“Yes, they work here. Ten years ago we shut them off around –5 °C. Today, good cold-climate units carry real heat to –22 °C and beyond.”
-Peak Comfort HVAC
If you’ve been hearing the heat-pump buzz and wondering whether it’s just marketing, here’s the straight goods from someone who installs them, owns them, and services them in Ottawa winters.
Why you’re suddenly hearing about heat pumps again
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Tech caught up. Inverter compressors + smarter defrost + better controls = real winter performance.
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Price normalized. As more brands entered the space, the “premium tax” shrank.
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Local fit. Ottawa homes usually already have high-efficiency gas + ductwork + AC—perfect for hybrid (aka dual-fuel) setups.
My stance (and why it matters)
I’m pro-heat pump. I’ve installed hundreds of ductless and ducted systems; I have them in my own properties and the home's of my family. I’m not anti-electrification, just anti-BS. Heat pumps are fantastic when applied properly.
“A furnace can brute-force heat. A heat pump can’t.”
-Peak Comfort HVAC
What Ottawa homes actually look like (and why that helps)
Most houses I step into have:
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a gas furnace (often 2-stage),
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existing AC (not always, but often),
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mixed duct quality (restricted returns are common),
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weak airflow upstairs in multi-storeys,
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pockets of electric baseboard or hydronic in some neighborhoods.
Translation: lots of good candidates - we either replace the AC with a heat pump (keeping the furnace), or use ductless to fix problem rooms that ductwork can’t solve in a finished house.
Natural gas, propane, oil: the ROI reality
If you’re on natural gas in Ottawa, it’s relatively cheap fuel. The smartest move most of the time is keep the gas furnace and add a cold-climate heat pump. The heat pump carries shoulder seasons and milder winter days; gas takes the ugly nights.
If you’re on oil or propane, the economics flip fast - full electric can make a ton of sense, and rebates often require it on oil-to-HP conversions.
“Yes, your furnace will still run. That’s by design, not failure.”
-Peak Comfort HVAC
What about savings?
Rule of thumb from the field: ~45–50% less gas furnace burner runtime, translating to ~30% utility savings overall on natural-gas homes once the heat pump is doing the easy work. Your house, panel, and ductwork decide the final number.
“Do they really heat at –25 °C?”
Short answer: Good cold-climate systems can deliver usable heat down to about –22 °C. Below that, output drops and your backup heat (gas or electric) should pick up the slack. In Ottawa, we only see a handful of –30 °C nights a year; the hybrid approach is built for exactly that.
The honest way to choose your setup
Here’s how I actually guide homeowners:
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Values-first: If your goal is to stop burning fossil fuels → go all-electric (plan for panel capacity).
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ROI-first (natural gas): Keep gas + add a heat pump (replace the AC with one).
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“AC died” path: Replace dead AC with a heat pump now; keep the furnace. Swap the indoor unit later when it’s due.
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Panel reality: 100 A service can limit all-electric plans; 200 A (or a service upgrade) often makes life easier.
The defrost thing (so you don’t panic in February)
Your outdoor unit will build frost in cold weather. It periodically defrosts by reversing and using indoor heat to melt ice off the coil. You’ll see steam, hear changes, and water will drip under the unit and freeze - that’s normal. We mount on a stand and keep it away from walkways to avoid slip hazards.
“If you see ice, don’t assume failure. Defrost is the system doing its job.”
-Peak Comfort HVAC
Why I almost always keep the gas (Ottawa edition)
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You already own it. Built-in redundancy + comfort on extreme nights.
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Natural gas is relatively inexpensive here. Let the heat pump carry most of the year and let gas cover the handful of deep-freeze nights.
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Smoother comfort. Modulating heat pumps run long, quiet cycles; gas fills in only when required.
If you’re on oil, I push full electric - makes sense practically and often for rebates.
What to expect in the quote (no surprises)
A proper Ottawa heat-pump quote should address:
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System choice: cold-climate model, size, and whether we’re going hybrid or all-electric.
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Ductwork & airflow: any return-air fixes or adaptations around the new indoor coil.
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Electrical: breaker, wire, and panel/service discussion if aiming for all-electric.
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Mounting & placement: stand height, roof-drip considerations, clearances.
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Controls: communicating thermostat/OEM controls (don’t “dumb down” a modulating system).
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Commissioning: a documented multi-point startup with real readings (we do ~40-point “bloodwork”).
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Maintenance plan: manufacturers expect annual maintenance on these.
Call Peak Comfort HVAC (and what we do differently)
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We design for real Ottawa houses and budgets, not lab checklists.
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We keep modulation—no random smart stat that turns your system into a 2-stage.
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We braze with nitrogen and protect inverters with surge protection.
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We mount correctly, avoid roof shed, and commission every system with a 40-point report.
