Home Heating Rebates in BC for 2026: Dual Fuel, Water Heater and Thermostat Rebates

Yes: for 2026, BC homeowners heating with natural gas can get money back for upgrading to a dual fuel heating system, which is a heat pump paired with a gas furnace that takes over on the coldest nights. FortisBC is re-introducing its dual fuel heating system rebate for residential and income-qualified customers on October 15, 2026, and is also bringing back a set of income-qualified rebates for water heaters, thermostats, ventilation, insulation and windows or doors. The dual fuel rebate has strict rules: you must be replacing a gas furnace that is at least 15 years old, the new equipment must be an AHRI-matched system, it must be set up with the correct switchover temperature for your region, and it must be installed after October 15, 2026 by a licensed gas contractor who is listed on the Home Performance Contractor Network for that specific rebate. Terms and conditions apply, and the homeowner, not the contractor, applies for the rebate. This page is BC Wide’s rebate hub for Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland: it lays out every rebate in the October 2026 notice, shows which ones match the work we do, explains who qualifies, and gives you the order of steps so you do not lose eligibility by doing things out of sequence. Rebate amounts, deadlines and income thresholds are set by FortisBC and can change, so treat this as a guide to how the programs work and confirm the current details directly with FortisBC before you commit to a purchase.

Which home heating rebates are available in BC from October 15, 2026?

FortisBC’s October 2026 notice covers two groups of rebates. The first is the dual fuel heating system rebate, which comes in two tiers: one for regular residential customers and a higher tier for income-qualified customers. The second group is a set of additional rebates available only to income-qualified customers, covering a water heater, a thermostat, ventilation, insulation, and windows or doors.

The table below lists every rebate in the notice, who it is aimed at, and whether it lines up with a service BC Wide provides. We have deliberately left the dollar figures off this page because program amounts are set and updated by FortisBC; check the FortisBC rebates page after October 15 for the current amounts, the full terms and the deadlines. Every amount in the program is an up-to figure, not a guaranteed cheque.

How does the FortisBC dual fuel heating system rebate actually work?

A dual fuel system is a heat pump and a gas furnace sharing one duct system and one set of controls. For most of the Metro Vancouver heating season the heat pump does the work, moving heat from outdoor air into the house. When the outdoor temperature drops to a set point, called the switchover temperature, the controls lock the heat pump out of heating and hand the load to the gas furnace, which heats the house quickly and reliably through cold snaps. The furnace also covers you if the heat pump ever needs service.

The rebate is designed around replacing an ageing gas furnace with that combination. It is not a heat pump add-on rebate for a newer furnace, and it is not a rebate for a heat pump on its own. That is why the program asks for proof that the old gas furnace is at least 15 years old and why the new system’s certification has to cover both the heat pump and the furnace together.

Mechanically, the process is simple from a homeowner’s point of view: the contractor removes the old furnace, installs a new gas furnace and a matched heat pump with its indoor coil, wires a control strategy that enforces the switchover temperature, commissions the system, and records the commissioning data and photos of the old and new equipment through FortisBC’s commissioning app. You then submit your own rebate application with the documents the program asks for. Terms and conditions apply at every step.

Who qualifies: residential customers or income-qualified customers?

Both groups can access the dual fuel heating system rebate; the income-qualified tier simply pays more. Whichever tier you fall into, the equipment, installer and commissioning rules are the same: an existing gas furnace at least 15 years old, an AHRI-certified matched dual fuel system, the regional switchover temperature, an HPCN-listed licensed gas contractor, and an installation date after October 15, 2026.

The additional rebates for a water heater, thermostat, ventilation, insulation and windows or doors are listed as income-qualified only. If you are not in the income-qualified group, do not assume those rebates apply to you.

FortisBC sets the income thresholds and the proof it requires. We do not publish or guess at those thresholds, because getting it wrong could cost you a rebate. If you think you may qualify, contact FortisBC to confirm your status before you sign an installation contract, so you know which tier you are planning around.

