The Westshore.Sponsored by ExchangEnergy
The Westshore · Paid partnership with ExchangEnergy

The Westshore is ahead of Greater Victoria on heat pumps. Here's what it costs if you're next.

Colwood and View Royal lead the region. If your house still runs on baseboards, the rebate is simpler than you'd think.

The Westshore · Sponsored by ExchangEnergy, a family-owned heat pump installer that works in Langford, Colwood and View Royal

Close to 10% of buildings in Colwood and View Royal have a heat pump, according to a CRD report covered by the Oak Bay News. That's the highest share in Greater Victoria. Oak Bay sits at 3 to 6%.

Part of the reason is the houses. Local installers say a lot of Westshore homes are newer, box-style builds that are easier to retrofit.

An ExchangEnergy technician lifting an indoor heat pump unit in a garage
Mounting an indoor unit. Photo: ExchangEnergy.

If you have baseboards

BC's Home Renovation Rebate covers up to $4,000 toward a whole-home heat pump, with no income test. There are two catches. In our region it's for homes heated with electricity, and a partial install tops out at $1,500.

An ExchangEnergy technician running a heat pump line set along a brick house
Running a line set. Photo: ExchangEnergy.

If you're on gas or oil

That runs through BC's income-tested Energy Savings Program, which pays up to $13,000, $7,000 or $3,500 depending on household income, and has assessed value limits of $1.2 million and $1.82 million.

What it costs

Around Victoria, one head runs about $4,500 to $8,500 installed before GST and rebates. Two to five heads run $7,000 to $18,000, and central ducted $12,000 to $22,000.

ExchangEnergy technicians installing outdoor Daikin heat pump units
Install crew on a house. Photo: ExchangEnergy.

Request a free quote

And in July

Most of us remember the heat dome in June 2021. A heat pump is the same machine all year. It heats in November and cools in July, so one system replaces the baseboards and the window fan.

An ExchangEnergy technician wiring the inside of an outdoor Daikin unit
Wiring an outdoor unit. Photo: ExchangEnergy.
A Daikin air handler standing in a garage during an ExchangEnergy install
Daikin air handler, before the ductwork. Photo: ExchangEnergy.
Two ExchangEnergy service vans parked at a job
Service vans. Photo: ExchangEnergy.
Two ExchangEnergy technicians talking beside company vans
Crew on a service call. Photo: ExchangEnergy.
An ExchangEnergy technician on a job site beside a house
On the job. Photo: ExchangEnergy.

ExchangEnergy is family-owned, based in Duncan, and installs Daikin systems from Nanaimo to Victoria. They offer same-day quotes and have more than 150 Google reviews.

Sources: CRD heat pump report via Oak Bay News (May 28, 2024). Better Homes BC. Installed price ranges from the Greater Victoria Heat Pumps price guide. Rebates are maximums and change. This story is paid for by ExchangEnergy.