The short answer
Yes. A modern cold-climate heat pump handles heating for much of the year, with your furnace covering the coldest stretches.
Almost every heat pump we install in Calgary is paired with a gas furnace. The heat pump does the work when it's efficient. The furnace takes over in a deep cold snap. This setup is called dual-fuel.
You don't lose any comfort on the coldest night. You just use less gas on the milder ones.
What "cold climate" actually means
Heat pumps move heat from outside air into your house. Even on a cold day, outdoor air still holds heat a heat pump can use. As it gets colder, the unit has to work harder, so its output and efficiency drop.
Cold-climate models are built for this. NEEP, a North American efficiency group, judges cold-climate heat pumps on how well they heat at -15°C. Units on its list still put out useful heat at that temperature.
Natural Resources Canada says modern cold-climate heat pumps can keep running in deep cold, but colder parts of the country still need backup heat for the coldest days. In Calgary, that backup is your furnace.
How dual-fuel switchover works
A dual-fuel system uses an outdoor temperature sensor and a thermostat that controls both the heat pump and the furnace. When it gets colder than a set point, the system switches from the heat pump to the furnace. When it warms up, it switches back. You don't touch anything.
The switch point is a setting, and it matters. Set it too warm and you burn gas you didn't need to. Set it too cold and the heat pump runs when gas would have been cheaper, or the house feels cool during defrost cycles.
A Canadian Climate Institute study set the switch point for cold-climate heat pumps several degrees below freezing. That's a sensible place to start in Calgary. We then adjust it to your gas and electricity rates and how the house feels after the first cold month.
Is it cheaper to run than gas?
Natural gas is cheap in Alberta. On the coldest days, gas usually costs less to heat with, which is why the furnace takes over then.
On mild days the heat pump runs at its most efficient, and that's where it saves gas. It also does the job of your air conditioner in summer.
So in Calgary, a heat pump is mostly a comfort, cooling and lower-emissions choice. How much you save depends on your gas and electricity rates. We'll look at your bills with you before you decide.
What a heat pump costs
The price depends on your furnace, ductwork, electrical panel and the size of the unit. Our heat pump installation page has the typical Calgary range. These are the things that move it:
- Electrical panel: a heat pump needs its own circuit, and a full panel may need an upgrade first.
- Ductwork: small or leaky return ducts may need work before a heat pump can move enough air.
- Size and model: bigger units and variable-speed cold-climate models cost more.
- Line set run: a long route from the outdoor unit to the furnace adds copper and labour.
Where the outdoor unit goes
Snow is the main enemy. Keep snow clear of the outdoor unit, and make sure roof runoff can't drip onto it and freeze. We set units on a raised stand above the usual drift line.
In winter you'll see a thin layer of frost, then short defrost cycles that may release a cloud of steam. That's normal. Heavy ice that doesn't clear is a service call.
Is a heat pump right for your home?
A heat pump makes the most sense in Calgary if any of these apply:
- Your air conditioner is old or failing. A heat pump replaces it and adds heating for a few thousand dollars more.
- You want central cooling and don't have it yet.
- Your furnace is in good shape. You keep it as the backup and add the heat pump.
- Your ductwork and electrical panel can handle it, or you're ready to upgrade them.
Ways to pay
Calgary's Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) can finance eligible upgrades through your property tax bill when intake is open. You can also spread the cost over monthly payments through Financeit.