Long standing business owner in Corner Brook has concerns about rebates for heat pumps

Peter Parsons is the owner of the Tin Man Inc in Corner Brook and says heat pumps are not efficient here due to the dampness in the air, and they struggle around minus 5, burning more electricity.

There’s been a big push to get NL homeowners onto heat pumps with rebates and programs, as well as help for those with lower incomes. This comes at a time when oil prices are continuing to rise and people are feeling the pinch. Peter Parsons is the owner of the Tin Man Inc in Corner Brook, a business that is now celebrating 25 years. He says heat pumps are not efficient here due to the dampness in the air and they struggle around minus 5, burning more electricity.

Furthermore, Parsons says it’s hard to find a technician in rural areas that can fix heat pumps and HVAC technicians have to travel there from Corner Brook or Deer Lake.  

Parsons says nobody is talking about electricity rates that are subsidized by the feds to cover cost overruns at Muskrat Falls, and that money runs out after 2030. He says a typical home here with wood heat costs about $3,400 a year while electric heat after the year 2030 could be well over $9,000. Parsons has a 2200 square foot home and says while there are currently no rebates, wood pellet stoves are the way to go and while they require power, it’s only about 80 watts to keep it going. 

Parsons says over the past 25 years, they’ve sold oil furnaces, heat pumps, wood stoves, and pellet stoves, and while rebates are great, heat pumps won’t last here. He says NL is the only province in Canada that hasn’t done a wood changeover program and rebates should be used for anything that improves efficiency.