Starting a heat-pump line in British Columbia

The BC market for a new heat-pump line

A BC launch has two natural first customers: gas-heated homes that want cooling, and electrically heated homes that want lower bills. According to Statistics Canada, in 2023 about 42% of BC households relied mainly on natural gas for heat and about 36% on electricity. That near-even split means you can't borrow a launch message from Alberta or Quebec.

Large population centres such as Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond and Kelowna each have their own housing mix. Older detached homes, townhouses with strata rules, and newer homes with ducted systems all need different offers. A company launching in the Fraser Valley will likely build different packages from one launching in the Okanagan.

Climate and seasonality

Climate decides what your launch message emphasises. The southwest coast has mild, wet winters, so year-round comfort, summer cooling and replacing electric baseboards are strong themes. The Interior and the North have far longer, colder heating seasons, where homeowners will ask hard questions about winter performance and backup heat, and your technical team must answer them.

For launch timing, many coastal companies find spring a useful moment: the heating season is ending, and homeowners are starting to think about summer comfort. Interior companies may prefer to finish their soft launch before fall so first installs are running when the cold arrives.

Certification and regulators to know

BC has moved further than most provinces on trade certification. SkilledTradesBC now applies Skilled Trades Certification to a group of mechanical and electrical trades, including refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic, gasfitter and construction electrician. Before you launch, map exactly which of those trades your offer touches and who on your crew holds them.

Gas and electrical contractors are licensed by Technical Safety BC. Workplace safety falls under WorkSafeBC, and consumer issues under Consumer Protection BC. We link and summarise; for any compliance question, ask the body directly. Our training roadmap turns this into a dated plan.

Programs relevant to a launch (as of October 2026)

BC programs changed significantly in 2026, so your quote language needs care.

• CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings Program: income-qualified rebates for heat pumps and related upgrades. New requirements apply to invoices dated on or after July 6, 2026. Some rebates were removed, electric-to-heat-pump upgrades are now limited to the lowest income level, and the top level is limited to ground-oriented homes switching away from gas, propane or oil.
• Home Renovation Rebate Program: listed for households that aren't income-qualified; current amounts weren't confirmed when we checked.
• Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program in BC: announced in June 2026 and delivered by BC Hydro and FortisBC, offering no-cost upgrades to lower-income households.
• Federal heat pump rebate: announced in October 2026, expected in 2027.

What this means for a launch: the July changes favour switching from fossil fuels over electric-to-electric upgrades for many households. A company whose first customer is "electric baseboard homes" should check carefully which of its prospects still qualify. Confirm every detail with Better Homes BC before using it in an ad.

How we'd approach a BC launch

We would start by choosing one sub-region and one homeowner type, for example gas-heated detached homes in one part of the Lower Mainland that want cooling. Then:

1. Build the offer around that customer, with clear adders for electrical upgrades, which some older homes need. See offer design.
2. Tell existing furnace and AC customers first, using consent-safe outreach.
3. Publish pages for that sub-region with your own install photos, then expand community by community.

GasBoilers.ca, a gas-boiler division we built for CANRO Heat, grew to 26+ BC communities this way. See results for more, or call, text or email to plan a BC launch.