Should you install now or wait for the National Heat Pump Rebate?

Should you install now or wait?

For the amounts, who qualifies and the program’s status, see National Heat Pump Rebate amounts and eligibility. This guide is about timing: the decision usually comes down to whether your current system still works, and which tier you expect to fall into.

Hydro-Québec has said LogisVert continues as normal in the meantime, and Ontario’s and B.C.’s main rebates have no published end date. Waiting for the federal portal doesn’t mean losing those.

Is the National Heat Pump Rebate retroactive?

Retroactive eligibility has not been announced. The government’s official backgrounder, published October 8, 2026, doesn’t say that heat pumps installed before launch will be eligible. The planned process puts approval before purchase, which suggests the program is built around people who apply first.

If the rebate decides whether you go ahead, wait for the program to open. If you install anyway, keep every invoice, the model numbers and proof of payment, in case the final rules cover earlier installs.

When can you apply? What we know about 2027

The portal is not open. The official announcement doesn’t give a launch date, the median-income cut-off, or the department that will run the rebate. Treat any date you see in the media as unconfirmed until the program page goes live: we’ll update this guide and the program page the day it does.

What has been confirmed is the planned process: apply online with the heat pump model you plan to install, get approval (targeted within 24 hours), install, upload receipts, and get paid by direct deposit (targeted within about five days).

$2,000 or up to $10,000: which tier will you get?

The amount depends on household income. The announcement uses the median income as the dividing line, but the exact threshold, and whether it varies by household size or region, hasn’t been published.

The higher tier is written as “up to”, so the final amount may depend on the installed cost or the equipment. There is one rebate per person, and a landlord who claims for a rental property can’t also claim for their own home. The heat pump must be on the federal Eligible Products List, which the government says covers more than 100,000 models. No energy assessment is needed before or after the install.

Comparing it with the federal oil-to-heat-pump grant that closed in July? See National Heat Pump Rebate vs OHPA.

Will it stack with provincial heat pump rebates?

The government says the rebate can be combined with existing provincial programs, but the detailed stacking rules aren’t final. Watch for caps: Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings, for example, says heat pump incentives from all sources combined can’t exceed 100% of the cost.

For the mechanics of combining programs, see how to stack heat pump rebates or the short definition of rebate stacking.

How to get ready to apply on day one

You can do most of the work now, so applying takes minutes when the portal opens:

1. Get two or three quotes that name the exact heat pump model, and ask each installer for a heat load calculation.
2. Ask installers to confirm the model is a cold-climate air-source unit, and check it against the federal list once it’s searchable.
3. Find your latest notice of assessment, in case income is checked for the higher tier.
4. When the portal opens, apply before you buy, then install, upload receipts and wait for the direct deposit.