Cut Your Power Bill in Victoria: Free and Cheap Ideas

By Sam Menard · Updated September 26, 2026

Victoria is on southern Vancouver Island, with the mildest winters in Canada. That shapes where your energy goes: heating in winter. Victoria has a lot of older character homes, many heated by oil, gas or baseboards. Oil-heated homes are the biggest winners from switching.

Canada’s new heat pump rebate is worth up to $10,000. Get an email the day it opens

Applications are not open yet. Ottawa says they open in early 2027, and that you can add this rebate on top of provincial ones.

Up to $10,000

if your household earns below the median income

$2,000

for other homeowners who qualify

Stack it with the British Columbia rebate open today

• British ColumbiaUp to $4,000

Ottawa says you can combine them. Each program has its own rules. Amounts are the most you can get.

Applications open early 2027

Join the launch alert

• Launch-day email, with what to do first
• Who qualifies for the $10,000, once Ottawa says
• A short hello now, so you know it worked

EmailNotify me when it opens

Only emails about this rebate. No spam, no sales calls. Unsubscribe anytime.

Read everything we know so far Official page: canada.ca

Free: do these this week

• Turn the heat down when you're asleep or out. Lower heat means less energy used.
• Use your blinds. Open south-facing ones on sunny winter days; close them at night.
• Wash in cold water and run full loads. Heating water is most of a washer's energy.
• Close doors and turn off baseboards in rooms you don't use.
• Clean or change filters on your furnace or heat pump so it doesn't work harder than it needs to.

Cheap: a few dollars each

• Weatherstripping around doors and windows.
• Foam gaskets behind outlet covers on outside walls.
• Pipe insulation on the first few feet of hot water pipe.
• LED bulbs in the lights you use most.

To find drafts, hold your hand near window and door frames on a windy day.

Free smart thermostats and Peak Saver

If your home has electric baseboards and you're a BC Hydro customer, you can get up to five free Mysa or Sinopé line-voltage thermostats starting in October 2026. They come pre-enrolled in Peak Saver, which pays a $50 reward each winter ($100 if income-qualified). Peak Saver events run November to March, last up to four hours, and you can opt out. Ecobee and Nest do not qualify, because they don't control baseboards.

Bigger upgrades, when you're ready

• Insulation: BC Hydro pays by area and R-value added, up to $900 for an attic and $1,200 for walls or basement (for electrically heated homes).
• Heat pump: up to $4,000 from BC Hydro if you replace electric heat.
• Heat pump water heater: up to $1,000 from BC Hydro when replacing an electric tank.
• Income-qualified? ECAP gives a free home energy evaluation and free upgrades.

What's different in Victoria

• The City of Victoria's rental retrofit program is for apartment building owners, not homeowners.

My tip for Victoria: If you still have an oil tank, ask about removal costs up front. Insurers often care about old tanks, and the heat pump project is the natural time to deal with it.

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest way to cut my heating bill?

Turning the heat down at night and when you're out costs nothing. Sealing drafts costs a few dollars. After that, insulation usually gives the most back.

Do Ecobee or Nest thermostats get a BC Hydro rebate?

No. BC Hydro's free thermostats and Peak Saver thermostat rewards are for line-voltage baseboard thermostats like Mysa and Sinopé.

Is Victoria a good place for a heat pump?

Yes. Victoria's mild winters mean heat pumps run efficiently almost all year. The main question is which rebate fits your current heat.

Sources, checked September 26, 2026: B.C. government: free smart thermostats (2026) · BC Hydro insulation rebates · BC Hydro heat pump rebates · BC Hydro heat pump water heater rebate · ECAP: free home energy evaluation and upgrades.