Quick truths you can screenshot, send to a neighbor, and use when you’re shopping.
“A furnace can brute-force heat. A heat pump can’t.”
Peak Comfort HVAC
12 fast facts (myth → Ottawa reality)
1. “Do they really heat at –25 °C?”
Reality: Good cold-climate units carry usable heat to ~–22 °C; below that, output drops and your backup heat should pick up the slack. Ottawa only sees a handful of –30 °C nights a year—hybrid setups are built for that.
2. “My furnace came on—did the heat pump fail?”
Reality: In hybrids, the heat pump carries the easy days; gas covers the ugly nights and certain defrost moments. That’s by design, not failure.
3. “Steam is pouring off the unit!”
Reality: That’s defrost—normal. The unit reverses briefly to melt ice; you’ll see steam and water refreezing under the stand. We mount on a stand and away from walkways for exactly this reason.
“Yes, your furnace will still run. That’s by design, not failure.”
Peak Comfort HVAC
4. ROI reality (fuel matters).
On natural gas in Ottawa, it’s usually smartest to keep the furnace and add a heat pump; on oil/propane, full-electric can make strong financial sense.
5. What specs actually matter?
Look at COP at Ottawa temps, HSPF in our climate zone, real BTU at sub-zero, and defrost quality—not just brochure SEER. Cheap units sometimes “hold capacity” by dumping wattage.
6. All-electric needs panel headroom.
100 A services can limit all-electric plans; 200 A (or a service upgrade) often makes life easier. We check your loads up-front—no surprises.
7. Controls can make or break comfort.
Communicating systems → use the OEM communicating stat so you keep full modulation. On 24-V hybrids, Ecobee-style is fine when set up right. We avoid Nest: power-steal & weak commissioning = nuisance.
“Steam isn’t a breakdown—it’s defrost doing its job.”
Peak Comfort HVAC
8. Dual-fuel lockouts that protect savings (typical starting points):
NG: lock out aux above ~–12 to –15 °C (tuned to your curve). Propane/Oil: push the heat pump deeper (≈ –22 to –30 °C, model-dependent). Values-first electrification: run HP as far as it can; switch only when it can’t keep up.
9. Commissioning ≠ “it turned on.”
We document a multi-point “bloodwork” startup (pressures, SH/SC, CFM/ΔT, photos, etc.). That baseline is how you keep performance high and warranty arguments away.
10. Ductwork decides ambition.
We’ll often address returns/airflow or size the system to what your ducts can truly support—comfort beats paper BTUs.
11. What a proper quote should list.
Model numbers & cold-climate rating, scope (duct/electrical/stand/placement), controls, commissioning deliverables, and who registers warranties—plus maintenance expectations.
“Check COP and BTUs at Ottawa temperatures, not Florida.”
Peak Comfort HVAC
12. Our lineup (how we pick gear).
Amana for high-end, Comfort Aire for value—then we filter by sub-zero BTU/COP, defrost quality, base-pan heat, and parts/warranty support from brands techs are trained on.
