Frequently Asked Questions
The District of North Vancouver is working with the City of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver, and the Province’s CleanBC program to help homeowners make the switch to energy efficient, low-carbon heat pumps for home heating and cooling.
This initiative supports the climate action goals of the three municipalities of the North Shore. This program was developed with financial support from BC Hydro.
What is the Jump on a Heat Pump Program?
The North Shore are working with City Green Solutions to help homeowners make the switch to energy-efficient, low-carbon heat pumps for home heating and cooling with free consultations and additional support.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Single Family Homes
- Participants must be owners of a home within the District of North Vancouver or the District of West Vancouver. Participants in the City of North Vancouver are not eligible for single-family home supports.
- Each Participant must submit a separate Virtual Home Energy Check-Up Intake Form for each premise.
- The home must be:
- Single-family detached dwelling;
- Single-family detached dwelling with a secondary suite that is individually metered;
- Mobile home that is permanently fixed, sits on a foundation, structurally complete with installed and connected plumbing, heating, electrical, water and sewer services, with towing apparatus and axle has been removed; or
- Side-by-Side or stacked duplex, or side-by-side row home, or townhouse, provided each unit has its own natural gas and/or electricity meter. Utility accounts in the name of a strata corporation are not eligible.
- The home must be:
Strata and or Coops, also known as Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
- Participants must be the owners of a home within the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, or the District of West Vancouver.
- The person representing the entire multi-unit residential building should submit the Virtual Home Energy Check-Up Intake Form for the MURB.
- The home must be:
- 3-6 Stories tall
- Made up of units between 4 and 100
- Can be Strata or non-Strata
- Side-by-Side or stacked duplex or side-by-side row home or townhouse
- The home must be:
Any Strata or building that exceeds the eligibility criteria for this program should visit the Strata Energy Advisor for assistance.
See the Program Terms and Conditions for full details.
Why the focus on heat pumps?
Heating and hot water represent up to 75% of an average home’s GHG emissions. While improving overall energy efficiency is important, the single biggest thing we can do at home to reduce our GHG emissions is to switch from fossil fuel heat to clean electricity. Heating systems typically last around 20 years, so to reach our carbon-neutral 2050 goal, we must start making the switch to heat pumps now.
Heat pumps also provide cooling in summer, which helps to improve health. Impacts from climate change: extreme heat and wildfire smoke.
With current rebates, there is no better time to make the switch.
Do I have to be considering a heat pump to participate?
Actively considering a heat pump is not a requirement to participate in the Virtual Home Energy Consultation. However, the intention of the Jump on a Heat Pump program is to help support homeowners to transition to heat pumps (or find other ways to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of their home).
Do you provide support for more than heat pump upgrades?
Yes! In addition to heat pump information and advice, we also provide support for all home energy upgrades, including insulation, solar energy, windows, doors, and water heating!
Why are you asking about all of my home’s systems?
Although separate from each other – your insulation, heating and cooling system, windows, doors, ventilation, and exterior walls, foundation and siding make your house operate as a multi-component system, where all the components interact. Because your house operates as a multi-component system – sometimes energy retrofits to one component of your home can affect other components of your home in unintended ways.
Before starting to improve the efficiency of your home with one retrofit, it is a good idea to get advice to ensure that your investment in home energy improvements meets your expectations and that you will not be causing new issues while resolving old ones. Planning your retrofits within a house-as-a-system approach will also allow you to create a long-term home energy improvement plan and will provide guidance on the recommended order in which to complete energy retrofits.
The Virtual Home Energy Consultation asks for contextual information, such as how drafty your home is, in order to advise on what upgrade, or combination of upgrades, would be best suited to your home.
Example: Heat Pumps
A well installed high efficiency heat pump system can reduce dollars spent on utility bills, shrink your environmental footprint, keep fresh clean air circulating through your home while maintaining an even, comfortable temperature.
- House-As-A-System Considerations:
- Regardless of what type of heating system you are installing it is always best practice to consider how the efficiency of your home can be upgraded so you are using less energy and more cost effectively heating your home.
- Installing a high efficiency heat pump system in your home before addressing air leakage issues or upgrading your insulation may result in the installation of an oversized heating system that does not provide the energy savings or comfort you would expect from your investment in a new system.
What is the difference between a Virtual Home Energy Consultation and an EnerGuide Home Evaluation?
The Virtual Home Energy Consultation is a free one-on-one conversation with an Energy Expert to assess what upgrades best suit your goals and priorities. The Virtual Home Energy Consultation is not a replacement for an EnerGuide Home Evaluation.
An EnerGuide home evaluation is a comprehensive service designed by the federal government to help you improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home. As part of the service, an energy advisor will come to your home and assess its energy performance. Energy advisors are building science professionals who will provide you with unbiased energy-saving information, rather than selling any particular products or recommending particular contractors. Read more on Natural Resources Canada’s EnerGuide Home Evaluation info-graphic.
Certain rebate and grant programs will require you to have an EnerGuide Home Evaluation before your upgrades.
How should I prepare for the Virtual Home Energy Consultation?
- The Virtual Home Energy Consultation is a phone or video call conversation. You can prepare for it by:
- Ensure you are available during the appointed time.
- Consider preparing a list of questions related to the survey you submitted, starting with three and then working from there.
- Consider having a utility billing history available to reference for both electricity and natural gas bills.
- Consider having the efficiency rating of your heating system on hand; it is typically located in the user guide or on the model number label.
What do Energy Expert and Energy Concierge mean?
- You receive support from a dedicated team of professionals who play different roles in your retrofit journey.
- Energy Concierge – General home efficiency and rebate program experts, you can call or email your Concierge any time with questions regarding the information in the support documents you have received, or about your next steps in your retrofit journey.
- Energy Expert – Technical experts with a deeper analytical knowledge of home systems and efficiency. The first step of the program is for participants to schedule a consult with an Energy Expert to discuss issues with your home’s efficiency and receive recommendations to solve these issues.
What rebates are available?
- Up to $10,500 in rebates are available, along with additional financing options. Conditions apply; see individual programs for details.
- CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings Program– up to $10,500
- CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate Program– up to $3,000
- Natural Resource Canada Loan Program – $40,000 loan with 0% interest for a 10-year repayment system
Where can I get more information about rebates or additional support?
For information about the Jump on a Heat Pump Program in your community, visit your municipal website:
For free support, rebates, and contractor search tools, visit CleanBC Better Homes:
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- Rebate Search Tool– Province wide listing of rebates in your area
- Find a Contractor– Find a contractor that services your area
- Program Qualified Energy Advisor– Find an Energy Advisor that services your area
- Contact an Energy Coach– Ask questions about rebates
- CleanBC Frequent Asked Questions