About Heat Pump Check

What this site is

Heat Pump Check is a free tool and a small library of reference articles. The check estimates whether a heat pump would save you money based on your specific home, your local climate, and the heating fuel you currently use. The articles answer the questions that come up when people start shopping: how the equipment works, how to read a spec sheet, what sizing rules to expect a contractor to follow, and when a heat pump is not the right choice.

Every article cites its sources. The calculations are based on the same formulas that appear in CSA F280 and ASHRAE handbooks, simplified for homeowner use. The rebate information is gathered from official program websites and dated so you can tell when it was last verified.

Who writes it

The editorial team includes contributors with experience in residential energy auditing, building science, and HVAC. Drafts are reviewed by a Registered Energy Advisor before publication. We are not licensed mechanical engineers, and the content here is not engineering advice for a specific home. For that, you need a contractor's written F280 calculation and a sealed quote.

How we make money

The site is supported by display advertising and, where relevant, affiliate links to home service marketplaces that connect homeowners with licensed contractors. We don't accept paid placements from heat pump manufacturers. We don't take money to recommend specific brands or installers. The check does not collect or sell any personal information.

If you click an ad or use an affiliate link, the income helps keep the site running. It does not change the verdict the check gives you or what the articles say.

What we don't do

We do not sell heat pumps, install heat pumps, or partner with anyone who does. We do not run a contractor referral business that selects winners on payment. We do not write sponsored articles that masquerade as editorial content.

If a contractor or manufacturer contacts us asking to be featured, we explain that the site doesn't work that way. If we mention a brand, a contractor, or a program, it's because we believe the reference is useful. Not because anyone paid for it.

How the calculations work

The check uses the standard NRCan heat load formula: Q = UA × HDD × 8.64 × 10⁻⁵ gigajoules per year, where UA is the home's total heat loss coefficient in watts per degree, HDD is annual heating degree-days at base 18°C, and the constant converts to gigajoules. This is the same physics that appears in CSA F280, simplified by using house-archetype UA values per square metre rather than calculating each surface separately.

Climate data comes from the Environment and Climate Change Canada 1991–2020 climate normals. Electricity rates come from utility tariff sheets. Fuel prices come from NRCan's weekly survey of consumer prices. Greenhouse gas factors come from the ECCC National Inventory Report. Rebate information is gathered directly from each program's official website.

The savings estimate is calibrated to your actual annual heating cost rather than relying on the archetype prediction. If your bill is far above or below what the archetype model would predict for your home, the check displays a calibration warning explaining the possible reasons.

Sources we cite most often

• Natural Resources Canada: Office of Energy Efficiency publications, including the heat pump guides, EnerGuide Performance Verified database, and energy statistics handbook.
• Canadian Standards Association: CSA F280-12 (residential load calculation) and CSA SB-44 (cold-climate heat pump rating).
• ASHRAE: Handbook of Fundamentals and Handbook of HVAC Systems and Equipment.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada: Climate normals and the National Inventory Report.
• NEEP: Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, particularly the Cold Climate ASHP product list.
• Provincial utility tariff sheets and program documentation.

Corrections

We make mistakes. If you find one (a rebate amount that's wrong, a calculation that doesn't match what you'd expect from a contractor's report, a source we've misrepresented) please let us know. We update articles when programs change, when standards are revised, and when readers point out errors.

Contact: hello@heatpumpcheck.ca

What's not on this site

This site is not the right place for:

• Specific contractor recommendations in your city.
• Real-time pricing on equipment.
• Help with rebate paperwork or appeals.
• Engineering advice for unusual situations (radiant floor retrofits, complex zone control, ground-source loop design).

For those things, find a licensed contractor who is HRAI-certified and active on your provincial program's contractor list. The check's results can give you a baseline to compare quotes against, but no online tool can replace a site visit and a written F280 report for a specific home.