What this is
A heat pump moves heat instead of making it by burning fuel or running an electric resistance element. A cold-climate model is one that still delivers useful heat as the outdoor temperature falls. In the North that usually means a variable-speed air-source unit, sized for the house, with a second heat source for the coldest hours.
Natural Resources Canada’s cold-climate listing bar is specific. To be added as a cold-climate air-source heat pump, a system needs a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF2) of at least 6.6, a SEER2 of at least 15.2, capacity maintenance of at least 70 percent at −15°C compared with its rated capacity at 8.3°C, a coefficient of performance of at least 1.8 at −15°C at maximum capacity, and a variable-speed compressor. NRCan, how products are listed
Those numbers are a listing test at −15°C. They are not a promise that the same machine will carry a house through −40°C by itself. Yukon’s dual-fuel rebate terms make the same distinction in policy: the heat pump has to be sized for the whole building and reach a balance point of −20°C or colder, and it has to be paired with oil, propane, or wood. Yukon energy incentive terms, Sept. 3, 2026
Why the North is talking about them now
Yukon’s grid is isolated. The territorial government says forecasts show peak demand growing by about 40 megawatts by 2030, mainly from new electrically heated homes, and that the Dependable Grid Program is aimed at cutting electricity use during cold snaps. Government of Yukon, April 15, 2026
The practical result is not “rip out every furnace.” It is dual fuel: the heat pump runs for the many hours that are merely cold, and a non-electric system covers the peak and the outage. The same April release says a typical household could save up to $1,900 a year by moving off electric baseboards or an electric furnace onto that setup. Treat that as the government’s estimate. The Energy Branch’s own terms say it does not guarantee energy-saving results. Terms, general conditions
A separate monitoring contract is on the record. RDH Building Science told CBC it had been hired in 2023 to monitor 19 heat pumps in Whitehorse, Haines Junction, and Tagish, and that the fieldwork wrapped up in fall 2025. The findings had not been published in that December 22, 2025 report. The researcher’s summary, not a data table, was that the machines are less efficient in extreme cold and that houses switch to supplemental heat then. CBC News, Dec. 22, 2025
01
Listing test
−15°C
COP at least 1.8, and at least 70% of rated capacity still available, before NRCan will call it cold-climate.
02
Yukon dual-fuel rule
−20°C
Balance point required in the Dependable Grid terms, with non-electric backup. Not the same test as the NRCan list.
03
Existing-home cap
50% / $15,000
Dual-fuel rebate for a building at least six months old. New homes are a flat $15,000, not 50%.
The twenty-six pages
Yukon rebate figures do not apply in the Northwest Territories or northern British Columbia. Those places have their own pages. Do not export a Whitehorse program into Yellowknife or Fort St. John.
Foundation
- 01Overview
What a cold-climate heat pump is, and what this guide will and will not claim.
- 02Dual-fuel heat pumps
How a heat pump shares a house with wood, propane, or oil, and when that split is the point.
- 03Dependable Grid rebate
Dual fuel and the other Dependable Grid amounts, from the September 3, 2026 terms.
- 04Good Energy rebate
The other heat pump rebate: 50 percent up to $10,500 on an existing home, $1,500 on a new one.
- 05Affordable Heat Pump Program
100 percent up to $24,000 for an income-qualified home. Pre-approval. Not stackable with the other two.
- 06Heat pump cost guide
Installed cost ranges for northern Canada, and what actually moves the price.
- 07Sizing guide
Balance point, design temperature, and why a chart made for a milder climate mis-sizes a northern house.
- 08R-454B explained
What the newer refrigerant is, what it is not a drop-in for, and the handling notes that matter.
- 09Cold-climate capacity
Daikin FIT Aurora DH9 24 and 36 with the CAPEA coil, and the stronger Moovair cold-climate matches, on the NRCan Manitoba-and-Yukon list.
- 10NRCan cold-climate list
How to read the official list Yukon’s rebate terms point to, and what the ratings mean.
Decisions
- 11Best heat pumps for the North, 2026
A criteria-first comparison. Not a ranked shopping list.
- 12Log home reality check
What changes when the envelope is logs: load, air leakage, and where a heat pump struggles.
- 13Retrofit vs new build
Why the same machine is a different project in an existing house than in a new one.
- 14Oil-to-heat-pump conversion
For houses that still heat with oil after the federal grant window closed.
- 15Heat pump vs furnace vs boiler
A plain comparison of what each system does in a northern winter.
- 16Maintenance in extreme cold
What an owner can check, and what should stay with a technician.
- 17Cold-climate myths
Claims that circulate in the North, matched to what the ratings actually say.
- 18Choosing a contractor
Questions to ask before anyone sizes a system. No recommended-company list.
- 19Noise and neighbors
Outdoor-unit sound, placement, and what the spec sheet is measuring.
- 20Thermostats and controls
Setbacks, auxiliary lockout, and utility demand programs.
Places and tools
- 21Whitehorse costs
What published Yukon examples do and do not tell you about a Whitehorse install.
- 22Yellowknife and the NWT
A separate page. Yukon rebates do not travel with you.
- 23Northern British Columbia
Climate is related. Programs, rates, and contractors are not the same as Yukon.
- 24Defrost cycles
Why the outdoor unit steams, and when that is normal.
- 25Payback against Yukon power rates
A method for the math, using published rates, not a promised payback.
- 26Sizing calculator
A planning estimate from house size, insulation, and backup fuel. Not a load calculation.
- 27Rebate stacking
Which Yukon incentives the terms say can be combined, and which cannot.
- 28About this guide
How pages are sourced, what gets corrected, and who this is not written for.
What this guide will not do
- It will not rank contractors or carry a company logo.
- It will not tell you a payback as if it were a quote. The calculator is a planning band, not a load calculation.
- It will not treat a U.S. sizing chart, or a southern Canadian one, as valid at northern design temperatures.
- If an official page and a shorter summary disagree, the official page is what gets published, and the disagreement is marked.
This is not engineering advice and not a rebate application. The Energy Branch decides eligibility. A contractor sizes the equipment.
Where to go next
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below. If a later official update conflicts, the official update wins.
- How products are listed with the Canada Greener Homes Initiative
NRCan cold-climate criteria: HSPF2 at least 6.6, SEER2 at least 15.2, capacity maintenance at least 70 percent at −15°C, COP at least 1.8 at −15°C, variable-speed compressor.
- Yukon energy incentive terms (PDF)
September 3, 2026. Dual-fuel balance point of −20°C or colder, existing-home 50 percent up to $15,000, new-home flat $15,000, and the statement that savings are not guaranteed.
- Dependable Grid news release
April 15, 2026. About 40 MW of peak growth by 2030, and the typical-household claim of up to $1,900 a year.
- CBC News, December 22, 2025
RDH monitored 19 heat pumps in Whitehorse, Haines Junction, and Tagish. Findings were not in the article.