Hybrid heat pump conversion in a 1923 High Park bungalow
An owner who'd already insulated and air-sealed asked whether they could move off gas without sacrificing comfort. We installed a cold-climate heat pump alongside the existing furnace and tuned hybrid changeover.
- Service
- Hybrid heat pump install + thermostat
- Home type
- 1923 bungalow, ~1,150 sq ft, R-50 attic
- Duration
- 2 days install, 1 day commissioning
- Completed
- September 2025
The home had already had air-sealing, R-50 attic insulation, and triple-pane windows installed by the owner over five years. The envelope was ready. The system wasn't.
What we found
Heat-loss calc came in at 26,000 BTU at -23 °C — well within the range of a single 2-ton cold-climate heat pump. Existing furnace was a 60k BTU two-stage from 2014. Plenty of capacity for backup.
Plan
- 2-ton inverter cold-climate heat pump on a vibration-isolated pad on the south side of the house
- Coil installed above the existing furnace
- Hybrid thermostat with economic + capacity-based changeover logic
- Greener Homes Grant + HER+ paperwork submitted on the homeowner's behalf
Commissioning
We ran a capacity test at the first cold snap (-9 °C) and confirmed measured heating output within 4% of nameplate. Hybrid changeover was set to -12 °C economic threshold based on the homeowner's actual gas + hydro rates.
Outcomes
$5,400
Greener Homes rebate
$8,210
Net cost after rebates
85%
Year 1 gas decrease (projected)
+$640
Year 1 hydro increase (projected)
“I'd been told for years that heat pumps don't work here. Equinox didn't oversell — they showed me the math, and the math worked.”
— M., High Park
Highlights at a glance
- Heating capacity at -25 °C
- 82% of design load
- Hybrid changeover
- -12 °C economic, -22 °C capacity
- Greener Homes rebate
- $5,400 received
- Projected annual gas use
- ~520 m³ → ~80 m³
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