A heat pump and a rooftop solar system look like a natural couple. One uses electricity efficiently to move heat, the other makes electricity from daylight. In practice the match is good but not perfect, and the details decide whether your bills fall the way you hope.
How a heat pump changes your electricity use
An air-source heat pump moves heat from outdoor air into your home instead of burning fuel or running a resistance element. For each unit of electricity it uses, it typically delivers a few units of heat. The ratio drops as the outdoor air gets colder, and in a deep Canadian cold snap many systems lean on backup heat, which can be electric resistance.
If you are switching from gas, oil or propane, your electricity use rises and your fuel use falls. If you already heat with baseboards, a heat pump can cut your electricity use. Either way, your kilowatt-hour total for the year changes, and that total is the number to size solar against.
A heat pump water heater works on the same principle. As a rule of thumb it uses roughly a third to half the electricity of a standard resistance tank. We compare it with collectors in heat pump vs solar water heating.
The timing problem
Solar output follows the sun. Heating demand follows the cold. In most of the country those curves point in opposite directions: December has the biggest heating load and some of the weakest solar production of the year. Our month-by-month output guide shows how steep that seasonal swing can be.
This matters less than it sounds if your utility credits exports. Under net metering, extra summer production is banked as bill credits and used against winter bills, often with a rollover period such as 12 months. The panels do not heat your house in January. They earn credits in July that reduce your January bill. Rules differ by province and have been changing, so check current terms with your utility. Our overview of net metering across Canada explains the main variants.
Where export credits are low, the story is less friendly. Summer surplus then earns little, and winter heating still draws full-price power from the grid.
Sizing the solar system
Start with a year of electricity data, then adjust for the heat pump.
- Find your current annual use in kilowatt-hours on your bills.
- Estimate the heat pump’s yearly electricity. A heating contractor or an energy advisor can model this from your home’s heat loss, which is where a home energy audit helps.
- Subtract any electricity you will stop using, such as old baseboards or a resistance water heater.
- Divide the new yearly total by the typical yield per kilowatt of panels, often roughly 1,100 to 1,400 kWh a year in southern Canada depending on location and design.
A worked example: a household uses 10,000 kWh a year and adds a heat pump that brings use to about 14,000 kWh. At roughly 1,250 kWh per kW, covering all of that would take about 11 kW of panels. That is a large system, and it may not fit on the roof or under a utility’s size cap. A 7 kW system would offset roughly 8,750 kWh, or around 60 percent of the new total. Both figures are illustrations, not predictions for your house.
For the general method, see how many solar panels you need.
A few common scenarios
| Situation | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Gas to heat pump, with solar | Electric use rises; solar offsets part of it; gas bill shrinks |
| Electric baseboards to heat pump | Electric use falls; smaller solar system may be enough |
| Heat pump only, no solar | Simple, but you pay the utility rate for all of it |
| Solar first, heat pump later | Panels may be oversized for today’s use; check credit rules |
The table is a simplification. Rates, rebates and local gas prices change the maths a lot.
Money and incentives
Rebates for heat pumps and for solar have come from different sources and have changed often. The federal Greener Homes Grant closed to new applicants in early 2024, and the interest-free loan stopped taking new applications on 1 October 2025, according to Natural Resources Canada as reported at the time of writing. Provincial and utility programmes now carry most of the load. Terms move, so verify the current ones before you sign anything. Our guide to checking current incentives lists where to look.
When you compare options, work out the combined picture rather than each project alone. A heat pump saves fuel. Solar then lowers the cost of the electricity the heat pump uses. Whether the second step pays off depends on your electricity rate. In provinces with low hydro rates, the solar payback tends to be longer, and in higher-rate regions it tends to be shorter. Our costs and payback overview shows how to do the sums with your own figures.
Practical tips
Tell your installer about your heat pump plans before the solar design is finished. The electrical panel needs enough capacity for both, and a panel upgrade can add a few thousand dollars to either project. Ask whether the inverter and any monitoring can show your heat pump’s consumption, which makes it easier to see what is happening in winter.
If you want a smaller thermal-only project for hot water instead, see the wider hot water and heating hub for solar collectors, air heating and related options.
Finally, keep expectations calm. A heat pump and solar panels do not make a house free to run. They shift what you pay for, mostly away from fuel and toward a one-time system cost, and the result is easiest to judge after a full year of bills.
Quick answers
Can solar panels run a heat pump in winter?
Partly. Winter days are short and the sun is low, so panels produce much less than in summer. A grid connection, with or without banked credits, covers the gap.
Should I install the heat pump or the solar panels first?
Many people install the heat pump first, then size the solar system from real bills. That avoids guessing the new load. If a rebate or roof job forces the order, an installer can add an allowance for the future load.
Does a heat pump water heater need extra panels?
It adds a modest amount of electricity, usually far less than a resistance tank would. Include it when you work out your yearly kilowatt-hours.
Where to verify
Rules and prices change. Confirm current details with the official bodies below.