The current HRS natural-gas route.
Home Renovation Savings currently offers $500 per ton for an eligible purchased cold-climate air-source heat pump in a qualifying Enbridge natural-gas heated home, up to $2,000. The amount is based on the program-rated heating capacity at 8.3°C (47°F), not the nominal size printed in a sales headline.
The heat pump can operate as a standalone system or with backup heat. For a heat pump paired with a natural-gas furnace, the furnace may be new or existing, but the furnace itself is not the rebated measure.
Why many gas-heated homes consider hybrid.
A hybrid design can replace an aging air conditioner with an inverter heat pump while retaining a gas furnace for backup. That can reduce gas use through much of the season without forcing an all-electric conversion. The control strategy should state when the heat pump runs and when the furnace takes over.
Whether hybrid lowers operating cost depends on your marginal electricity price, gas price, furnace efficiency and the heat pump’s COP at the temperatures where it operates. Use the hybrid calculator instead of assuming one fixed switchover temperature.
Do not install before the HRS approval step.
HRS requires a participating contractor and pre-installation approval. If a contractor is not yet on the participating list, the homeowner should not assume the project can be approved later. Keep the program approval with the quote and final invoice.
The exact matched heat-pump system must be on the current NRCan qualified-products list. A brand name or outdoor model by itself does not establish eligibility.
If the home is in Ottawa.
Eligible City of Ottawa homeowners can also investigate Better Homes Ottawa financing. The current loan is 4.33% fixed over 20 years, not 0%, and the program publishes a separate $700-per-ton cold-climate air-source heat-pump incentive for qualifying loan participants.
HRS permits funding from sources outside Enbridge, Save on Energy and the Government of Ontario as long as combined funding does not exceed the supply-and-install cost. Both program administrators still control their own eligibility and disclosure rules.
What a gas-home quote should show.
A useful quote identifies the heat pump, indoor coil, furnace if retained or replaced, controls, electrical work and program reference. For hybrid systems, ask for the switchover logic in writing.