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A cold-climate air-source heat pump is an outdoor-air heat pump listed as able to keep heating your home through a Canadian winter. For rebates, the label only counts if your exact model is on the list the program uses. Most major heat pump rebates require one, and some pay more than twice as much for it.
Key facts
| What to know | |
|---|---|
| What it is | An air-source heat pump listed as able to keep heating at low outdoor temperatures |
| What counts | The exact model number on the product list your program names, not a claim in a brochure |
| Ontario | Home Renovation Savings: must be on NRCan’s qualified list. $500 per ton, up to $2,000, for homes heated by Enbridge gas; $1,250 per ton, up to $7,500, for homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood |
| Québec | LogisVert: on Hydro-Québec’s eligible list. $120 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C for ENERGY STAR Cold Climate, versus $50 for ENERGY STAR |
| B.C. | NEEP cold-climate models for the BC Hydro condo and apartment rebate and FortisBC’s income-qualified rebate |
| Federal | The National Heat Pump Rebate (not open yet) is for electric cold-climate air-source heat pumps on the federal Eligible Products List |
Cold-climate heat pump rules by program, as of October 2026
What makes a heat pump “cold-climate”
An air-source heat pump moves heat from the outdoor air into your home. As the outdoor air gets colder, there is less heat to move, so output drops. Cold-climate models are designed and tested to keep more of their heating output on cold days.
For a rebate, “cold-climate” is not a description you take on trust. It means the model appears on a specific list. A unit sold as cold-climate can still miss a program’s list, and the same brand can have listed and unlisted models. Ask your installer for the exact model numbers and check them before you sign.
Which product list does your rebate use?
Each program names its own list, and they are not interchangeable.
- Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings requires a model on NRCan’s qualified list, and the home can’t already have a heat pump for space heating.
- Hydro-Québec’s LogisVert requires an ENERGY STAR certified model on its own eligible list. Models certified ENERGY STAR Cold Climate get the higher rate.
- In B.C., the BC Hydro condo and apartment rebate and FortisBC’s income-qualified rebate ask for a NEEP cold-climate model.
- The National Heat Pump Rebate is not open yet. Ottawa says its Eligible Products List covers more than 100,000 models.
Why the label changes the amount
Programs that pay by capacity reward cold-climate models directly. LogisVert pays $120 per 1,000 BTU/h of capacity at -8 °C for an ENERGY STAR Cold Climate unit, against $50 for an ENERGY STAR unit. On the same 24,000 BTU/h, that is $2,880 instead of $1,200. See heat pump capacity at -8 °C for how that number works.
In Ontario the list is a gate rather than a rate: a model that isn’t on NRCan’s list gets no Home Renovation Savings rebate at all. Our LogisVert guide has an estimator, and the Ontario heat pump rebates page lists every program for that province.
See which programs apply to your home
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Sources
Last updated . Amounts and rules come from the official program pages below. If something has changed, please tell us.
- 1Home Renovation Savings Program · Save on Energyhomerenovationsavings.ca
- 2LogisVert Efficient Homes Program · Hydro-Québechydroquebec.com
- 3BC Hydro Condo and Apartment Rebate Program · BC Hydrobchydro.com
- 4FortisBC Heat Pump Rebate for Income-Qualified Customers · FortisBCfortisbc.com
- 5National Heat Pump Rebate · Government of Canadacanada.ca
Related terms
- Heat pump capacity at -8 °C (BTU/h)
The amount of heat, in BTU per hour, that an air-source heat pump can still deliver when it is -8 °C outside. Hydro-Québec’s LogisVert grant is calculated from it.
- National Heat Pump Rebate vs Oil to Heat Pump Affordability
A side-by-side of Canada’s two federal heat pump programs: the announced National Heat Pump Rebate, which is not open yet, and the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program, which is closed to new applicants.
- Rebate stacking
Claiming more than one program for the same home upgrade, such as a provincial rebate and a city loan for one heat pump, within each program’s rules on combining.
Keep reading
Rebate programs · Québec · 8 min read
LogisVert heat pump calculator (2026): estimate your grant
Estimate your LogisVert heat pump grant from its capacity at -8 °C, see why two similar units get different amounts, and avoid the claim mistakes.
Heat pumps · Ontario · 9 min read
HRSP heat pump rebate by heating fuel: $7,500 vs $2,000
Why gas-heated Ontario homes get up to $2,000 for a heat pump and other homes up to $7,500, and when the HRSP assessment track pays more.
Heat pumps · Federal · 7 min read
Should you install now or wait for the National Heat Pump Rebate?
The federal rebate isn't open and has no launch date. When waiting is worth it, whether early installs count, and how to be ready on day one.