Uh oh! Your heat pump tapped out, and now you’re back, scouring the internet to find Canada’s best heat pump brands. But with the abundance of options, selecting the perfect fit can be a daunting task.
This guide explores Canada’s best heat pump brands to help you find a suitable brand to keep your home comfortable year-round. So, if you’re unsure where to start or want to learn more about leading brands in Canada, you’re in the right place. Stick around to learn more!
Please note that it’s highly recommended to have the heat pump professionally installed. If you’re looking for optimal performance and safety from your unit, professional installation is a necessity before operation.
Senville
Established in 2005, Senville has been an industry leader for nearly two decades. The company has been fighting to reduce energy consumption for homeowners and commercial businesses for years by providing top-tier HVAC products that slash energy bills and save customers even more.
It offers an array of Energy Star products, which ensures its models are eco-friendly and highly efficient. Since its inception, the company has installed over 100,000 mini split air conditioners and heat pumps throughout Canada and the United States.
As our top pick on this list, Senville has plenty to offer its Canadian customers. The brand is well-known in the industry for reliable and affordable units, making it an excellent choice for many homeowners.
Its lineup features various high-quality air conditioners, heat pumps, multi-functional systems, and other HVAC products. The mini-split heat pumps are some of its most popular items, as they offer exceptional heating and cooling capabilities, ensuring you remain comfortable throughout every season.
Its SENL-24CD mini-split heat pump is an excellent model that showcases the brand’s top-of-the-line offerings. It offers a seamless blend of superior features, including an affordable price, multiple sizes, smart capabilities, multiple functions, and a strong warranty. These same benefits seep into many of Senville’s alternative options, making this brand a formidable contender for Canadian homeowners seeking a heating or cooling solution.
What Sets It Apart
- Affordable. Compared to some of the brands on this list, Senville’s HVAC equipment is incredibly affordable, making it an exceptional choice for Canadians on a budget.
- Efficient. Many of Senville’s units include Energy Star certification, which you should look for before you make a purchase. However, all of Senville’s offerings are extremely efficient and work well in homes of multiple sizes.
- Ductless. Senville’s mini-splits are a core part of its HVAC offerings. These units don’t require an extensive network of ducts to function, making them a strong choice for Canadian homes without ductwork.
- Readily available. These units are readily available online through sites like Amazon, making it easier than ever to get your home HVAC setup installed.
Lennox
As an experienced face in the sea of HVAC brands, Lennox is a strong contender on this list. Dave Lennox, an owner of a machine repair business geared toward railroads, founded the company in 1895 in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Lennox was the first to make the riveted steel furnace, setting the scene for its later success. The company expanded in the following years, eventually pioneering the forced air furnace for residential heating. In 1952, Lennox expanded its operations into Canada. Around this time, it branched into air conditioning units, shaping the company we know today.
Today, Lennox is known as one of the leading brands in the HVAC industry, recognized for its incredibly efficient units, which continue to hold the title as the most efficient model on the market today. Lennox offers a well-rounded lineup of HVAC products, including central air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps.
Like many leaders, many Lennox products are Energy Star certified, a testament to these units’ superior energy efficiency ratings and capabilities. They’re renowned for exceptional energy savings and quiet operation, making them an excellent choice for many Canadians.
What Sets It Apart
- Quiet operation. Lennox units feature advanced sound-dampening technology that allows them to operate extremely quietly, ensuring the system cycling won’t disrupt your day.
- Wide product range. While Lennox is known for its central heating and cooling systems, it also offers ductless mini-split systems for Canadian homes without ductwork.
- Reliable. These units are known for their unwavering reliability, making them an excellent choice for those who don’t want to deal with the headache of inconsistency.
Trane
Like Lennox, Trane is a seasoned leader in the HVAC industry. The company has well over a century of experience under its belt, as its origins date back to 1885. It started as a small family plumbing business based in La Cross, Wisconsin, where James Trane created an innovative low-pressure steam heating system.
Years passed, and in 1913, the family officially incorporated the business as The Trane Company. In the following decades, Trane established its reign in the HVAC industry by becoming a pioneer in climate control. Its innovations and patents piled up, eventually shaping the lineup the company offers today.
Trane continues to hold its own in the industry as a clear leader, offering some of the most well-rounded units available. It provides numerous types of HVAC equipment, including air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps.
Its units boast advanced features, from variable speed compressors for better energy efficiency and more consistent comfort to its ComfortLink thermostats for effortless control and optimal performance. These units feature excellent efficiency ratings for heating (HSPF) and cooling (SEER), ensuring you’ll save even more on your energy bills.
What Sets It Apart
- Advanced features. These units feature high-tech features for ultimate comfort and control, including Trane’s ComfortLink technology for increased energy efficiency and dual fuel compatibility.
