Methodology

Every number on this site is one of three things, and it is labelled: a figure quoted from an official source, our estimate calibrated to published local figures, or an assumption used to illustrate a scenario. The same fact layer feeds the pages, the tools, the assistant and the JSON at /api/facts. Nothing is edited into prose by hand.

• Quoted from official sources: 67 facts
• Our estimates: 15
• Assumptions and illustrations: 0

Cost calculator

Inputs: system type, number of indoor heads, house size, storeys, what the electrical panel needs, duct condition, whether an old furnace is removed. Output: a range for each line (equipment and install, electrical, cold-climate premium, duct repair, removal), a subtotal, GST at 5%, and a total, with every assumption listed. The base ranges are our estimates, pricing version 2026-09, reviewed 2026-09-18, due for recheck by 2026-11-17. They are calibrated to the published ranges of local installers and BC-wide guides listed on the sources page, which disagree with each other by roughly two to one; we take the overlap and say so. House size only positions a result within the published range. The calculator never touches a real quote and never outputs a single-point price.

Rebate estimator

Inputs: current heating fuel, system type, home type, household size and income (optional), assessed value, municipality, whether a utility service upgrade is needed, planned install date. The estimator applies each program’s own rules as quoted from the program pages: income tiers, assessed-value caps, fuel-switching restrictions, the one-rebate-per-home rule, the fall bonus window, and the condo programs. When income is unknown it shows the possible range and marks the program conditional. It never counts an unverified program, and it lists what could disqualify you. Programs decide eligibility; the estimator does not.

Running-cost comparison

Heat delivered is taken from your gas bill (GJ × furnace efficiency), your electric heating kWh, or an illustrative band by house size. Current cost uses FortisBC Vancouver Island residential gas rates (no carbon tax since April 2025) or BC Hydro tiered or flat rates; heat pump cost divides heat delivered by a seasonal coefficient of performance band of 2.4 to 3.2 (an assumption consistent with the BC cold-climate field study for coastal sites). Heating electricity is spread over October to April on top of a base household load so that the tiered step-two rate applies where it would on a real bill. Oil and propane comparisons are not shown because we have no verified local price on file.

Sizing guide

A load band from floor area × 20 to 28 BTU per square foot for an average envelope (lower if well insulated, higher if drafty), mapped to common capacity classes. It is an illustration for sanity-checking a quote. Whole-home rebates require the system to meet 100% of the heating load at −5 °C (22 °C indoor) with no electric resistance backup, using a CSA F280-12 heat-load calculation; minimum 12,000 BTU rated capacity at 8 °C.

Quote comparison

Each quote is normalized into the same 21-field schema (system, capacity, zones, equipment, electrical, ducts, removal, permits, rebate handling, warranties, price, taxes, validity). The tool shows what differs, what is missing, what cannot be compared, and the questions to ask. It never ranks quotes or says which contractor to choose. Uploaded documents are processed for extraction and are not stored.

Case grading and Next Best Action

Whether a request is ready for an installer’s home assessment is decided by fixed rules (homeowner or decision-maker, concrete project, timeline or a visit window, service area, reachable, and an explicit request), never by a model. The assistant’s next suggestion follows a fixed table from what is already known. Your details go to one installer only after you say yes to a specific consent statement, which is recorded with its wording version.

Found a number that is wrong or out of date? Send a correction. Nothing here is legal, financial or energy-advisor advice.