Heat pumps in Ottawa: install, add to a furnace, or repair
Tell us how the house is heated now, its size and what you want the heat pump to do. One independent Ottawa heating and cooling company gets the request and calls you to plan the visit.
In short
- 01Air source heat pumps cost $6,000–$12,000 installed on a Canada-wide HomeStars guide; ground source runs $25,000–$50,000.
- 02Home Renovation Savings pays up to $2,000 for a cold-climate air source unit to an Enbridge Gas customer heating with natural gas, and up to $7,500 in a grid-connected home heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood.
- 03Pre-approval is mandatory: a heat pump installed before the program approves it gets no rebate.
- 04The Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed. The City's Better Homes Ottawa loan for energy efficiency work is 4.33% fixed on a 20-year term.
Typical ranges
Source HomeStars, Heat Pump Installation Cost, Canada-wide, updated 21.08.2026, seen 29.10.2026. Rebates: Home Renovation Savings, Heat pumps, seen 29.10.2026. Closed grant: Natural Resources Canada, Closed: Greener Homes Grant - Ontario, modified 20.07.2026, seen 29.10.2026. Loan: City of Ottawa, Better Homes Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026. Permits: City of Ottawa, Projects not requiring building permits, seen 29.10.2026.
What to ask before you book
- Q1Are you on the Home Renovation Savings list of participating contractors, and will you file the pre-installation application?
- Q2Is the unit you propose on Natural Resources Canada's cold-climate qualified products list?
- Q3How will you size it for my house, and what heats the house on the coldest nights?
- Q4Does the price include removing the old equipment, any duct changes and the electrical work?
- Q5Can I have the model, the price with HST and the rebate you expect in writing?
Before the visit
- How the house is heated now: gas furnace, electric baseboards, oil or propane
- Type of home: detached, semi, row or townhouse, and roughly its floor area
- What you want: replace the furnace, keep it as backup, or add cooling only
- Where an outdoor unit could go: side yard, back wall, a spot clear of roof run-off
- Your last gas or hydro bill, for the heating source and account details
- Possession date, if the house is newer
Three ways to add a heat pump
What you write in the request decides which visit the company plans:
- Replace the furnace. The heat pump heats and cools on its own, with backup heat where the sizing calls for it.
- Add to the furnace. The heat pump sits where a central air condenser would, and the gas furnace takes over in deep cold. Ask how the switch-over point is set.
- Ductless. Wall heads with no ducts, an option for homes heated by baseboards.
Say how the house is heated now and what you want to change. The installer needs that to size the system and pick the rebate stream.
Rebates, checked on 29.10.2026
Home Renovation Savings is run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy with Ontario government support. For heat pumps it needs no home energy assessment. The amounts depend on how the home is heated today:
- Gas-heated home, Enbridge Gas customer: cold-climate air source $500 per ton, up to $2,000; ground source $3,000.
- Home connected to the Ontario electricity grid and heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood: cold-climate air source $1,250 per ton, up to $7,500; ground source $2,000 per ton, up to $12,000.
The steps matter more than the numbers. You confirm eligibility, pick a participating contractor from the program’s list, and the contractor files a pre-installation application. Pre-approval is mandatory: installs done before approval get nothing. After the install the contractor files again, and the program says the cheque should arrive by mail within 60 days. The unit must be an active model on Natural Resources Canada’s qualified products list.
The City loan
The Better Homes Ottawa Loan Program finances energy efficiency and climate resilience improvements, repaid through the property tax bill. Ask the City whether a heat pump project qualifies before you count on it. On the City page seen 29.10.2026: 20-year term, 4.33% fixed, $10,000 minimum, a maximum of $125,000 or 10% of the property’s assessed value, whichever is less, and a 4% administrative fee. It can be paid off early without penalty.
The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed. Natural Resources Canada set 1 December 2025 as the last date for Ontario applicants to finish their post-retrofit evaluation.
What sets the price
A Canada-wide HomeStars guide lists an air source heat pump at $6,000–$12,000 installed and ground source at $25,000–$50,000. The extras are where quotes differ: duct changes at $1,000–$5,000, backup heat at $1,500–$4,000, and removing old equipment at $500–$1,500. Ask each contractor to list these lines separately so two quotes compare.
Who you are dealing with
Ottawa Heating Desk is a request service. We pass your heat pump request to one independent Ottawa heating and cooling company. That company calls you, plans the install, prices it and does the work.
Questions
01How much is the heat pump rebate in Ottawa right now?
On 29.10.2026 the Home Renovation Savings site lists, for an Enbridge Gas customer heating with natural gas, $500 per ton up to $2,000 for a cold-climate air source unit and $3,000 for ground source. Homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood get $1,250 per ton up to $7,500, or $2,000 per ton up to $12,000 for ground source. Terms can change; the contractor confirms at pre-approval.
02Can I get the Canada Greener Homes Grant?
Natural Resources Canada lists it as closed. Ontario applicants had until 1 December 2025 to complete their post-retrofit evaluation. Home Renovation Savings is the program open in Ontario.
03Does a heat pump work in an Ottawa winter?
The Home Renovation Savings site describes cold-climate air source heat pumps as designed to work down to -30°C. A Canada-wide HomeStars guide notes that in colder areas a dual-fuel setup, a heat pump with a backup furnace, may be more practical. The contractor sizes the system and tells you which setup fits your house.
04Does my new-build qualify for the rebate?
New builds are excluded, which the program defines as homes occupied for six months or less. You must own the home, and it must be a single detached, semi-detached, row house, townhome or mobile home on a permanent foundation.
05Do I need a City permit for a heat pump?
The City of Ottawa lists installing heat pumps among projects exempt from a building permit, except for designated heritage buildings and properties in a Heritage District Overlay. The work must still meet the Ontario Building Code and the Zoning By-law.