• You are likely in the conversation for the dual fuel rebate if you are a FortisBC natural gas customer with a gas furnace that is 15 years old or older.
• Find the furnace’s age from the manufacture date on the rating plate inside the furnace door, or from the original installation paperwork; the serial number often encodes the date but the format varies by manufacturer.
• If the furnace is younger than 15 years, the dual fuel rebate as described does not fit your home, though a heat pump paired with your existing furnace may still be worth discussing on its own merits.
• Income-qualified status is confirmed by FortisBC, not by your contractor.

What do AHRI certified reference number and switchover temperature mean?

AHRI is the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute. When a manufacturer tests a specific combination of outdoor unit, indoor coil or air handler, and furnace together, that tested combination gets an AHRI certified reference number. The program requires the reference number to cover the heat pump’s outdoor unit, its indoor unit and the furnace model number. In plain terms, you cannot mix and match any heat pump with any furnace and expect the rebate; the exact model numbers installed in your home must appear together on one certificate.

This is one of the most common ways homeowners lose a rebate. A substituted coil, a furnace swapped for a similar model because of supply, or a heat pump from a different series can all break the match. Before installation, ask your contractor for the AHRI reference number of the proposed system and compare the model numbers on it with the model numbers on the quote. After installation, the rating plates on the equipment should match that certificate.

The switchover temperature is the outdoor temperature at which the controls stop using the heat pump for heating and start the furnace. The program sets a maximum: 5 degrees C or lower on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland, and 2 degrees C or lower in the Southern Interior and Northern BC. A lower switchover means the heat pump carries more of the season. It is set in the thermostat or the equipment’s control board using an outdoor temperature reading, and it is part of commissioning, not something to adjust casually afterwards.

Who is allowed to install a rebate-eligible dual fuel system?

Two separate credentials are required. First, the installer must be a gas contractor licensed by Technical Safety BC, which is the legal requirement for any gas appliance work in the province. Second, the contractor must be a member in good standing of the Home Performance Contractor Network and must be listed on the HPCN for the applicable rebate at the time of installation. Being listed requires completing mandatory HPCN rebate training for the dual fuel rebates.

The timing detail matters. It is not enough for a contractor to have been listed last year or to be planning to complete the training; the listing has to be in place on the day your system goes in. Before you book with any contractor, ask them directly to confirm their current HPCN listing for the dual fuel heating system rebate. When you call BC Wide at (604) 473-9690 we will tell you our current status for this rebate plainly, so you can make your decision with accurate information.

BC Wide is a Technical Safety BC licensed gas contractor (licences LGA0090068 and CGA0028029) and has served Metro Vancouver from Burnaby since 1999. We are an independent contractor and service the major furnace and heat pump brands rather than acting as a factory dealer for any one of them, which helps when the job is finding an AHRI-matched combination that suits your ductwork and your house.

What order should I do things in to keep my rebate eligibility?

Most lost rebates come from steps done out of order: equipment bought before the match was checked, an old furnace hauled away before it was photographed, or an install booked before the program date. Follow this sequence and confirm each item with FortisBC as you go.

• Step 1: Read the current FortisBC program terms, amounts and deadlines after October 15, 2026, and confirm whether you are a residential or income-qualified customer.
• Step 2: Confirm your existing gas furnace is at least 15 years old and keep a photo of its rating plate.
• Step 3: Book an in-home estimate. In-home estimates for replacements and new installations are free. Ask every contractor to confirm their current HPCN listing for the dual fuel rebate.
• Step 4: Have the contractor size the heat pump and furnace for your house and ductwork, and get the AHRI certified reference number for the exact proposed combination in writing.
• Step 5: Get a written quote that lists the model numbers matching the AHRI certificate, the switchover temperature to be programmed, and the permit.
• Step 6: Schedule installation for a date after October 15, 2026. The contractor pulls the gas permit and installs the system.
• Step 7: At commissioning the contractor sets the switchover temperature, records commissioning data and submits photos of the old and new systems through FortisBC’s commissioning app.
• Step 8: Collect your invoice, AHRI certificate and any other documents the program lists, then submit your own rebate application before the program deadline.

