An oil to heat pump conversion replaces most or all of the heat from an oil furnace or boiler with a heat pump. It cuts the oil bill, and in many homes it ends oil deliveries altogether.
Oil is still a common heating fuel in Nova Scotia, and it is common in older homes around Inverness County, Richmond County and Victoria County. We plan each conversion so the house stays warm every day of the switch.
First, if you may qualify on income, apply for the Moderate Income Rebate and wait for Efficiency Nova Scotia to approve you. Second, book the Home Energy Assessment, which must happen before any work. Third, book a free visit with us. We look at the furnace or boiler, the ducts or radiators, the panel and the oil tank, and write a quote that compares the options. Fourth, the heat pump goes in while the oil system stays running, so the house is never without heat. Fifth, you decide when the oil system and tank come out. Last, the energy advisor does the final assessment and the rebate cheque follows.
The oil furnace or boiler does not have to come out right away. Many homeowners keep it for the first winter as a backup, then decide whether to remove it once they see how the heat pump performs.
Rebate rules can affect what happens to the old system, so we check the rules that apply to you before anything is taken out. When the tank does go, it has to be pumped out and removed safely, and the quote lists that step.
If the oil system is coming out for good, the tank has to be dealt with properly. That means pumping out any oil left in it, disconnecting the fill and vent pipes, and removing the tank. Oil left sitting in an unused tank can leak, and a leak is a costly clean-up. Use up as much oil as you can before the tank comes out, and stop ordering deliveries once the heat pump is carrying the house. Let your oil supplier know once the tank is gone so deliveries stop. The quote lists tank removal as its own line so you can see what it costs.
Many oil-heated Cape Breton homes also make their hot water with oil, either through the boiler or a separate oil-fired tank. Take the oil system out and the hot water has to come from somewhere else. The usual choices are a standard electric tank or a heat pump water heater, which pulls heat from the basement air. A heat pump water heater can earn its own $800 rebate through the Home Energy Assessment if it is an eligible ENERGY STAR model. If you plan to keep the oil boiler for a winter as backup, the hot water can stay on it until the boiler goes. The quote covers both pieces so nothing is missed.
If the oil furnace blows warm air through sound ducts, a ducted central heat pump can take over. Boiler and radiator houses usually move to ductless heads instead, since a standard air-source unit cannot feed hot-water radiators.
The written quote compares the options side by side, with the price, the rebate and the expected running cost for each one.
Houses heated by an oil boiler and hot water radiators or baseboards have no ducts, so a standard ducted heat pump is out. The usual answer is ductless heads in the main rooms, with the boiler kept as backup at first. Once you see how far the heat pumps carry the house, you can decide whether the boiler stays or goes. Radiators that are no longer used can be drained and removed, or left in place. A different kind of system, an air-to-water heat pump, can feed the existing radiators, but it is a bigger and less common job.
The honest way to judge savings is with your own numbers, not someone else's percentage. Add up the litres on last winter's oil delivery receipts and multiply by what you paid per litre. That is what heat cost you. The written quote then gives an estimated yearly running cost for the heat pump, based on the house and Nova Scotia Power's residential rate. The gap between the two is your likely saving, before rebates. Oil prices in Nova Scotia are not regulated and move with the market, while power rates are set by the regulator, so the gap will not be the same every year.
As of October 30, 2026, every oil conversion can use the Home Energy Assessment rebate: $300 a ton for ductless and $500 a ton for centrally ducted, up to $5,000, after a $199 assessment booked first. If the home is your primary residence, it is mainly heated by oil and your income is under the limits, the Moderate Income Rebate adds up to $5,000 more, for up to $10,000 combined; you must be approved before work starts. Lower-income households should ask about HomeWarming first. The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program is closed to new applicants. The National Heat Pump Rebate opens in early 2027 and covers eligible installs from November 1, 2026.
Call (902) 201-6758 and tell us how many litres of oil you burned last winter. We will show you what the switch would save, and you can see every other service on our home page.
Yes. Many people keep it for the first winter and decide later. Keep enough oil in the tank for it to run, and keep the furnace serviced if it is staying.
No. Under the June 2026 Efficiency Nova Scotia guide, wood stoves are not considered a primary heating source for that rebate, and electrically heated homes are not eligible.
The program is closed to new applicants. If you applied or are on the standby list, Efficiency Nova Scotia handles those files directly, so check your status with them before booking work.
The tank needs to be emptied and removed properly, and the quote lists it as its own line.
In a small open bungalow, one head may carry most of the winter. Most houses need two or more heads, or a ducted system, to replace oil entirely.
The Home Energy Assessment needs proof of ownership, and the Moderate Income Rebate needs the owner to live in the home. A landlord may be able to use the Home Energy Assessment on a home they own; Efficiency Nova Scotia can confirm. Tenants should talk to the landlord first.
Every service below is available across Cape Breton Island.
A ductless heat pump heats a room or an open floor plan through a slim indoor head on the wall, with no ductwork needed. It is the most common job in Cape Breton because most older homes were never built with ducts.
Prices and details: Ductless Installation
A whole-home heat pump system runs several indoor heads from one or two outdoor units, so every main room gets its own heat. It is the right choice when one head cannot reach the bedrooms, the basement or the far end of the house.
Prices and details: Whole-Home Systems
A ducted central heat pump sends warm air through the ductwork a house already has, the same way a furnace does. It suits homes with a forced-air oil or electric furnace and ducts in good shape.
Prices and details: Ducted Central Systems
A proper heat pump cleaning takes the indoor head apart, washes the coil and the blower wheel, flushes the drain line and rinses the outdoor unit. A wipe of the filters is not a cleaning.
Prices and details: Cleaning and Maintenance
Heat pump repair finds out why a unit has stopped heating, is blowing cold air, is leaking water or is showing an error code, and then fixes it. Most problems come down to airflow, drainage, a sensor, a board or the refrigerant charge.
Prices and details: Repair and Service
A heat pump water heater heats your hot water by pulling warmth out of the air around the tank, instead of heating it with an electric element alone.
Prices and details: Hot Water Tanks
A heat pump keeps a cottage or seasonal home dry and above freezing through the winter, then cools it in summer. It is often the cheapest way to heat a camp that is only used on weekends.
Prices and details: Cottages and CampsCall us and talk it through before you book anything.
Tell us a little about your home and what heats it today, and we will book a free visit. Calls go to (902) 201-6758.
