New heat pumps don’t come with a backup electric resistance heater anymore. When people ask about them I don’t recommend them either. It adds about $1200 for exactly zero benefit.
New heat pumps are significantly more efficient, especially in cold weather, compared to what you have now. Unfortunately there’s currently no government rebates for heat pump to heat pump upgrades.
It’s like a car. An older one will require some maintenance to keep it on the road. At some point it might make more sense to buy new and enjoy the 12 year warranty and greater efficiency rather than forking out $600 to diagnose and top up leaking refrigerant or whatever every year…
For new heat pumps I do recommend a service at least once every few years, just to keep any potential problems at bay. Most companies will do this for about $200.
In your situation I’d look at doing a new heat pump using the Canada greener homes 0% loan if you wanted to upgrade. That’s probably the only gov subsidy you can access.
Or just put in a new gas furnace if your hydro bill is exorbitant. Get several quotes and make them compete for your business, you can probably get it done for $5k for a 96% efficient 2 stage furnace. Or much less if you buy a used furnace off Marketplace and pay a gas fitter to install it. Those things usually last 20+ years with very few issues.
Thanks for the info mb. What heat pumps come with a 12 year warranty? My BIL had a Samsung installed last year and has had nothing but trouble with it. What brands do you see with the fewest problems?
Is the air coming out of the registers warmer than the older ones? Mine comes out a few degrees warmer than the ambient air, my old gas furnace came out way warmer and could warm the house up in minutes.
In the summer is the output air cooler than an older unit?