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Indigenous Community Energy Coach Program & Indigenous Community Heat Pump Incentive

Program Category: Clean Energy
Program Sub-Category: Energy Efficiency (Housing / Buildings)
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Status: Open

Funder

BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation (EMLI)

Deadline Details

Program offers opened in January 2020 and will be a continuous application.

Funder Organization Type

  • BC Provincial Government

The Province of B.C. offers free energy coaching services to support Indigenous communities wanting to take advantage of the CleanBC Indigenous Community Heat Pump Incentive and related energy efficiency offers.
 
The Indigenous Community Energy Coach provides a free resource to:
  • Discuss funding opportunities available to support fuel-switching and energy efficiency projects, with a focus on the CleanBC Indigenous Community Heat Pump Incentive;
  • Work together to identify, assess and prioritize potential space and water heating fuel-switching projects within Indigenous communities;
  • Confirm CleanBC Indigenous Community Heat Pump Incentive eligibility;
  • Assist with heat pump installation planning;
  • Provide CleanBC funding program application support; and
  • Identify additional incentives available for other retrofit upgrades.
CleanBC Indigenous Community Heat Pump Incentive provides:
  • Funding for fuel-switching heat pump installation projects (e.g., replacing an oil, propane, or natural gas furnace with an electric heat pump) in residential and community buildings;
  • Can be used to top-up other grant or incentive funding to cover up to 100% of eligible heat pump system costs;
  • Covers capital and installation costs;
  • Covers some associated expenses including electrical updates, oil tank removal, and feasibility studies for community buildings. For a full list of eligible expenses please review the Program Guide.

Eligible Community

  • For fuel-switching and woodstove to heat pump projects, must be an Indigenous Community whose homes and/or community buildings are primarily heated by propane, diesel, natural gas, oil, wood or other solid fuels.
  • For efficiency projects (e.g., baseboard or electric furnace to heat pump), must be an Indigenous Community primarily served by diesel generated electricity. 

Required Community Contribution

Community contribution required (please see program website)
20% matching funds must be provided by the community, though those funds can be provided by another funding source (other than other CleanBC funding sources). 

Funding Stacking Restrictions

Yes
Cannot stack with other CleanBC funding programs. 

Specific Eligibility Requirements

•     All residential heat pumps installed must be eligible for the CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate Programs and meet the following eligibility criteria (see Program Guide for more details):
•    Must be listed on the Qualifying Product List for Air Source Heat Pumps or the Qualifying Product List for Air-to-Water Heat Pumps and have a valid AHRI Reference Number.
 
 
Ductless mini-split heat pump requirements
 All ductless mini-split heat pumps must:
•    have an HSPF ≥10.00; SEER ≥16.00
•    have a variable speed compressor
•    have a minimum capacity of 12,000 BTU (1 ton)
•    be installed in an eligible home that is 1,200 square feet or less
 
 Ductless multi-split heat pump requirements
All ductless multi-split heat pumps must:
•    have an HSPF ≥10.00; SEER ≥16.00
•    have a variable speed compressor
•    have a minimum capacity of 12,000 BTU (1 ton)
•    have a minimum of two indoor head units 
 
Central ducted heat pump requirements
All central ducted heat pump systems must:
•    have an HSPF ≥10.00; SEER ≥16.00
•    have a variable speed compressor
•    a minimum capacity of 12,000 BTU (1 ton)
 
 Dual fuel ducted heat pump requirements
All dual fuel ducted heat pump systems must:
•    have an HSPF ≥10.00; SEER ≥16.00
•    a minimum capacity of 12,000 BTU (1 ton)
•    variable speed will not be required for dual fuel heat pumps   
 
 
•    For Community Building Heat Pump systems, please contact the Indigenous Community Energy Coach program at ICEC@coach.betterhomesbc.ca to confirm project and system eligibility.
•    Heat Pump Installation: All heat pumps are recommended to be installed by a BC Hydro approved Program Registered Heat Pump Contractor. In cases where this is not feasible, or where the Community has identified a contractor that they would like to work with, the Coach can help to ensure the contractor and installation will be carried out to the standards required by the Program. The Coach can also help identify potential contractors, or you can search for one using the contractor search tool.

Type of Funding

  • Capital

Range of Funding Available per Project

  • Under $100 000
  • From $100 000 to $1 000 000

Description of Funding

  • Residential (e.g., on-reserve housing) - Up to 80% of the cost of new heat pump installation(s), up to a max. of $12,000 per heat pump
  • Community Buildings (e.g., administration) - Up to 80% of the cost of new heat pump installation(s) up to $200,000 total per heat pump.
  • A total maximum incentive of $200,000 is available for each Indigenous community program application. Each Indigenous community may submit one funding application per fiscal year.

Percentage of Project Funded

80%

Up to 80%. 

Eligible Costs

Operational and Maintenance Costs
Capital Costs
Equipment/Material Purchase

Eligible heat pump upgrade expenses can include expenses up to the maximum amount for the following items:
• Heat pump capital costs;
• Heat pump installation costs;
• Up to one year of heat pump maintenance costs;
• Oil tank removal costs;
• Gas system decommissioning costs;
• Electrical upgrade costs (electrical panel upgrades and associated wiring) required as part of heat pump installation;
• Ducting modification and/or cleaning costs required as part of heat pump installation;
• Additional air filtration systems added to heat pump systems; and
• Associated feasibility, energy study, or mechanical design costs for community buildings. 
 

Reporting Requirements

No reporting requirements

Expected Timeframe for Funding Decision

A community is registered in the program once an eligible project is identified, the Program Registration form and Memorandum of Understanding is signed, and proof of community support (e.g., Band Council Resolution) is secured. There are not funding application decisions in this program.

To date, 21  Indigenous communities have secured funding to install heat pumps in a total of 432 homes.