Through explainers, we aim to provide useful factual and contextual information related to Canada’s clean energy transition. Please use this as a resource, and let us know if there are any topics that you would like to see for future explainers.
Why B.C. should make every new central A/C system a heat pump
As Europe swelters in its worst ever heat wave, British Columbians may be remembering their own record heat wave of 2021. Unfortunately, we know that climate change will only make extreme heat more common in years to come. Many British Columbians still don’t have access to cooling. And many homeowners may decide it is time to swap out their window A/Cs and invest in a more permanent solution. This moment presents an opportunity for the provincial government: if every new, permanent A/C were a heat pump, many British Columbians could save hundreds of dollars every year—often at no or very minimal additional upfront cost. And the province as a whole would save energy and emissions. The right policy would create a consumer guardrail that puts households first.
The cooling gap in B.C.
- Climate change has made summer heat waves in the province 10 times more likely.
- Access to cooling is not just a matter of comfort, but a health issue, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly. High levels of heat can lead to discomfort or even pose health risks, including heat stroke, dehydration, cardiovascular strain, and respiratory issues. The climate-change-amplified 2021 heat dome caused 619 deaths in the province.
- British Columbia has lower uptake of cooling than the rest of Canada, with more than half of households not having access to A/C in 2025. For comparison, 83% of households in Ontario have air conditioning and 69% in Québec.
- At the same time, increasing concern about heat has already caused a rapid increase in air conditioning uptake in B.C., which doubled over the course of a decade.
- The cooling gap in B.C. therefore poses two problems. Firstly, many households still do not have access to cooling and face health risks. Secondly, a large group of households are installing permanent air conditioners for the first time, and if these are one-way air conditioners rather than heat pumps, that would be a large missed opportunity for energy efficiency, household bill reductions, and climate.
Why should every central A/C in B.C. be a heat pump?
- Air source heat pumps use the same technology as air conditioners, compressing and transferring heat through the use of a refrigerant. But while an air conditioner only moves heat from inside the house to outside, a heat pump can be reversed and heat as well as cool a home.
- Because a heat pump moves heat rather than creating it, it is between two and five times more efficient than traditional heating systems like natural gas furnaces or electric baseboards. Using a heat pump for (part of) a household’s heating needs in the rest of the year, can reduce energy consumption and household bills.
- In a survey of households in Metro Vancouver, 41% did not know heat pumps provide cooling too. Many are not aware of the opportunity to install a cooling system that also provides affordable heat—and may miss out on a significant cost-saving opportunity.
How should the province go about making every A/C a heat pump in B.C.?
- Under the Energy Efficiency Act, the provincial government already sets standards for the minimum level of energy efficiency that products sold in the province need to meet, including for televisions, fridges, and windows. This is to protect consumers and ensure manufacturers offer the best available technologies that do not unnecessarily waste energy.
- B.C.’s Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, Adrian Dix, could introduce regulation under the Energy Efficiency Act to require all central air conditioning systems to be reversible, meaning they are heat pumps that can both cool and heat.
- A regulation would only affect central air conditioning systems in homes. That means that any standalone system, such as a window unit, could still be a one-way air conditioning system. Smaller standalone units can be a crucial low-cost solution for vulnerable households and a cost-competitive heat pump in that same category is not yet available on the Canadian market. Of currently installed air conditioners in B.C., 30% were central air conditioners and 19% were heat pumps. The other half were standalone systems, such as window units.
- The City of Vancouver has already required all new permanently installed air conditioning systems in detached homes and duplexes to be heat pumps since the start of 2023. Several municipalities in California have taken similar measures.
What would making every A/C a heat pump mean for household bills, energy use, and emissions?
- Recent modelling published by Clean Energy Canada shows that on average, annual household energy bills with an air source heat pump would be $130 lower than with a natural gas furnace and A/C, and $810 lower than with electric baseboards and A/C. The modelling shows a province-wide switch to heat pumps would save the equivalent of 80,000 households’ worth of electricity, while adding cooling for many homes.
- If a heat pump is installed instead of an A/C, it can also be combined with an existing heating system. Clean Energy Canada’s modelling found that hybrid systems combining a heat pump with a natural gas furnace could reduce household heating and cooling bills across the province by an average of $144 annually. If all households heating with natural gas supplemented their system with a heat pump and moved to hybrid systems, emissions from home heating could be cut by as much as 79%.
- Conversations with HVAC distributors indicate that heat pumps are often sold at the same price point as one-way air conditioning systems. Where an upfront cost gap exists, it is usually a few hundred dollars, a difference that is easily made up by how much households save on monthly energy bills.
Experts available for interview
- Jana Elbrecht
Senior Policy Advisor, Clean Energy Canada
ja**@***************da.org
(437) 324-9323
Available to speak on the benefits of heat pumps and a provincial regulation to make every permanent A/C a heat pump
- Evan Pivnick
Associate Director of Public Affairs, Clean Energy Canada
ev**@***************da.org
(250) 661-1025
Available to speak on B.C.’s electricity system and the need to integrate energy-smart homes
Family physician in Nanaimo and Co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment in BC
be*************@***il.com
Available to speak on the health impacts of heat and a lack of access to cooling in British Columbia
- Shauna Sylvester
Founder and Lead Convenor, Urban Climate Leadership
sh****@********************ip.org
Available to speak on the opportunity to retrofit low-rise multi-unit residential buildings in B.C. with heat pumps and provide necessary cooling to apartment dwellers
Senior Program Manager & Policy Analyst, Community Energy
jo*******@******st.ca
Available to speak on energy poverty in B.C. and policy pathways to safe temperatures in rental housing
President, Kambo Energy Group
ya****@***bo.com
Available to speak on helping underserved communities in the Greater Vancouver Area make informed energy decisions for their homes.
Principal Consultant, Birch Consulting
To*@*************ng.ca
Available to speak on the Building Electrification Roadmap, a province-wide, industry-informed plan to accelerate the transition to high-efficiency electric buildings.
Senior Director, Policy
mp******@*******************OR.CA
Available to speak on the state of building decarbonization across Canada and what making every AC a heat pump on the federal level could look like.