Most homeowners do upgrades in the wrong order. This is the sequence that maximizes comfort, savings and rebates — audit first, generate last.
An EnerGuide home evaluation finds your leaks and unlocks most rebate programs. Many provinces subsidize it.
Air sealing, attic and basement insulation — the cheapest energy you'll ever buy is the energy you stop losing.
A cold-climate heat pump replaces your furnace and adds cooling. The single biggest emissions cut in most homes.
An EV plus a Level 2 charger turns your garage into the cheapest gas station in town.
Now size solar (and maybe a battery) to your new, efficient, all-electric load — smaller system, faster payback.
Sizing solar before electrifying is the classic mistake: your load is about to change. Insulate and electrify first, then size the array to the home you'll actually have.
| System | Effective efficiency | Runs on | Also cools? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold-climate air-source heat pump | 200–350% | Electricity | Yes | Most Canadian homes; biggest rebates |
| Ground-source (geothermal) heat pump | 300–400% | Electricity | Yes | Long-term owners; extreme-cold regions |
| Natural gas furnace | 90–98% | Fossil gas | No | Status quo where gas is cheap — but locked-in emissions |
| Electric baseboard | 100% | Electricity | No | Nothing new — heat pumps deliver 2–4× the heat per kWh |
| Oil furnace | 80–90% | Heating oil | No | Replace first — highest cost and emissions per unit of heat |
| Wood / pellet stove | 70–85% | Biomass | No | Rural & northern homes with local fuel supply |
