Heat Pump Guides & Rebate Tips
Practical advice for Kootenay homeowners making the switch to heat pumps.
How a FireSmart WMP Assessment Works in Nelson BC: What Happens, What It Costs, What You Get
The free FireSmart Wildfire Mitigation Program assessment takes about two hours, costs nothing inside the City of Nelson and across the RDCK, and is the only…
Verify Your Heat Pump Installer's HPCN Status Before Signing — What the Moore & Russell Case Taught BC Homeowners
In 2025, CBC reported that roughly 200 BC homeowners lost their $10,000 FortisBC heat pump rebate because their contractor's HPCN certification lapsed for…
RDCK FireSmart Rebate: Step-by-Step Application Guide for Central Kootenay Homeowners
The RDCK FireSmart rebate pays Central Kootenay residents up to $5,000 at a 50% cost-share for wildfire mitigation work that matches a Wildfire Mitigation…
How to Test Your Kootenay Home for Radon: Kit Options, Timing, and What the Result Means
A long-term radon test kit costs about $40 and is the only way to know your home's actual number. Skipping the test is cheaper than mitigating — but it…
Test for Radon Before Insulation, Air Sealing, or a Heat Pump: Why the Sequence Matters
Air sealing is one of the most cost-effective energy upgrades a Kootenay homeowner can make. It is also one of the few retrofit moves that can measurably…
How to Vet an Insulation Contractor in BC: HPCN Registration, CUFCA, and the Questions That Matter
Picking the wrong insulation contractor in Nelson BC is rarely a quality problem. Cellulose is forgiving — even a mediocre crew gets it close to the labelled…
Does Your BC Home Insurance Require Backup Heat After a Heat Pump Install?
Some BC home insurers require operational backup heat for full coverage. If you switch from baseboard to a heat pump and pull the baseboard heaters out of…
10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Heat Pump Installer in Nelson BC
The installer you pick is the highest-stakes decision in the entire heat pump project. Equipment brand matters less than most homeowners think. So does…
Heat Pump Maintenance in the Kootenays: DIY Tasks, When to Call a Tech, and the FortisBC Rebate Most People Miss
A heat pump is not a furnace. The maintenance pattern is different, the failure modes are different, and the trap most homeowners fall into is signing up for…
What an F280 Heat Loss Calculation Actually Tells You About Your Heat Pump
An F280 is the room-by-room heat loss calculation that determines what size heat pump your home actually needs. Skip it — go with rule-of-thumb sizing, the…
EnerGuide Evaluation Timing in BC: The $5,000 Mistake That Costs Kootenay Homeowners HomeSave
Most Kootenay homeowners doing energy retrofits don't realize they need an EnerGuide evaluation before any work starts. Skip that single step and HomeSave…
What to Do If Your Heat Pump Contractor Disappears Mid-Project: Protecting Your Deposit, Your Rebate, and Your Project
In 2025, a BC heat pump contractor abruptly stopped fulfilling jobs partway through roughly 200 installs. CBC covered the fallout. The Moore & Russell case…
What Is an F280 Heat Loss Calculation and Why Does Your Heat Pump Need One?
An F280 is a standardized calculation that determines the right heat pump size for your home. Without it, you could end up with a system that's too big or to...
How to vet a heat pump installer in Nelson: the credentials, questions, and red flags that matter
The single biggest determinant of whether a heat pump installation succeeds or fails in Nelson is not the equipment brand, the size of the system, or the…
How to Apply for the CleanBC Heat Pump Rebate: A Step-by-Step Guide
The CleanBC heat pump rebate process has 8 steps, 3 deadlines, and 2 different programs. Follow this guide so nothing falls through the cracks.
The pre-registration mistake that costs Nelson homeowners thousands
The single most common reason heat pump rebate applications are denied in British Columbia is not a technicality, an income disqualification, or a contractor…