Updated July 15, 2026 · a 4-minute read. The short answer: rebates went down, but they are still substantial — up to $13,000 for a standard gas or oil ducted conversion, and up to $16,500 for a combined heat pump and heat-pump water heater. Here is the full picture.
The short version
- CleanBC reduced income-qualified rebate amounts on July 6, 2026, across all three income levels (ESP 1, 2 and 3).
- Electric-to-heat-pump rebates ended for Income Level 2 (ESP 2) — they remain $5,000 for ESP 1 and are not offered at ESP 3.
- A grace period applies only to customers whose contractor submitted a signed quote with an approved eligibility code by July 5 — those jobs keep the previous amounts if installed and invoiced by July 31, 2026.
- The new rebates are still real money: up to $13,000 on a standard ducted conversion, and the $4,000 any-income rebate for electric homes is unchanged.
What changed
The CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings Program (ESP) is the income-qualified stream that delivers the largest rebate amounts to lower- and middle-income BC households switching to a heat pump. As of July 6, 2026, those amounts dropped across all three income tiers, and the electric-conversion path narrowed sharply.
The standard CleanBC Better Homes rebate ($4,000 for electric baseboard or electric-furnace conversions, no income qualification) is not affected and stays in place.
The new rebate amounts (in effect now)
For a central ducted heat pump — the most common retrofit when you're replacing a furnace — the income-qualified amounts are now:
| Converting from | ESP 1 | ESP 2 | ESP 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas, propane or oil → ducted heat pump | $13,000 | $7,000 | $3,500 |
| Fossil fuel → heat pump + heat-pump water heater (combined) | $16,500 | $11,500 | $7,000 |
| Electric baseboard or electric furnace → heat pump | $5,000 | No longer available | N/A |
Smaller systems (single-head or two-head ductless) qualify for proportionally smaller amounts. Income tiers (ESP 1/2/3) are set by household size and income. We confirm the exact program, tier and amount for your home at the assessment — the program administrators make the final eligibility call.
For context: an ESP 1 household converting from gas to a ducted heat pump could previously reach up to $13,000 on the heat pump alone. The new ceiling on that line is $13,000 — still real money, but $3,000 lower, and the ESP 2 and ESP 3 cuts are steeper.
The grace period — now closed to new entrants
CleanBC built in a grace period for people already in motion, but the entry deadline has passed. It applies only if your contractor submitted your signed quote — with an approved eligibility code — to the program on or before July 5, 2026. If that happened, you keep the previous (higher) amounts as long as the job is installed and invoiced by July 31, 2026. Everyone else is now processed at the new amounts.
A qualifying quote had to include:
- Your CleanBC eligibility code
- The complete scope of the upgrade
- The total cost and the rebate amount
- Your signature
- A scheduled installation date
If your quote went in before July 5, the clock still matters: the job must be installed and invoiced by July 31 to keep the higher amount. If that's you and you aren't booked yet, call us today — we'll do everything we can to get you in before the deadline.
Where you stand now
Did your quote go in before July 5?
You're in the grace period — you keep the previous, higher rebate, but only if the job is installed and invoiced by July 31. Call us now so we can get you scheduled in time.
Starting fresh?
You'll be under the new amounts — and they're still worth having. An income-qualified ducted conversion can carry up to $13,000, and a combined heat pump plus heat-pump water heater up to $16,500. We'll screen your eligibility honestly, design around the largest rebate you qualify for, and file the paperwork for you.
Heating with electric baseboards or an electric furnace?
Good news: the standard $4,000 any-income CleanBC rebate is unchanged. If you're ESP 1, the $5,000 electric-conversion rebate also remains. The ESP 2 electric rebate ended on July 6 — but those households can still use the $4,000 any-income rebate.
Heating with oil?
The new amounts still represent meaningful funding, and oil-heated homes usually have the strongest case for switching. We'll lay out the full picture, including any federal oil-to-heat-pump support, at the assessment.
How the rebates can stack
The headline ESP numbers above aren't always the whole picture — several programs can layer on top of each other, depending on your home, your heating source and your income:
- CleanBC standard rebate — up to $4,000. For switching from electric baseboards or an electric furnace to a heat pump. No income test, and it is not affected by the July 6 change.
- Electrical service-upgrade rebate — up to $5,000 (income-qualified). If converting off gas, propane or oil means upgrading your electrical panel or service, this stacks on top of the heat pump rebate. This is the adder that lifts an ESP 1 conversion toward roughly $18,000 total.
- BC Hydro top-ups. Additional incentives that can layer onto the main rebates in many cases.
The honest caveat: these are ceilings, not guarantees. The electrical adder only applies if you genuinely need a service upgrade, not every rebate combines, and most programs require an installer registered with the Home Performance Contractor Network — which we are. We will map out exactly which rebates your home can stack, and the real total, at your free assessment.
The rebates that didn't change
Plenty survived the change. The standard $4,000 CleanBC rebate for electric conversions is untouched, the $5,000 electrical service-upgrade rebate remains, and BC Hydro top-ups still layer on where eligible. A heat pump is still the best long-term move for most island homes — lower bills, summer cooling, and a quieter, more comfortable house. We'll always build your quote around the maximum you actually qualify for.
The Purple Turtle difference
We design every system around the largest rebate your home qualifies for, and we handle the CleanBC and BC Hydro paperwork with you so nothing falls through the cracks. Free in-home assessments, honest advice, and a Red Seal island team — from Greater Victoria through the Cowichan Valley to Nanaimo and Parksville.