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Heat Pumps · Electric HomesBaseboard to Heat Pump Conversion
A baseboard to heat pump conversion replaces electric resistance heat with a cold-climate heat pump that delivers roughly two to three times the heat for each kilowatt-hour, and it needs no existing ducts. Installed costs run $4,000–$7,000 for a single zone and $10,000–$16,000+ for three to four zones. Electrically heated homes also qualify for the largest heat-pump rebate in Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program, up to $7,500, provided the application is approved before the install.
With no ducts in the house there are three ways to deliver the heat. A single wall-mounted head suits an open main floor; a multi-zone system runs two to four heads from one outdoor unit; and a compact ducted air handler tucked into a ceiling space or closet feeds a cluster of rooms through short duct runs. Many houses end up with a mix, for example a head in the living area and a small ducted unit serving three bedrooms. The equipment and the install day are described under heat pump installation.
The baseboards stay on the wall, on their own thermostats, as backup. Set each one a few degrees below the heat pump's setpoint and it comes on only when the heat pump cannot hold the room, which in a properly sized cold-climate system means the coldest hours of the winter. That arrangement also covers rooms no head reaches, such as a bathroom with the door shut. Removing baseboards is optional and can be done later, room by room.
The rebate has a fixed order of steps. For homes heated by electricity, the Home Renovation Savings Program pays up to $7,500 toward a cold-climate air-source heat pump, scaled to the capacity installed, for owners of detached, semi-detached, row or town houses connected to Ontario's grid. You confirm eligibility with the program, choose a participating contractor and receive approval before anything is installed; work done ahead of approval is not eligible. The model has to be on Natural Resources Canada's qualified products list, and the claim is filed after the install — see rebates for electrically heated homes.
Electrical capacity usually helps instead of hurting. A house built around baseboards generally has a large service, and a heat pump draws far less than the baseboards it displaces; what it needs is a free two-pole breaker space and a dedicated circuit for each outdoor unit, installed under an ESA notification. Because the baseboards remain connected as backup, the electrician still does a load calculation instead of assuming capacity was freed — see panel upgrades for heat pumps. Sizing is done room by room: older electrically heated houses have a thermostat and a door for every bedroom, and one oversized head in the hallway will not heat them.
A conversion pays off when
- Winter hydro bills are the largest household cost and baseboards are the only heat source
- The house has no ductwork and no natural gas — rural lots in Caledon, Kilbride, Campbellville and Flamborough, and 1970s–80s all-electric townhouses
- You want air conditioning as well: the same heads cool in summer and replace the window units
- Main living areas are open enough that one or two heads can carry most of the load
- You plan to stay long enough to recover the cost — and we will tell you if the numbers do not work
How it works
We measure each room, note which doors stay closed, and check the panel and the outdoor unit locations. You get a layout showing which rooms each head or duct run serves and which keep baseboards as their main heat.
The rebate application goes in first. Once it is approved, a single zone typically installs in a day and a multi-zone system in two or three: outdoor unit on a stand above the snow line, line sets run in covers, heads mounted, circuits connected.
Each zone is tested in heating and cooling, and we set the baseboard thermostats below the heat pump setpoint with you. For a layout and a written price, book a free assessment.
Brands: We install and service Mitsubishi, Fujitsu and Daikin ductless and ducted cold-climate heat pumps.
Common questions
Will a heat pump keep up at −20°C without the baseboards?
A cold-climate model sized to the room keeps producing heat at −20°C and below, though its output falls as the temperature drops. That is why the baseboards stay: on the handful of nights when the heat pump runs flat out, they fill the gap. At what temperature a heat pump stops working has the detail.
How many heads do I need?
Fewer than the number of rooms, usually. One head handles an open living, dining and kitchen area; bedrooms with closed doors each need their own source, which can be a small head, a shared ducted unit or the existing baseboard. The smallest heads still put out more than a small bedroom needs, so a head in every room often causes short-cycling. See what size heat pump you need.
Do I need a panel upgrade?
Often not. Homes built for electric heat tend to have a 200-amp service, and each outdoor unit needs one two-pole breaker space. A load calculation decides it: if the baseboards stay connected, their load still counts. Older 100-amp panels that are already full are the cases that need work, and the quote says so before you commit.
Is my townhouse or condo eligible for the rebate?
Row houses and townhouses are on the program's eligible list if you own the home; apartment-style condo units are not on that list. A townhouse condo corporation may also need to approve the outdoor unit location and the line-set route on the exterior wall. Get that approval in writing before the rebate application goes in.
How much will my hydro bill drop?
It depends on how much of the heating the heat pump takes over and on your rate plan with Burlington Hydro, Alectra, Hydro One or your local utility. A heat pump delivering two to three units of heat per unit of electricity cuts the heating share of the bill substantially, but we will not quote a dollar figure without last winter's bills in hand.