Key Takeaways
- In a first-of-its-kind national survey of Canadian heat pump owners, 91% of respondents said they would recommend a heat pump to a friend or neighbours, with satisfaction consistent across regions, housing types, and demographics.
- Heat pump owners were primarily motivated by practical reasons, and those same practical benefits—energy bill savings and improved cooling and comfort—were also the most commonly reported after installation.
- Government incentives played a key role in heat pump adoption: three out of five respondents used one or more federal, provincial, municipal, or utility rebates, and over half of those said they would not have installed one without the support.
Executive Summary
Heat pumps have existed for decades, but adoption has really picked up steam in recent years thanks to improved cold-climate and ductless models and greater affordability from government incentive programs. Installations have tripled over the past decade, and in Atlantic Canada, where many households are switching away from significantly more expensive heating oil and incentives are generous, as many as one in three households now have a heat pump.
It’s high time, then, to take the temperature of people’s experiences.
Together with Summerhill, Clean Energy Canada surveyed nearly 3,800 heat pump owners across Canada between late 2025 and early 2026. The results show widespread satisfaction, with the vast majority (91%) saying they would recommend a heat pump to a friend or neighbour—a finding consistent across regions, housing types, gender, age, and income, and despite differences in the types of heat pump installed and the systems they replaced or supplemented.
Respondents reported installing heat pumps primarily for practical reasons—from lowering energy bills to improving comfort or adding air conditioning—and those same benefits were also the most commonly reported after installation. Among surveyed heat pump owners, 64% reported only positive experiences with their heat pumps, 22% reported a mix of positive and negative experiences, and just 5% reported only negative experiences.
And although some found government incentive programs difficult to navigate or involving long wait times, the financial support they offered ultimately played a crucial role in helping Canadians make the switch. Many respondents used one or more federal, provincial, municipal, or utility incentives to help cover upfront costs, and for more than half of those households, the support made the difference in deciding to install a heat pump.
The rest of the report takes a closer look at what motivated heat pump owners to install their systems, what owners love most about them, and where challenges remain. It also explores how experiences differ depending on the type of heating system previously in place, offering insights to help improve programs and support continued heat pump uptake.
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