A local company says it is ready for increased demand for heat pump and mini-split installations in homes.
Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin was in St. John’s last week to announce a $13-million program through Take Charge NL, whereby people can get funding for things like heat pumps and insulation upgrades.
That comes on the heels of Ottawa’s new National Heat Pump Rebate, a separate program that will launch this winter.
Mitchell Stead, owner of Heat Pump Solutions, says many contractors have been “sitting idle” for the last couple of years due to the end of the previous Green Home Program.
He says they have been preparing and are ready for the work ahead.
According to Stead, they typically install between 800 and 1,200 units per year, and the work typically takes less than a day.
He says a single-zone mini split typically takes about four hours. A larger project, such as converting from oil to electric, might take a couple of days to complete.
Stead says heat pumps are more efficient than traditional electric heaters.
He says the systems can produce double the heat of a traditional heater, resulting in hundreds of dollars in savings. He also encourages people to take advantage of the oil to electric program, noting that he has heard that it may run out of money in January.