Can the water heater and thermostat rebates be combined with a dual fuel upgrade?

For income-qualified households, the water heater and thermostat rebates sit alongside the dual fuel rebate, and they map directly onto work BC Wide does every week. Whether specific combinations can be claimed together, and in what order, is governed by FortisBC’s terms, so confirm stacking rules before you plan around them.

The thermostat is the natural companion to a dual fuel system because the thermostat, or the control it talks to, is often what enforces the switchover temperature. A thermostat designed for dual fuel reads an outdoor temperature, runs the heat pump above the switchover point, and calls the furnace below it. Choosing a thermostat that both qualifies for the rebate and supports dual fuel staging avoids buying twice. Thermostat replacement on a gas system involves low-voltage control wiring tied to safety circuits, so it should be installed and tested by a technician, not swapped in by the homeowner.

On the water heater side, BC Wide installs gas tank water heaters and gas tankless water heaters. A water heater replacement often happens at the same visit as a furnace changeout because the two appliances may share venting or a gas line. When a furnace is removed from a shared chimney, the remaining water heater can be left on an oversized flue, which can affect how it vents; that has to be assessed and corrected as part of the job. Check which water heater types qualify under the current income-qualified terms before you choose a model.

The ventilation, insulation and windows or doors rebates are part of the same income-qualified program, but they are outside BC Wide’s services. If those apply to you, contact FortisBC for program details and participating contractors.

Why does a dual fuel system make sense in Metro Vancouver homes?

Our mild, wet coastal climate is close to ideal for a heat pump. Much of the Lower Mainland heating season sits well above freezing, which is the range where a heat pump does its best work, so the regional switchover limit of 5 degrees C or lower lets the heat pump carry most of the year. The gas furnace stays on duty for the cold, dry outflow snaps that roll in from the Fraser Valley a few times a winter, when a heat pump’s output falls just as the house needs the most heat.

Older housing stock is the real design challenge. Many Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster and Coquitlam homes have ductwork sized decades ago for a furnace alone. A heat pump moves air at lower supply temperatures and usually wants more airflow, so undersized returns or restrictive duct runs can limit what equipment will work. That is why ductwork and airflow are assessed at the estimate, not after the equipment is chosen.

Outdoor unit placement also matters here. Townhouses, strata properties and tight lot lines in Surrey, Richmond, North Vancouver and the Tri-Cities bring setback, noise and strata approval questions. If you live in a strata, check your bylaws and get any required approval before the install date. Every gas installation needs a permit and must meet Technical Safety BC requirements, and in some municipalities electrical work for the heat pump circuit needs its own permit as well.

When should I call a licensed technician, and how does BC Wide help?

Homeowners can do the paperwork side themselves: reading the program terms, confirming income-qualified status, photographing the furnace rating plate, gathering documents and submitting the rebate application. Everything that touches gas, venting, refrigerant or line-voltage electrical work must be done by licensed trades. Removing a gas furnace, connecting gas piping, setting up venting, charging or handling refrigerant, wiring the heat pump circuit and programming the commissioning settings are technician work, and doing them yourself would also void eligibility.

Call a licensed technician now, regardless of rebates, if your existing furnace shows warning signs: a carbon monoxide alarm, a gas smell, soot around the furnace or vent, repeated lockouts, or flames that look lazy and yellow. Diagnostic service calls are $189.00, and if you go ahead with a replacement or new installation through BC Wide, that charge is waived and taken off the installation.

For a rebate-driven replacement, BC Wide handles dual fuel heat pump installation, gas furnace replacement, AHRI-matched equipment selection, switchover-temperature commissioning, gas permits and Technical Safety BC compliance, gas water heater and tankless installation, and smart thermostat installation across Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Call (604) 473-9690 or email info@bcwide.ca to book a free in-home estimate for a replacement, and ask us to confirm our current HPCN status for the dual fuel rebate when you call.

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