Hydro-Sherbrooke customers get the same rebate
Sherbrooke runs its own electricity utility, Hydro-Sherbrooke, and it’s the largest city in Québec to do so. So your bill doesn’t say Hydro-Québec, and every ad for “Hydro-Québec’s heat pump rebate” seems to be talking to someone else.
It isn’t. Hydro-Québec’s LogisVert program covers homes supplied by “a municipal or cooperative network”. If your Lennoxville, Fleurimont or Rock Forest home is on Hydro-Sherbrooke, you’re eligible for exactly the same amounts. One local quirk: the Deauville sector is served by Hydro-Québec, not Hydro-Sherbrooke. Your bill tells you which; the rebate is the same either way.
The rebate is based on the unit’s heating capacity at −8 °C: $50 per 1,000 BTU/h for an ENERGY STAR model, or $120 per 1,000 BTU/h for an ENERGY STAR “cold climate” model. Try your numbers in the rebate calculator, and read the full LogisVert guide in English.
What to install in a Townships home
- Electric baseboards, open-plan main floor: one ductless wall unit (mini-split) in the living area does most of the work. Keep the baseboards as backup, set 2 or 3 degrees below the heat pump.
- Baseboards, closed-off bedrooms upstairs: a multi-zone system, with one outdoor unit and two or more indoor heads.
- A furnace with ducts (electric, oil or gas): a central (ducted) heat pump on the existing ducts, with the furnace as backup for the coldest nights.
- Older homes in Lennoxville, North Hatley or Richmond: get the insulation checked first. A heat pump oversized to make up for a leaky attic costs more and dehumidifies poorly in summer.
Sherbrooke winters and the numbers that matter
Environment Canada’s normals for the Sherbrooke airport station put the average January low around −18 °C, with a record of −41.2 °C in January 2004. A heat pump loses capacity as it gets colder, so compare models on their heating capacity at −8 °C and their performance at −15 °C, not on the size in the model name. A unit sold as “18,000 BTU” may deliver noticeably less at −8 °C.
“Cold climate” ENERGY STAR models keep more of their capacity in deep cold and earn 2.4 times more rebate per BTU. In the Eastern Townships, they’re usually worth the higher price.
What it costs
Protégez-Vous, Québec’s independent consumer magazine, reports these installed ranges:
| Type | Installed cost |
|---|---|
| Ductless wall-mounted (one or more heads) | $3,000 to over $15,000 |
| Central heat pump (no backup heat) | $6,000 to over $10,000 |
Average lifespan is 15 to 20 years. What moves the price in a local home: the electrical panel (often full in houses heated by baseboards for decades), the bracket that keeps the outdoor unit above the snow, the distance between the indoor and outdoor units, and whether a furnace is being replaced.
Before you sign
For the rebate to be paid, the installer must be registered with Québec’s business registry, hold the appropriate Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) licence and belong to their trade corporation. The invoice must show the RBQ licence number, GST and QST numbers, installation date and the unit’s AHRI or ENERGY STAR number. You have 9 months after installation to apply, and only the owner can claim the rebate for a heat pump.
Ask every contractor for the AHRI number of the system they propose. It lets you check eligibility and the exact rebate before you sign. When you’re ready, request a free quote; if you read French, our page on heat pumps in Sherbrooke goes into more local detail.