7 Heat Pump Myths Costing Canadian Homeowners Thousands Every Winter

Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, the stories are the same: homeowners are still arguing about heat pumps like it’s 1998. Meanwhile, real money leaks out of their pockets every winter because they’re operating on myths instead of facts.

If you’ve heard things like “heat pumps don’t work in the cold,” “they’re noisy,” or “they don’t produce enough heat to handle Canada,” you’ve been fed bad information. And bad information is expensive.

In this guide, we’ll break down seven common heat pump myths that are draining Canadian homeowners’ wallets every single winter with real data, field experience, and facts.

Why So Many Canadian Homeowners Still Get Heat Pumps Wrong

Heat pumps aren’t new. What is new is how aggressively the technology has improved in the past decade. The problem? The myths didn’t keep up.

Most homeowners still ask:

• “Are heat pumps worth it?”
• “Are heat pumps actually energy efficient in winter?”
• “Will it heat my home when it’s –20°C?”

The truth: Modern cold-climate heat pumps outperform gas furnaces in ways people don’t expect, especially when you look at lifetime cost, efficiency, and stability.

But myths spread faster than facts, and Canadians end up making decisions based on 20-year-old information.

MYTH #1: Heat Pumps Don’t Work in Cold Weather

This is the big one. The myth that refuses to die.

People still confuse old-generation heat pumps (which struggled below –10°C) with modern cold-climate systems designed specifically for harsh Canadian winters.

What Actually Happens to a Heat Pump at –20°C

When homeowners say “my heat pump is not working in the cold”, what they’re really experiencing is:

• a normal efficiency drop,
• a standard defrost cycle, or
• a system that was never appropriately sized.

Heat pumps do lose efficiency as temperatures drop; that’s physics. But “losing efficiency” is not “not working.”

In fact:
A properly sized cold-climate heat pump still delivers meaningful heat down to –25°C and continues operating down to –30°C.

What Causes the Misconception?

• Undersized equipment
• Blocked airflow
• Poor installation
• Incorrect thermostat settings
• Never understanding what a defrost cycle is

At Pro Ace, we’ve installed systems across BC and Ontario that heat reliably through deep cold snaps, because the design and sizing were done correctly. The myth falls apart the moment real-world performance is measured.

If you’re unsure whether your current system was sized or installed properly, explore our professional heat pump installation services with the Vancouver team. Our team can assess it and recommend the right setup.

MYTH #2: The Heat Pump Energy Savings Myth

A classic line: “Heat pumps don’t save money in winter. They use more electricity than they claim.”
Wrong, but there’s a reason people think this.

Why Homeowners Miscalculate Efficiency

Efficiency isn’t a static number. It varies:

• by outdoor temperature
• by model type
• by installation quality
• by home insulation
• by thermostat control strategy

So yes, if you install a budget heat pump, size it poorly, and run it alongside a furnace, you will absolutely think “heat pumps aren’t energy efficient.”

But the truth is layered:

• At mild winter temperatures, heat pumps are 2–3 times more efficient than gas furnaces.
• At moderately cold temps (–5°C to –15°C), they still outperform combustion heat.
• Only in extreme lows does auxiliary heat matter, and even then, it’s temporary.

We routinely show homeowners their before-and-after energy bills. The savings aren’t theoretical; they’re measurable.

MYTH #3: Heat Pumps Don’t Produce Enough Heat for a Canadian Home

This myth exists because many early adopters bought systems that were undersized or poorly installed.

A heat pump that’s too small will absolutely feel like it’s “not producing enough heat.”

But When Sized Correctly?

• A 2-storey detached home in Ontario can stay fully heated on a –20°C night.
• A Vancouver home can run heat-pump-only all winter.
• A townhouse can reduce heating bills by 30–40% without a backup heat source.

Carbon-neutral heating isn’t a dream; it’s already happening in thousands of Canadian homes.

MYTH #4: If Your Heat Pump Isn’t Working, It Must Be Broken

This misunderstanding is responsible for endless unnecessary service calls.

Here’s what homeowners often interpret as a “failure”:

• The outdoor unit is steaming → Normal defrost cycle
• The system pauses for 10 minutes → Normal
• Heat feels cooler than a furnace → This is how heat pumps operate
• Changed the thermostat and now “the heat pump is not working” → Wiring or mode mismatch
• Heat pump “does not work” after a cold snap → The breaker tripped, or the system protected itself

A large portion of “my system isn’t working” scenarios are not failures at all, just unfamiliar behaviour.

