HEAT PUNK · FROM THE CARTOON TO YOUR HOME
HEAT PUNK
Accused of stealing warmth from cold air.
Heat pumps move warmth from outdoor air into your home. Here’s how they work, what affects their running costs, and how to compare them with your current heating.
HOW IT WORKS
How heat pumps work
A heat pump transfers heat. In winter, an air-source system draws heat from outdoor air and moves it inside—even when the air feels cold.
Whether a system suits your home depends on its heating capacity at low temperatures, your home’s heat loss, installation quality, and any backup heating. A cost comparison is a starting point; it does not replace an assessment of the equipment your home needs.
What affects your heating costs
Your fuel and electricity prices, existing system efficiency, and the heat pump’s seasonal performance affect the comparison. Try a range of reasonable assumptions to see whether the conclusion changes. A heat pump may reduce operating costs in one situation and increase them in another.
Keep operating costs separate from installation costs, maintenance assumptions and incentives. A rebate may reduce a project’s upfront cost; it does not change how many kilowatt-hours the equipment uses.
HEATING COST COMPARISON
Compare your heating options
Estimate how a heat pump could affect your heating costs. Review the inputs and assumptions, then compare more than one scenario before using the results to guide a decision.
Calculator by CalculateEnergySavings.com · A Synkompass Media property
Use the full calculator on CES, or load it here when available.
Open the full calculator on CES ↗
The full CES tool opens a separate comparison with its own defaults. Inputs entered here are not transferred.
PROJECT COSTS & INCENTIVES
Check potentially available rebates
If you’re considering an upgrade, explore programs for your location and project. Confirm eligibility, equipment requirements and application timing before committing to a purchase. Count each incentive only once when estimating your project cost.
Find programs on GetEnergyRebates.com ↗GetEnergyRebates.com and CalculateEnergySavings.com are operated by Synkompass Media LLC. Opening GER does not transfer your calculator inputs.
Sources & further reading
Natural Resources Canada: heating and cooling with a heat pump ↗Reviewed September 27, 2026. General education, not an equipment-sizing assessment or a savings guarantee.