The six-month line
In the Yukon terms, an existing home or building is at least six months old. A new home is younger than that. Dual fuel on an existing building is 50 percent up to $15,000. On a new home it is a flat $15,000. Good Energy’s heat pump rebate is 50 percent up to $10,500 existing, and $1,500 new. Secondary non-electric heat is 50 percent up to $5,000 existing, and a flat $3,000 new. Terms
What changes in the work
- An existing electrically heated house already has a panel, and it may be full. The terms treat a panel, wiring, pole, or transformer upgrade as an eligible cost because that is a normal part of the retrofit.
- An existing oil or propane system can stay as the backup. On a new dual-fuel home you are installing both sides before occupancy.
- Ducts, baseboards, or a boiler are already there in a retrofit. NRCan’s sizing note is to decide whether you are trying to meet the whole design load or to displace the old system for part of the year. NRCan A new house can be designed around the airflow the heat pump actually needs.
- Paperwork flips. Existing dual-fuel applications want an electricity bill showing the building was electrically heated, invoices after April 1, 2026, and an inspection. New homes want an occupancy permit after April 1, 2026, within a year of the application, plus photos or an invoice with make and model.
Related pages
- 11 Best heat pumps for the North, 2026
A criteria-first comparison. Not a ranked shopping list.
- 12 Log home reality check
What changes when the envelope is logs: load, air leakage, and where a heat pump struggles.
- 14 Oil-to-heat-pump conversion
For houses that still heat with oil after the federal grant window closed.
- 15 Heat pump vs furnace vs boiler
A plain comparison of what each system does in a northern winter.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below. If a later official update conflicts, the official update wins.
- Yukon energy incentive terms (PDF)
Six-month line between existing and new. Different formulas. New-home paperwork is an occupancy permit, not an old power bill.
- NRCan heat pump guide
Sizing objectives differ: carry the design load, or displace heat for part of the year. Retrofits often have ducts or radiation the new house does not.