Introduction
Why Are Electric Baseboards So Expensive in Ontario and Atlantic Canada?
What Makes Heat Pumps the Ideal Solution for These Regions?
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
How Much Can You Save by Switching to a Heat Pump in Ontario and Atlantic Canada?
What About the Cost of Installation?
The Environmental Impact of Heat Pumps
Conclusion: The Bottom Line
Introduction
If you rely on electric baseboards to heat your home in Ontario or Atlantic Canada, you’ve likely experienced the frustration of high energy bills during the winter months. Electric baseboards are notorious for being energy hogs, consuming large amounts of electricity to maintain warmth in cold climates. Fortunately, there’s a more efficient solution: heat pumps.
Heat pumps provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to heat and cool your home year-round. As we discussed in our previous blog, many homeowners in Ontario can even qualify for a free heat pump through the Energy Affordability Program, allowing them to upgrade to a high-performance cold climate heat pump with no upfront costs. You can read more about this free program here.
In this post, we’ll dive deeper into why switching from electric baseboards to a heat pump is the best way to reduce your power bill and improve comfort throughout the year.
Why Are Electric Baseboards So Expensive in Ontario and Atlantic Canada?
While electric baseboards are technically 100% efficient—meaning that for every 1 kilowatt of electricity used, you get 1 kilowatt of heat—they still pale in comparison to the efficiency of heat pumps. Heat pumps can achieve up to 400% efficiency, meaning they produce 4 kilowatts of heat for every 1 kilowatt of electricity consumed. This is the biggest advantage of heat pumps: significantly lower electricity usage to generate the same amount of warmth.
For regions with long winters, like Ontario and Atlantic Canada, the savings can be substantial. Switching to heat pumps allows homeowners to enjoy the same comfort with a fraction of the energy consumption.
What Makes Heat Pumps the Ideal Solution for These Regions?
For homeowners in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, where natural gas is not available everywhere, particularly in rural areas, heat pumps offer a highly efficient and cost-effective alternative. By switching from electric baseboards to heat pumps, homeowners can achieve up to 400% efficiency, reducing energy consumption and lowering their heating costs dramatically.
For those looking to make even bigger strides in reducing their energy bills and environmental impact, heat pumps can be paired with solar panels. By upgrading to a solar-powered system, homeowners can make their heating and cooling system virtually free while helping to reduce their carbon footprint. Given that Ontario and some parts of Atlantic Canada receive ample sunshine, especially during the summer months, solar energy becomes a viable and sustainable option.
With rising electricity costs and the lack of natural gas availability in many areas, particularly in rural regions, investing in a heat pump—potentially paired with solar—provides a forward-thinking, energy-efficient solution for both comfort and savings.
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
Heat pumps operate by moving heat, rather than generating it, making them highly efficient. In the winter, the heat pump extracts warmth from the outdoor air—even at subzero temperatures—and transfers it inside to heat your home. In the summer, it reverses this process, acting as an air conditioner by pulling heat from your indoor air and releasing it outside.
This ability to heat and cool makes heat pumps a versatile, year-round solution. Unlike electric baseboards that generate heat from electricity, heat pumps only use a small amount of electricity to transfer heat, resulting in significant energy savings.
What makes heat pumps stand out even more is their ability to work efficiently in cold climates like Ontario and Atlantic Canada, ensuring your home stays comfortable regardless of the season.
How Much Can You Save by Switching to a Heat Pump in Ontario and Atlantic Canada?
If you’re currently using electric baseboards, you’re likely familiar with high electricity bills, especially during long winters. Switching to a heat pump can dramatically reduce your energy costs. For instance, if you’re spending around $400 per month on heating with electric baseboards, a heat pump could lower that to $160 or less, thanks to its up to 400% efficiency. Over the course of the winter, this can add up to thousands in savings.
Not only do heat pumps provide consistent heating in winter, but they also offer air conditioning in the summer, giving you comfort year-round without the need for multiple systems. In regions like Ontario and Atlantic Canada, where heating demands are high, the savings potential is significant.
What About the Cost of Installation?
Installing a heat pump might seem like a significant investment, but it’s surprisingly comparable to installing both a furnace and an air conditioner. In fact, installing a heat pump is often only marginally more expensive than adding an air conditioner alone—yet it provides both heating and cooling in one system, saving you money in the long run.
For homeowners without ducts, ductless heat pumps are a game-changer. Adding ducts to a home that doesn’t have them could cost upwards of $20,000, and that’s before even considering the cost of a furnace or air conditioner. Ductless heat pumps, on the other hand, provide an affordable, efficient solution that doesn’t require invasive renovations.
Plus, with government rebates and energy incentives available in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, you can offset the initial cost and start reaping the benefits of lower energy bills almost immediately. Why spend more on traditional systems when a heat pump can deliver year-round comfort and substantial savings?
The Environmental Impact of Heat Pumps
Switching to a heat pump not only reduces your energy bills but also plays a crucial role in protecting the environment. Heat pumps use ozone-friendly refrigerants, minimizing their impact on the ozone layer compared to older heating and cooling systems. By reducing your electricity consumption, you also help alleviate the demand on the power grid, making room for other carbon-reduction technologies like electric vehicles.
Additionally, by lowering electricity demand, heat pumps help delay the need for building more power plants, contributing to a more sustainable energy future. This means your home becomes part of the solution for climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while keeping your family comfortable year-round.
For environmentally-conscious homeowners, pairing a heat pump with solar energy takes sustainability a step further. By generating your own electricity, you can heat and cool your home without depending on the grid, making your household more energy independent and eco-friendly.
Conclusion: The Bottom Line
If you’re still using electric baseboards to heat your home in Ontario or Atlantic Canada, you’re not just wasting money—you’re contributing to environmental damage. Every kilowatt of electricity you waste on outdated, inefficient systems could be powering electric vehicles or supporting renewable energy solutions.
By sticking with electric baseboards, you’re not only facing sky-high bills but also relying on energy-guzzling systems that put unnecessary strain on the grid. It’s time to step up and make a responsible choice for your wallet and the planet.
Switching to a heat pump is not just about comfort and savings; it’s about doing your part to reduce carbon emissions, delay the need for new power plants, and create a more sustainable future for the next generation. Every home that switches to a heat pump is a step toward a cleaner, greener world.
Don’t wait until your next sky-high bill or the next environmental crisis—make the change now. Lower your costs, enjoy year-round comfort, and be the change that helps protect our planet.