New Brunswick home energy rebates & savings guide

Many New Brunswick homes heat with electric baseboards or oil, which makes heat pumps one of the best upgrades in the province. Solar is a moderate investment at New Brunswick's electricity prices. This guide covers how New Brunswick homeowners can save on energy and which home energy rebates and upgrades make sense.

Start with the heat pump calculator or the home energy estimator, then check current programs on the New Brunswick rebates page.

Electricity in New Brunswick

NB Power supplies electricity to most of the province, with a few municipal utilities in cities such as Saint John and Edmundston, and Liberty provides natural gas in some areas. The supply mix includes nuclear, hydro, fossil fuels and imports. An all-in rate of roughly $0.165 per kWh is near the Canadian average.

Heating: what pays off

Electric baseboards are the most common heating system in New Brunswick, followed by oil, wood and heat pumps. A cold-climate heat pump at a typical seasonal COP of 2.2 to 3.0 uses roughly a third to a half of the electricity of baseboards, and costs much less to run than oil at about $1.65 per litre. With gas at roughly $1.05 per m³, a heat pump also usually beats a gas furnace.

Ductless mini-splits are popular in New Brunswick because many homes lack ducts. Oil-heated homes are especially strong candidates. See switching from oil heat and the ductless mini-split guide.

Solar outlook

Solar is a middle-of-the-road investment in New Brunswick. Yields are roughly average for Canada, and at typical installed costs of $2.40 to $3.30 per watt, payback often runs in the low-to-mid teens of years for a good roof. A heat pump usually saves more per dollar, so many homeowners do that first.

NB Power offers net metering for small home systems, and terms can change. Confirm current rules with NB Power and run the solar calculator with your own bill.

Tips for New Brunswick homes

• If you heat with oil, check the federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program, which is open in New Brunswick.
• Check NB Power for current heat pump, insulation and solar rebates and confirm amounts before you buy.
• Add a ductless heat pump to your main living area to cut baseboard use without new ductwork.
• Seal drafts around doors, windows and the attic hatch before winter to reduce baseboard or oil use.
• Keep a backup heat source in good working order for the coldest nights and power outages.