Why your Ontario heat pump rebate might be $2,000 or $12,000

By Sam Menard · Updated August 2026 · 4 min read

Unlike BC, where the heat pump rebate scales with your household income, Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program scales the rebate by two completely different questions: what fuel are you switching from, and are you installing an air-source or ground-source system? Get the framing right and the number makes sense immediately.

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 Ontario rebate open today

• OntarioUp to $12,000

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

Question 1: What are you switching from?

The program splits homeowners into two groups:

• Enbridge Gas customers currently heating with natural gas — the lower tier
• Everyone else — electric baseboards, oil, propane, or wood heat — the higher tier

The logic: gas furnaces are already relatively efficient and lower-emission than oil, propane, or electric resistance heat, so the program pushes harder (with a bigger incentive) to get homes off those fuels first.

Question 2: Air-source or ground-source?

Air-source heat pumps (the common wall-mounted or ducted units, pulling heat from outdoor air) are cheaper to install but less efficient in extreme cold. Ground-source (geothermal) systems cost far more upfront but perform consistently regardless of outdoor temperature — and the rebate reflects that cost gap.

What about renting a heat pump instead of buying?

Heat pump rentals are eligible too, at the lower rate regardless of your current fuel — up to $2,000 for air-source, $3,000 for ground-source. If you're not ready to commit to ownership, this is worth comparing against a purchase plus the higher-tier rebate.

A worked example

Say you're in a Toronto home currently heating with a gas furnace, and you install a 2.5-ton cold-climate air-source heat pump:

• You're an Enbridge Gas customer switching from gas — lower tier
• 2.5 tons × $500/ton = $1,250 (under the $2,000 cap, so you get the full $1,250)

Now compare a household with electric baseboard heat installing the same 2.5-ton system:

• Switching from electric — higher tier
• 2.5 tons × $1,250/ton = $3,125

Same equipment, same city, 2.5x the rebate — purely because of the current fuel.

How to check which model qualifies

There's no pre-approved brand list. Instead, the heat pump must appear on Natural Resources Canada's qualified products list for either cold-climate air-source or ground-source heat pumps. Ask any participating HVAC contractor to confirm the specific model is listed before you commit — it's a quick check on their end.

Source: homerenovationsavings.ca — heat pump rebate details. Confirm current rates there before applying.

Full Toronto heat pump rebate page → · All HRSP categories explained → · 6 mistakes that get this rebate rejected →