Normalize Load, Equipment Data, Scope and Commissioning

Align the design basis

Confirm home, room, envelope, design conditions and load outputs used by each proposal.

Record exact equipment

List indoor and outdoor models, ratings, relevant capacity data, matched combinations and substitutions.

Normalize distribution

Compare ducts, indoor units, zoning, registers, returns, line routes, penetrations, condensate and restoration.

Assign electrical, siting and backup

List assessments, circuits, service work, outdoor base, drainage, snow, sound and backup integration.

Include approvals and controls

Compare permits where applicable, thermostats, integration, monitoring and owner training.

Define commissioning and closeout

Require start-up and test records, settings, airflow or refrigerant documentation as applicable, manuals and warranty evidence.

Use one home assessment

Give every proposer the same room record, design assumptions, envelope plans, distribution evidence, electrical context and backup goals. Record calculation or sizing differences explicitly before ranking price or equipment.

• Reference assessment revision
• Separate optional zones
• Resolve assumed envelope values

Compare exact performance packages

List outdoor and indoor model pairing, low-temperature capacity, controls, backup integration, ducts or heads, drains, line sets, electrical work and outdoor mounting. Require current performance tables and written substitution review.

• Capture AHRI or applicable evidence
• Include commissioning settings
• Price distribution corrections

Normalize logistics and closeout

Compare permits, access, protection, penetrations, finish repairs, removal, schedule milestones and change rules. Handover should include tests, airflow or commissioning records, controls training, filter access, manuals, warranties and incentive documents.

• Assign trade coordination
• Document concealed conditions
• Keep owner operating guidance

Complete the whole-system proposal ledger

Give each proposer the same room record, load and design assumptions, envelope plans, distribution evidence, electrical context, backup goals and outdoor-location constraints. Require the calculation method and revision, exact indoor and outdoor models, AHRI reference where applicable, and model-specific capacity at the reviewed winter temperatures. Compare ducts or heads, airflow or room delivery, controls, drains, line sets, electrical circuits and supplementary heat, outdoor mounting, permits, existing-system removal, access protection and finish repair. BC Hydro’s current heat-pump materials emphasize heat-load analysis, equipment qualification and contractor requirements for rebate routes; list those items separately from the base installation so an incentive assumption cannot hide missing design scope. Technical Safety BC identifies electrical permits for most residential heat-pump installations and possible gas or refrigeration requirements depending on the work and equipment; record the permit holder and closeout evidence rather than a generic “permits included” line. Define written substitution review because a different indoor or outdoor model can change capacity, efficiency, controls and program eligibility. Compare deposits, progress payments, tax treatment, exclusions, change authorization, equipment lead time and cancellation terms without labelling any price as typical. Assign wall opening, roof or grade work, weather sealing, fire stopping, condensate, old-equipment disposal and painting. Require commissioning records, airflow or static-pressure results where relevant, refrigerant or start-up documentation appropriate to the system, thermostat and backup settings, controls training, filter access, manuals, warranties and permit or inspection evidence at handover. Hold a proposal-leveling review against the same house brief and issue written answers for sizing, distribution, backup, electrical and outdoor-location differences. Incorporate accepted answers before equipment is ordered or an incentive application begins. The ledger prevents nominal tonnage, seasonal efficiency, a cold-climate label or a rebate estimate from standing in for a complete house-specific system.

• Freeze assessment inputs
• Reference exact pairings
• Compare backup integration
• Assign finish restoration
• Require commissioning records

Compare operating-cost estimates separately

Keep the installed price, possible rebate and estimated running cost on separate lines. BC Hydro describes its cost calculator as illustrative, using typical-home consumption and regional efficiency assumptions. The version reviewed October 12, 2026 assumes the heat pump meets all heating load without supplementary heat. Before applying that illustration to a proposal with backup heating, check when the backup is expected to operate and whether its energy use is included. If a proposal includes annual cost or savings, ask for the house-specific assumptions and calculation basis before treating it as a comparison. A capacity calculation, efficiency rating or rebate estimate is not by itself a forecast of the household bill.

• Scope and period: space heating, heating plus cooling, or whole-house energy; compare the same weather period, occupied rooms and temperature schedule.
• System: exact model pairing and estimated seasonal performance; state when and how much supplementary heating operates instead of assuming none.
• Energy-price basis: identify electricity and fuel provider, tariff and rate date, plus fixed charges, taxes or fees counted or omitted. A generic rate is not necessarily the rate for this property.
• Starting point: distinguish documented heating use from other household energy and mark missing or assumed inputs. Keep utility-account and financial identifiers private.
• Uncertainty: ask how weather, rates, backup use and planned envelope changes affect the comparison; do not treat one illustration as a fixed savings or payback promise.

BC Hydro cost calculator and published assumptions — reviewed October 12, 2026 →