Heating & Cooling
CONTENTS:
Assess Your Needs
| If you have never had to think much about your heating or cooling system before, you are not alone. | For many homeowners, these systems quietly do their job in the background until something breaks or it is time for an upgrade. | That is when it helps to understand how heating and cooling systems work, how they are connected, and why your choices matter more than you might think. |
Your Home is a System — So is Your HVAC
Pro Tip!
Not all heat pumps are suited to Manitoba's climate.
Standard air-source heat pumps typically lose significant heating capacity at temperatures below approximately −10°C, which in Manitoba occurs regularly for months at a time.
For Manitoba, you need a cold-climate air-source heat pump — a specific product category designed to maintain heating capacity down to −25°C or −30°C, depending on the manufacturer's specifications.
At temperatures below −25°C, even cold climate heat pumps are generally not more efficient than electric resistance heating, which is why most Manitoba installations use a dual-fuel system — where a cold climate heat pump handles the majority of heating throughout the shoulder seasons. Mild winter days, and a gas furnace provides backup when temperatures drop to extremes.
This combination delivers meaningful energy savings and reduced carbon emissions while ensuring your home stays warm in Manitoba's coldest conditions.
When you see references to heat pumps in this guide, they refer specifically to cold climate heat pumps rated for Manitoba's temperature range — not standard heat pumps.
