Costs
BC Hydro and FortisBC heat pump rebates: how they stack in 2025
BC Hydro offers up to $3,000 and FortisBC up to $1,000 for 2025 heat pump rebates. Compare CleanBC top-ups, eligibility criteria, and application timing rules.
What to take away
- BC Hydro pays up to $3,000 for a central heat pump and up to $2,000 for a mini-split.
- FortisBC pays up to $1,000 for a gas furnace switch in its service area.
- CleanBC Better Homes adds up to $2,000 in income-qualified top-up, and lower income tiers can add up to $8,000.
- Payment comes after the invoice is paid, and application windows differ by program.
What is being compared
Four funding paths can apply to one heat pump installation in British Columbia. BC Hydro's rebate, FortisBC's rebate, CleanBC Better Homes, and the Government of Canada's Canada Greener Homes Loan. They are not interchangeable because each names its own administrator, eligible equipment list, and payment timing.
The right combination depends on who supplies the electricity and what fuel the heat pump replaces. A Vancouver home served by BC Hydro can stack several of these. A Kamloops home inside FortisBC gas territory stacks a different set.
The criteria that matter
Headline dollar value misleads because the largest posted number is usually the hardest to qualify for.
| Criterion | BC Hydro | FortisBC | CleanBC Better Homes | Canada Greener Homes Loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who administers it | Provincial utility | Gas and electric utility | Province of BC | Government of Canada |
| Main trigger | Electric heat or a fuel switch | Gas to heat pump switch | Income and fuel switch | EnerGuide evaluation and loan approval |
| Equipment test | Cold-climate eligible list | Cold-climate eligible list | Matches the utility list | Matches the federal list |
| Stacking rule | Usually stacks, with conditions | Usually stacks, with conditions | Often the top-up layer | One federal path at a time |
| Payment timing | After installation, within 6 months | After installation, within 12 months | After installation, after pre-approval | Loan advance after pre-approval |
Two criteria carry more weight than the rest. The equipment test decides whether the model you want is eligible at all. Service capacity decides whether it can run, and 200-amp panel upgrade costs works through what a service change adds.
BC Hydro as the base layer
BC Hydro serves most BC homes, so its rebate is the layer most households meet first. In 2025, BC Hydro pays up to $3,000 for a centrally ducted heat pump and up to $2,000 for a ductless mini-split. A switch away from fossil fuel is treated differently from replacing existing electric baseboards. Income-qualified households often see a higher tier through CleanBC top-up.
Cold-weather capacity is the number to check before choosing a model. The overview of heat pump operation explains how low-ambient performance is rated. Capacity also decides whether an older service can carry the unit.
FortisBC where gas is the incumbent fuel
FortisBC supplies natural gas to about 1.1 million customers across BC and electricity in parts of the southern interior. For a gas customer, the 2025 rebate pays up to $1,000 for replacing a furnace, boiler, or gas fireplace with an eligible heat pump. For a customer on FortisBC electricity, the offer looks closer to BC Hydro's.
The FortisBC online rebate portal accepts applications after the contractor invoice is paid. You have 12 months from the invoice date to file.
CleanBC Better Homes as the top-up
CleanBC Better Homes is the provincial layer run by the Province of BC. It is the one most likely to ask for documentation before work starts. Several income-qualified paths want an EnerGuide home energy evaluation completed first. The EnerGuide rating labels home energy performance from 0 to 100, and that score sets the rebate tier.
In 2025, CleanBC adds up to $2,000 in top-up for income-qualified households on top of a utility heat pump rebate. For lower-income households, the CleanBC top-up can reach $8,000, which brings a BC Hydro central heat pump job to $11,000 total. Application order matters because CleanBC pre-approval usually comes before installation.
Where each one wins
- BC Hydro is the right answer when the home already runs on electric heat, or when the installer files claims through BC Hydro Power Smart as routine.
- FortisBC is the right answer when gas is the incumbent fuel and the account sits inside its service area.
- CleanBC Better Homes is the right answer when household income falls inside a tier, because the top-up moves the total furthest.
- Canada Greener Homes Loan is the right answer when the obstacle is capital rather than rebate size. It offers up to $40,000 interest-free with a 10-year repayment term.
If your alternative is baseboards rather than gas, the Quebec dual-energy rate comparison shows how the same trade-off plays out under a different tariff.
Example: a Kamloops home leaving a gas furnace
This example shows how BC Hydro and FortisBC stack differently depending on the fuel and utility. A Kamloops home inside FortisBC gas territory replaces a gas furnace with an eligible heat pump.
- FortisBC contributes $1,000.
- CleanBC income-qualified top-up contributes $2,000.
- Total rebate: $3,000.
The same home in Vancouver, served by BC Hydro and replacing electric baseboards, would get $3,000 from BC Hydro plus up to $2,000 from CleanBC, for $5,000 total. Payment arrives after the invoice is paid, and each program has a separate application window.
- Book the EnerGuide evaluation and wait for the report before signing a contract.
- Choose a heat pump from the eligible equipment list and confirm the service can carry it.
- Install, then keep the invoice, the model number and the permit number together.
- Submit the CleanBC claim first and the utility claim second.
Treat BC PST as a line to confirm rather than assume. Ask the installer how tax applies to equipment and to labour separately, and whether a rebate changes the taxable amount.
Paperwork, not equipment, sinks most claims. electrification mistakes that bill you years later lists the failures that surface a season or two after the install.
What none of them solve
Every program here reimburses after the fact. None pay a contractor up front, and none remove the need for the homeowner to carry the full cost in the meantime. That shared limitation decides who can use these rebates at all. A household that qualifies on paper may still stall on cash flow.
None of them settle whether the electrical service can carry the new load either. A rebate improves the payback on a heat pump, but it does not turn a 100-amp service into a 200-amp service. Electrical panel capacity is the constraint that decides whether the work happens this year.
Common questions
Do the utility and provincial rebates stack? Often they do, and the provincial top-up is built to sit above a utility claim. Each program still sets its own stacking rule, so confirm the order before signing a contract.
Does a rebate change what I pay in BC PST? Ask the installer for equipment and labour as separate lines. Tax treatment can differ between them, and a rebate may or may not change the taxable amount.
Can I claim a rebate for a panel upgrade? Rarely as a standalone item. Some programs allow limited support when the panel work is part of an eligible heat pump installation, so read the current rules instead of assuming.
Do these stack with federal money? Usually one federal path at a time. Cold-climate heat pump rebates in Ontario shows how a provincial rebate and a federal loan are layered in another province, which helps you read the BC rules.
