the heat pump will do.
We size it and check the panel
Your technician runs the heat loss, checks the electrical service and the placement, and confirms which incentives your address can use.
You see the numbers before you decide
The written quote sets out the equipment, its capacity at the design temperature, the controls and any electrical work.
We install and commission both modes
Pad, line set, electrical and controls, then heating and cooling both tested and the changeover set before we leave.
The Kitchener neighbourhoods we cover
Heat pumps are going into every part of this city, from century homes near the park to the newest streets in the south end. Name the neighbourhood when you call and we will book the site visit.
- Downtown Kitchener
- Victoria Park
- Central Frederick
- Civic Centre
- Cherry Hill
- Mount Hope
- Westmount
- Victoria Hills
- Forest Heights
- Laurentian Hills
- Country Hills
- Rockway
- Vanier
- Stanley Park
- Chicopee
- Idlewood
- Grand River
- Bridgeport
- Pioneer Park
- Doon
- Doon South
- Huron Park
- Williamsburg
- Rosemount
- Southridge
- Alpine Village
Also in Kitchener: furnace installation and air conditioner installation, with everything else on our Kitchener HVAC page.
