CleanBC Income Qualified Program Rebates for Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pumps

In order to qualify for this rebate, all of the following requirements must be met. Please read them carefully. Contact an Energy Coach if you have questions.

Income qualification requirements

Rebate coverage is based on the combined income of all adults in your home and how many people live in your home, including adults and children.

• Combined incomes less than Income Level 1 are eligible for up to 95% of upgrade costs.
• Combined incomes less than Income Level 2 are eligible for up to 60% of upgrade costs.

Requirements for the home

You must live in an eligible home:

• The home must be a year-round primary residence that is at least 12 months old.
• For participants registering in the CleanBC Income Qualified Program between December 5, 2023 – January 31, 2024, the property must have a total assessed value at or under $1,222,000 in the BC Assessment listing for the address of the applicant’s home in the year of program registration.
• For participants registering in the CleanBC Income Qualified Program on or after February 1, 2024, the property must have a total assessed value at or under $1,230,000 in the BC Assessment listing for the address of the applicant’s home in the year of program registration.
• You must have a residential utility account with FortisBC, BC Hydro, or a municipal utility.
• The home must be one of the following types:
  • Single family home (detached dwelling)
  • Secondary suite in a single-family home (detached dwelling), with its own separate utility meter
  • Mobile home that is permanently fixed, sits on a foundation and is structurally complete with installed and connected plumbing, heating, electrical, water and sewer services; towing apparatus and axle must be removed
  • Duplex, triplex, row home or townhome, where each unit has its own natural gas and/or electricity meter; utility accounts must be in the name of the resident and/or homeowner.  Utility accounts in the name of a strata corporation are not eligible.
• The home must be primarily heated by natural gas or propane.
• If you currently rent your home, you will need a landlord consent form to accompany your application.
• Pay your own energy utility bills. Utility accounts must be in the name of the resident and/or homeowner; utility accounts in the name of a strata corporation or landlord are not eligible.
• Home must be located in BC Building Code climate zone 5 (excluding Vancouver Island), 6, 7, 8, or 9 to be eligible to access a dual fuel heat pump rebate. To determine your climate zone, see What is my climate zone?
• Homes in Non-Integrated Areas of the electricity grid must contact IncomeQualified@betterhomesbc.ca for pre-approval prior to installation.

Requirements for your contractor

New dual fuel heat pump must be installed:

• By an Income Qualified Program Registered Contractor who is approved to install home upgrades for the CleanBC Income Qualified Program, for the trade applicable to the upgrade being installed (e.g. Heat pumps must be installed by a licensed residential heating and cooling contractor), and
• In accordance with the Heat Pump Best Practices Guide for Existing Homes.
• A heat load calculation is required and must be submitted to access the rebate, see What are the load calculation requirements for heat pumps?
• Emergency replacement of fossil fuel space heating systems are eligible.

Requirements for the upgrade

• You must pre-register and receive an eligibility code before completing the upgrade.
• The AHRI certified reference number for dual fuel ducted heat pumps must show the outdoor unit, indoor unit and furnace.
• The new heat pump must:
  • Replace the existing primary heating system.
  • Be sized to function as the primary heating system of the home.
  • Have a minimum capacity of 12,000 BTU (1 ton).
  • Serve a main living area (e.g. family room, living room, or open-concept kitchen-living room).
  • Be integrated with a propane or natural gas furnace and all propane or natural gas heating equipment (piping, appliances, fuel containers, vents and associated infrastructure) must be modified in accordance with all applicable laws.
  • Have an AHRI certified reference number that references all components of the heat pump.
  • Be listed as a qualified system on the qualified product list.
  • Must have a static pressure ≥0.6” WC
  • Have the thermostat, outdoor temperature switch-over control or equipment control board set to the following region-specific temperatures for the duration of the product lifetime:
    • Southern Interior and Northern BC: <2^oC
  • Be sized to ensure it has the capacity to meet the home’s heat demand at or below the region-specific outdoor set-point (e.g. the application balance point must be lower than the region-specific outdoor thermostat set-point).