- Solid warranties. Many Trane units feature solid warranties extending ten years from the purchase date. These warranties cover parts and the heart of the unit, the compressor.
- Quality control testing. Trane’s heat pumps are known for their reliability and durability stemming from the company’s extensive quality control testing. Its products undergo rigorous testing to ensure they’ll withstand the elements for many years.
Carrier
Founded in 1915, Carrier is another company with over a century of experience on our list. However, the company’s origins date back even further, rewinding the clock into the late 1800s, when founder Willis Carrier patented the innovative slide rule, which allowed precise calculations of dew point control, a foundational piece of modern air conditioning.
Carrier emerged as an industry leader in the following decades, becoming a driving force behind modern air conditioning. Founder Willis Carrier’s inventions became such an integral part of HVAC systems as we know them today that he became known as the “Father of Air Conditioning.”
Today, Willis Carrier’s legacy lives on in the Carrier company, which is no longer restricted to U.S. borders and branched out into numerous countries worldwide. Carrier offers various HVAC products, including air handlers, heat pumps, central air conditioning, and furnaces.
Its offerings create a distinct divide between its competitors, as it offers several advanced technologies in its heat pump line. For example, its Greenspeed Intelligence feature utilizes a variable speed compressor, multi-speed ECM blower motor, and advanced controls to supply optimal comfort, control, and energy efficiency.
Additionally, several of Carrier’s heat pumps feature hybrid technologies, which is great for Canadian customers in extreme climates. The hybrid feature allows the heat pump to work with a compatible furnace to ensure optimal comfort year-round. This is especially ideal for Canadians, as there are certain temperatures at which a heat pump can no longer work. When the temperatures dip to this point, the furnace can clock in, ensuring your home remains cozy regardless of the outside temperature.
What Sets It Apart
- Hybrid capabilities. Select Carrier heat pumps are compatible with its furnaces, bridging the gap between extremely low temperatures and a non-functioning heat pump to ensure your home remains warm all year.
- High-tech features. Certain models feature Carrier’s advanced Greenspeed technology, which aids in ultimate comfort and control.
- Quiet operation. Carrier’s heat pumps are surprisingly quiet, operating around 68 decibels or lower. Considering a normal conversation is about 60 decibels, these units are quiet enough that they won’t disrupt your day.
Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi is a worthwhile consideration for Canadians shopping for a heat pump, as it has built a reputable name for itself as a trusted manufacturer. Mitsubishi Group’s origins date back to 1870, but its HVAC ventures didn’t begin until around 30 years ago.
Its HVAC division offers top-selling heat pumps, including ducted and ductless systems, to accommodate varying situations. Its offerings are available in several series, each with different features and price points. While these heat pumps tend to be pricier than other options available on this list, like Senville’s mini-splits, they’re worth considering.
For example, Mitsubishi’s ductless heat pumps are shockingly quiet, with sound levels as low as 19 decibels. For comparison, a whisper is about 30 decibels, so these units are even quieter than a whisper. In addition to quiet operation, they feature exceptional air quality features to promote healthier air inside your home, including deodorizing and anti-bacterial properties.
Mitsubishi also offers strong warranties on its heat pumps, with coverage extending up to 12 years for the parts and compressor. While certain restrictions and exclusions exist on these warranties, they’re lengthier than most offered by other brands on this list.
What Sets It Apart
- Dual fuel capabilities. Several Mitsubishi heat pumps feature its intelli-HEAT Dual Fuel system, which allows the system to select the best heat source (fuel or electricity) to ensure you save the most.
- Convenient control. Mitsubishi’s Kumo cloud app allows you to control your system from your smartphone effortlessly, so you never have to leave the couch to make adjustments.
- Zoned capabilities. Certain models offer room-by-room control, allowing you to regulate the temperature in specific spaces to ensure optimal comfort and energy savings.
Daikin
With over 90 years of service and millions of systems sold in 140 countries worldwide, Daikin is another top consideration for HVAC equipment. The company prides itself as a leading innovator and worldwide provider of high-quality HVAC solutions for all applications, from residential homes to industrial warehouses.
Daikin offers multiple HVAC products to keep your home comfortable, from air conditioners to gas furnaces to heat pumps. Its offerings are available in several options, including multi-zone systems, whole-house setups, and single-zone systems.
Its heat pumps boast high-tech features, such as its ComfortNet communicating technology. This multi-faceted technology offers several benefits to ensure ultimate comfort, control, and energy savings. For example, it provides precise temperature control by allowing the heat pump to communicate with the thermostat, ensuring even temperatures throughout the house.
