What is actually published
In a December 22, 2025 CBC story, a Whitehorse homeowner said that with electrical upgrades he had spent around $36,000. He expected a rebate and guessed the savings might return the money in about 12 years. The 12 years is his estimate. The same story says RDH Building Science monitored 19 heat pumps in Whitehorse, Haines Junction, and Tagish under a Yukon government contract that wrapped up in fall 2025, and that the findings were not public in that article. CBC News The contractor who maintains this guide says most installs come in under $32,000, and that a total above that is an outlier rather than the usual job. The $36,000 project is on that side of the line. That is field experience, not a territorial average. allyukon.ca The figures are not a Daikin price and not a Moovair price. Those two lines are the equipment examples on the capacity page. A quote is still one outdoor model, one indoor model, and one AHRI number.
The Northwest Territories has a monitoring note, not a price list. The Arctic Energy Alliance’s June 11, 2026 write-up of cold-climate mini-splits in Yellowknife does not give an installed cost. AEA
Illustrative ranges, labeled as such
The calculator on this site uses planning ranges so a homeowner can see the scale of a project before calling anyone. They are not measurements. At 1,600 square feet the ranges are poor $22,000–$32,000, average $17,000–$27,000, and tighter $14,000–$26,000. All three sit at or under the $32,000 line. Change the area and the band scales with it. A much larger house can cross $32,000 without being the same kind of outlier as an ordinary house that does. None of these figures is the $36,000 house scaled by floor area.
| Illustration | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Published Whitehorse project | About $36,000 | One homeowner, December 2025, including electrical upgrades. Above $32,000, which the maintaining contractor treats as an outlier. Not an average. |
| 1,600 ft², poor envelope | $22,000–$32,000 | This guide’s illustration for a poor envelope. Not a survey. |
| 1,600 ft², average envelope | $17,000–$27,000 | This guide’s illustration for an average envelope. Not a survey. |
| 1,600 ft², tighter envelope | $14,000–$26,000 | This guide’s illustration for a tighter envelope. Not a survey. |
| Where the dual-fuel cap bites | $30,000 of eligible costs | Arithmetic from the terms: 50 percent of $30,000 is the $15,000 maximum. Costs above that are unreimbursed. Not a typical price. |
Equipment versus the rest of the job
Yukon’s eligible-cost list does not split parts from labour. “Heat pump purchase and installation” is one line. Design is another. So is removal or integration of the old system, and so is a new non-electric system if you buy one. Terms A quote that only prices the outdoor unit is missing most of that list. This page will not invent a percentage for labour, because no official source publishes one.
What actually moves the price
- Electrical upgrades. The terms name panel upgrades, wiring, new poles, and new transformers, because those are often required to install the heat pump. They are also the usual surprise on a bill.
- Line-set length and route. A head on the far side of the house, or a run that has to go through a log wall and a crawlspace, is not the same job as a head on the other side of the wall from the outdoor unit. The terms do not publish a dollars-per-foot rate. The length still belongs on the quote.
- Structural work. A pad, a stand high enough for snow, or a bracket on a wall that can take the weight and the vibration. None of that is inside the equipment box.
- Remote access. New poles and transformers are the terms’ way of saying the power has to reach the unit. This guide did not find a published travel, barge, or fly-in surcharge. A Whitehorse invoice is not a quote for a community that is not on the same road system. Ask for that line rather than assuming it is zero.
- The backup. Keeping an existing oil, propane, or wood system and tying it in is a different project from buying a new one. The terms allow either.
- Ducts. NRCan notes that pushing more air than the ducts can carry adds noise and fan energy. NRCan New ducts, or ducts that have to be rebuilt, are a cost driver the outdoor-unit price does not show.
The rebate changes the net, not the gross
On an existing electrically heated building, dual fuel is 50 percent of eligible costs up to $15,000. Good Energy’s heat pump rebate, which cannot be stacked with it, is 50 percent up to $10,500. The Affordable Heat Pump Program is 100 percent up to $24,000 for a qualifying household, with pre-approval, and it also cannot be stacked with dual fuel. The $36,000 project does not become a $21,000 project unless the dollars you spent are dollars the program counts, and you are in the stream you think you are in. Terms
Related pages
- 01 Overview
What a cold-climate heat pump is, and what this guide will and will not claim.
- 02 Dual-fuel heat pumps
How a heat pump shares a house with wood, propane, or oil, and when that split is the point.
- 03 Dependable Grid rebate
Dual fuel and the other Dependable Grid amounts, from the September 3, 2026 terms.
- 04 Good Energy rebate
The other heat pump rebate: 50 percent up to $10,500 on an existing home, $1,500 on a new one.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below. If a later official update conflicts, the official update wins.
- CBC News, December 22, 2025
One Whitehorse homeowner’s reported project cost of about $36,000, including electrical upgrades. His payback guess of about 12 years is his. RDH monitored 19 Yukon heat pumps; findings were not in the article.
- Contractor who maintains this guide
Field experience, not a price survey: most installs are under $32,000. Above that is an outlier. Not a quote, and not a rebate decision.
- AEA, June 11, 2026
Yellowknife monitoring note. Heat pumps operated, and a secondary source was still required. The note does not publish installed prices.
- Yukon energy incentive terms (PDF)
Eligible cost categories: design, purchase and installation, electrical upgrades including poles and transformers, removal or integration, and a new non-electric system. No labour-versus-equipment split is published.
- NRCan heat pump guide
Undersized ducts add fan energy and noise. Distribution is part of the job, not a footnote.