In short
Burlington Hydro is the electricity distributor for the City of Burlington rather than a rebate program of its own. Heat pump money here comes from the province-wide Home Renovation Savings Program, delivered by Save on Energy with Enbridge Gas. Burlington Hydro matters for your rate plan, your electrical service and any utility-delivered offers, so check its site for what is current.
How much you can get
- Heat pump rebate available to a Burlington home $500 per ton to $2,000 with gas heat, otherwise $1,250 per ton to $7,500
- Qualifying smart thermostat $100
- A Burlington Hydro-only heat pump rebate None — the programs are province-wide
- Utility-delivered Save on Energy offers See the program page
Who qualifies
- You are on the Ontario electricity grid with an active residential account, which is what makes Save on Energy programs available to you.
- The provincial program rules apply unchanged in Burlington: property type, occupancy, qualified equipment and a participating contractor.
- Your heating fuel sets your per-ton tier — gas-heated Burlington homes are in the lower tier, since Enbridge Gas serves the city.
- Income-qualified households should ask about Save on Energy's affordability stream before spending anything, and confirm on the program page that it is open.
- Any electrical service upgrade needed for the install is arranged through Burlington Hydro and your electrician, and is not part of a rebate.
This page exists because the search happens constantly and the answer is not obvious. Ontario's local distribution companies deliver provincial programs; they rarely fund their own. Knowing that saves you an afternoon on hold.
What Burlington Hydro does and does not pay for
It distributes electricity, meters it, bills it, and handles the physical connection to your house. It does not set the heat pump rebate — that comes from the provincial Home Renovation Savings Program — and it does not fund gas measures, which sit with Enbridge. What it does do is administer your rate plan and carry out utility-side work on your service.
Utilities do periodically deliver province-funded offers to their customers. If one is running, it will be posted on burlingtonhydro.com — check there rather than relying on a contractor's summary, ours included.
The rebate follows your heating fuel, not your address
A house in Roseland and a house in Alton Village get the same per-ton amount if they heat the same way. Because Enbridge Gas serves virtually all of built-up Burlington, most homes here fall into the $500 per ton tier, where the claim stops at $2,000 however large the system is. Electrically heated townhouses and condo units, and properties beyond the gas main, land in the $1,250 tier with its far higher $7,500 ceiling.
Service capacity is the Burlington-specific hurdle
The postwar bungalows through Aldershot and Roseland are lovely houses on generous lots, and we still open panels in them that were sized for a very different set of appliances. Adding a heat pump with electric auxiliary heat to a small service is a load calculation, not a hope.
- The load calculation happens before we quote, so any service upgrade appears as a real line rather than a surprise mid-install.
- Service and meter work on the utility side is Burlington Hydro's; the panel and branch circuits are your electrician's.
- A dual-fuel design can avoid a service upgrade entirely, because the gas furnace carries the coldest hours instead of electric backup heat.
- Waiting for a utility service upgrade takes time — start that conversation early if the assessment says you need one.
Ductwork in Millcroft, Tyandaga and Alton Village
The 1980s and 1990s subdivisions through Millcroft and Tyandaga have full ductwork, which is a good starting point, but the returns were sized around a furnace pushing much hotter air. A heat pump delivers a gentler supply temperature and needs more airflow to do the same work, so static pressure and return capacity get measured before we commit to equipment.
The 2000s-and-newer stock in Alton Village and the Orchard is usually the easiest retrofit on the list: modern service capacity, sensible duct layouts, and mechanical rooms with room to work.
Your rate plan changes the payback more than the rebate does
Once a heat pump is doing your heating, electricity price structure matters every single day, while the rebate matters once. Ontario residential customers choose between time-of-use, tiered, and ultra-low overnight plans, and the right one depends on when your household actually uses power.
Ultra-low overnight prices power at its cheapest between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and at its highest during the weekday evening peak — which is exactly when a heat pump is working hardest on a January evening. It can still be the right plan for an all-electric house with a well-insulated envelope, but it is not automatically a win. Compare the plans on Burlington Hydro's own rate page against a full year of your usage before switching.
We are based at 4145 North Service Road here in Burlington, so most of this city is a short drive. See HVAC services in Burlington or ask for a heat pump assessment that includes the electrical load check up front.
How ZK Mechanical helps
- Do the electrical load calculation before quoting, so a service upgrade never appears halfway through an install.
- Measure duct static pressure in 1980s and 1990s subdivision homes before selecting equipment.
- Model dual fuel against all-electric so you can see whether avoiding a service upgrade is worth keeping gas.
- File the provincial claim for the equipment we install and keep the paperwork in one place.
- Point you to the utility's own page for rate plans and current offers instead of guessing on your behalf.
Frequently asked questions
Does Burlington Hydro have its own heat pump rebate?
No. Heat pump incentives in Burlington come from the provincial Home Renovation Savings Program. The utility's role is distribution, metering and rate plans, plus delivering province-funded offers when they exist.
Who pays for a service upgrade if my panel is too small?
The homeowner. Utility-side work is coordinated by Burlington Hydro and the panel work is done by a licensed electrician. It is not covered by the heat pump rebate, which is why we check capacity before quoting.
Should I switch to the ultra-low overnight rate before installing a heat pump?
Not automatically. The overnight window is cheap but the weekday evening peak is expensive, and heating load in January peaks in the evening. Compare a full year of your own usage against each plan on the utility's rate page.
Is a heat pump sensible this close to the lake?
Burlington's winters are moderated by Lake Ontario, and cold-climate equipment keeps producing heat well below -15 °C. Ask for the capacity table at your design temperature rather than a headline rating, and make sure the backup strategy is written into the design.
Do I claim the rebate through my utility?
No — the claim goes through the provincial program with your contractor's documentation. Your electricity account matters for eligibility as a grid customer, not as the payer.
Official sources
- Burlington Hydro — rates, offers and customer programs
- Save on Energy — province-wide residential programs