At Pro Ace, we always reassure homeowners: If the system is designed, installed, and set up correctly, 80% of these “problems” disappear.

If your heat pump shows signs of an actual problem, Pro Ace offers fast, dependable heat pump repair services to get it back on track.

MYTH #5: Heat Pumps Can’t Cool Properly in Summer

Heat pump cooling complaints almost always fall into these categories:

• Blocked filters
• Refrigerant charge issues
• Incorrect fan settings
• Poorly designed ductwork
• The wrong model for the home’s square footage

Complaints about cooling performance, such as “my heat pump is not cooling” or “the system is not cooling as well as before,” don’t indicate a design flaw; they indicate a service issue.

Heat pumps cool with the same efficiency as high-end AC units. There’s no technology gap. Only installation gaps.

MYTH #6: Heat Pumps Are Too Noisy

The “noise myth” gets repeated by people who heard a 20-year-old unit and assumed nothing changed.

Modern systems are dramatically quieter:

• Most cold-climate heat pumps operate between 40–55 dB outdoors, comparable to a calm conversation.
• Many premium models run quieter than dishwashers.
• Noise issues typically come from poor placement, vibration, or old equipment, not the technology itself.

When Pro Ace installs systems, we treat placement seriously. Solid mounting, correct clearance, and anti-vibration pads make a massive difference.

MYTH #7: You Need a Backup Furnace Because Heat Pumps Can’t Handle Winter

Backup heat is a tool, not a requirement.

There are situations where dual-fuel makes sense:

• Very large homes
• Extremely poor insulation
• Rural areas with unstable power
• Owners who want redundancy

But for the average Canadian home? A well-designed, cold-climate heat pump can meet 80–90% of the heating load during winter.

A backup furnace running 2–5% of the season is a strategy, not a necessity.

The Financial Impact of Believing These Myths

Heat pump myths aren’t harmless misconceptions. They’re direct, measurable losses:

• Higher hydro bills
• Unnecessary furnace replacements
• Overspending on dual-fuel systems
• Paying for emergency repairs caused by misuse
• Installing the wrong-sized equipment
• Running a system inefficiently because “someone said it needs backup heat.”

Every winter, Pro Ace technicians see the same scenario repeat:

Homeowners spend more because they trusted the wrong advice.

And once we explain how the system actually works, the reaction is always the same: “I wish someone had told me this earlier.”

So let’s know some facts now.

Heat Pump Facts Every Canadian Homeowner Should Know

Let’s flip the script and talk facts, the ones homeowners rarely hear:

• Heat pumps can deliver 2–3x more heat per unit of energy than gas furnaces at moderate winter temperatures.
• Modern systems remain productive down to –25°C.
• A heat pump that “blows cooler air” is not broken; that’s its normal air delivery method.
• Annual maintenance matters more for heat pumps than furnaces because they run year-round.
• The “right size” system can outperform a furnace even during peak load.

These aren’t theories. They’re what Pro Ace technicians measure daily during winter service visits.

Heat Pump Mythbusters: What the Data Actually Shows

A few rapid-fire truth bombs:

• Heat pumps don’t “create heat”; that’s why they’re so efficient.
• Gas furnaces are powerful, but not necessarily more effective in real-world comfort.
• A properly installed heat pump reduces hot/cold spots better than most furnaces.
• Over 60% of “not working” complaints resolve with basic maintenance.
• In BC homes, heat pumps often reduce annual heating bills by 25–50%.
• Cold-climate units are now the default choice for government rebates, for a reason.

Data wins every time.

When a Heat Pump Issue Is a Real Problem, Not a Myth

There are legitimate heat pump problems you shouldn’t ignore:

• sudden drop in cooling performance
• strong mechanical noise
• outdoor icing that doesn’t clear
• system running constantly without reaching the setpoint
• burning smell
• The thermostat is not communicating with the outdoor unit

These aren’t myths; they’re service issues.

And when homeowners in BC face these problems, Pro Ace is usually the team they call because we diagnose heat pumps daily. We know the technology inside out, and more importantly, we know how it behaves in real homes, with real Canadian winters.

Final Verdict: Are Heat Pumps Worth It in Canada?

Yes, if you choose the right system and the right installer.

Heat pumps are the most efficient, stable, and cost-effective heating solution available today. But their success depends on design, sizing, and installation quality.

That’s where experience matters. 

Pro Ace has installed and serviced thousands of heat pumps across BC. We’ve seen what works, what fails, and what homeowners actually need, not what internet myths claim.