This technology also supplies superior energy efficiency through communication with various parts of the HVAC system, helping to improve performance, reduce energy consumption, and improve efficiency. It provides remote control over the system via a mobile app and convenient diagnostic information for quicker resolutions to issues.
What Sets It Apart
- Communicating technology. These heat pumps feature ComfortNet communicating technology, bridging the gap between the unit and other system components, including the thermostat and air handler. This ensures even and efficient heating and cooling.
- Diagnostics. These units feature built-in diagnostics via ComfortNet tech, allowing HVAC techs to pinpoint and resolve issues quickly. You won’t have to spend time worrying about what could be wrong with your unit because of this technology.
- Varying zones. You can purchase Daikin’s heat pumps in varying zone settings, including single-zone, multi-zone, and whole-home systems. No matter your needs, there is a Daikin unit that will work for you.
What to Look For in a Heat Pump Brand in Canada
Selecting a heat pump brand to provide a unit for your home can be a daunting task, especially considering the number of options available. Here are a few tips to help you find the best heat pump brand for your needs.
Reputation
Most well-known HVAC companies have created a reputation, for better or worse. The best heat pump brands have great reputations as reliable companies, which fosters trust between the brand and its customers.
As you sift through your options, it doesn’t hurt to ask around and do your research to create an understanding of each company’s reputation. Ask your friends and family about their experiences with their HVAC providers, or consult your local HVAC technician for recommendations based on their experiences.
Strong Warranties
It’s rare to find an inexpensive heat pump, so choosing one that won’t need to be replaced can be tricky. Since purchasing one requires a hefty investment, you want to make sure that it is protected at all costs. A strong warranty can be one of the best ways to ease your mind about a large purchase.
Warranties for most popular heat pumps are for around ten years, though results may vary by brand. Some warranties can be shorter (around 5 years) or longer (from 12 to 15 years). However, the length of the warranty isn’t the only factor to take into account. You should also pay attention to your warranty terms, coverage, and other policies.
Some warranties, for example, won’t cover labour costs to repair the unit. This wouldn’t be ideal, as you would still need to pay expensive out of pocket costs for repairs. The best heat pump brands in Canada offer extensive warranties that cover parts, labor, and heftier parts of your heat pump (such as the compressor). These warranties can help protect your investment and prevent a big headache later down the line.
Customer Service
Excellent customer service separates the sub-par heat pump brands from the best brands, so be sure to pay attention to this factor. The best companies offer outstanding customer service via friendly representatives and numerous contact options. Generally, you can contact these companies by phone, email, online chat, and sometimes text.
Ample contact options make it easier to get ahold of the company if issues were to arise, so this is a key thing to consider as you look for the perfect fit.
Customer Reviews
Customer feedback is incredibly insightful when considering a heat pump brand for your home. They can shed light on what your experience with the company might be like by supplying valuable information that may sway you one way or the other.
However, it’s important to note that many customer review sections are skewed. This is because many folks don’t review a product unless they have major issues with it, leading to a disproportionate number of negative reviews. Of course, you should still take note of negative feedback, but keep in mind that customers with positive experiences may not have shared their satisfaction.
We recommend talking to friends and family about what HVAC brands they use and prefer, as this can give you a real-world peek into the company and how it interacts with its customer base.
Frequently Asked Questions
Canadian residents have access to a plethora of heat pump brands, including industry leaders like Senville, Lennox, Trane, and Carrier. Other top brands offering heat pumps in Canada include Daikin and Mitsubishi. Regardless of the brand, the heat pumps in our review are all high-quality options that will serve a range of preferences and budgets.
Heat pumps can be an excellent, cost-effective solution to keep your home comfortable year-round, regardless of whether it’s hot or cold. They combine heating and cooling capabilities in one unit, making them a cost-effective solution for many Canadians. Those seeking to update their home’s heating and cooling systems will find that a heat pump is a great choice for a long-lasting solution.
Heat pumps are a large investment for most Canadian households, and ensuring that they will last a long time is crucial. Most heat pumps can be expected to last about 10-25 years, depending on the brand and how well it was maintained throughout the years. Luckily, most heat pump brands include a warranty with purchase, which can help with any issues in the first 5 to 10 years.
Heat pumps can work in the shockingly low temperatures Canadian winters bring. A typical heat pump can function in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius, while a cold climate heat pump can operate in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius. When the temperatures regularly dip below these points, a heat pump usually cannot do its job. If you live in an extreme Canadian climate where winter lows regularly drop below -30 degrees Celsius, a heat pump may not be a good option for your home.
Canadians looking to save money and purchase an energy-efficient heat pump will love the pumps that are manufactured by Senville. Many of their heat pumps are great at conserving energy and boast an Energy Star certification. These energy-saving heat pumps are ductless and easily bought online, as well as being incredibly budget-friendly.
