Canadian government invests in heat pump subsidies for Manitoba

The Canadian government has announced further investment in the country’s heat pump subsidy scheme, which offers homeowners an up to CAD 20,000 ($21,695) payment towards heat pump installations, aimed at the province of Manitoba.

Canada’s federal government is investing approximately CAD 7.9 million ($8.6 million) into the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) program in the province of Manitoba.

The program, aimed at low to medium-income homeowners, offers an up-front payment of up to CAd 20,000 toward the purchase and installation of a high-efficiency heat pump in homes currently heated with oil, plus a one-time CAd 250 heat pump bonus payment.

The Manitoba government is also contributing up to CAD 2.6 million toward the co-delivery of the OHPA program in its area.

The federal government also has OHPA program co-delivery arrangements in place in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Yukon. It adds discussions with other provinces and territories are underway.

Mike Moyers, Manitoba Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said the program will help the province achieve its goal of supporting 5,000 Manitoba families to heat and cool their homes with heat pumps. “This program will help those who heat their home with oil to save money on their energy bills while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.

Figures available on the federal government's website state that a Canadian household participating in the OHPA program saves CAD 1,337 on energy costs and achieves a 2.78-ton reduction in greenhouse gas annually.

The scheme, which was first announced in November 2022 before fully launching in March 2023, has received more than 38,7000 applications nationally to date.