Newmarket's Bob and Nancy McKeraghan have believed in the possibilities of heat pumps for decades.
Their business, Canco ClimateCare, installs heating systems, including heat pumps, and trains technicians on-site for the installation and usage of heat pumps. The technology can act as a heating and cooling system and the federal government said it is a way to reduce energy costs.
“We’ve believed in heat pumps for almost 40 years,” Nancy McKeraghan said at a federal funding announcement today. “We’ve had great success with them and we want to make sure that those who are buying (units) are getting what they deserve to have and what they’re paying for.”
Federal government officials visited the Newmarket business Aug. 13 to announce $500,000 in funding toward training across the country for installation of heat pumps. The funding will go to the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada to identify skills gaps and create programming for heat pump proficiency. The organization plans to partner with post-secondary institutions to help deliver that training.
The institute applied for the funding. Vice-president of government and stakeholder relations Martin Luymes said heat pumps are a way of the future and they want to get more of their members on board with it.
“We have a lot of members in our 1200-plus contractor membership that doesn’t really buy a lot of this stuff,” he said. “They know gas heating, they like it. It’s what they’ve always done … The world is changing. We’re moving off fossil fuels. The industry is in an excellent position to provide solutions to their customers. We need to help educate contractors.”
Electric heat pumps heat and cool homes and other buildings by using electricity to move heat from one space to another, without necessarily using natural gas. In winter, they draw heat from outside air and pump it into indoor space, while in warmer weather they remove heat from an indoor space to cool it.
They can be added to existing furnace units, Bob McKeraghan said, or be installed as an independent electric usage. He noted heat pumps were used for the townhomes at the Trinity Glen rental area in Newmarket, which reduced energy costs by 50 per cent.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Julie Dabrusin was on hand for the announcement and said the country is in "a heat pump boom."
“Heat pumps are the most affordable home heating and cooling system on the market. They lower energy bills. They reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And they create good jobs,” she said. “Today’s announcement provides funding to train workers to ensure they can benefit from the heat pump boom.”
As of 2023, the federal government said seven per cent of Canadian homes have heat pumps, This is despite estimated hundreds in annual savings according to one federal study, which found that those switching over from an oil furnace could save between $1,000 to $3,500 annually.
Luymes said pricing on pumps also stands to come down over time, likening the situation to solar panels on the roofs of homes.
“People just didn’t do it. They needed assistance from government. Now, it’s an extremely low-cost way of you creating your own electricity,” he said. “Same is going to be true for heat pumps as the market grows.”
Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen said at the announcement that he is proud to see a local Newmarket business leading the way in green solutions like heat pumps.
“This investment in training ensures our workforce can meet the growing demand for energy-efficient technologies,” Van Bynen said.
Nancy McKeraghan said there are contractors not taking on heat pumps and she is proud that the government has “recognized that we need to raise the bar in the industry.”
