Case study·Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto·Full electrification
Bluffs House
A 1960s home, fully off gas
A two-storey brick house from the 1960s, a short walk from the lake, with a gas furnace three times bigger than it needed. We sized a heat pump on the home's own meter data, moved every load to electricity, kept the 200 A service, and had the gas disconnected.
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0
Gas appliances left in the house
2 ton
Heat pump, replacing an 80,000 Btu/h furnace
~1%
Of the season's heat from backup
200 A
Service kept, 59 A of margin
The house
Bluffs House, Toronto
Gas out, electric inElectricElectricElectricElectricElectricElectric
Every load, one at a time
The house went electric in stages over a few years. Tap between the house as found and today.
Gas service: disconnected
One meter, one bill, every load on electricity.
0 gas loads
Space heating
2 ton inverter heat pump with an air handler
Cooling
The same heat pump, SEER2 18.6, in reverse
Hot water
Heat pump water heater, 50 gallon
Cooking
Induction cooktop and electric ovens in the new kitchen
Fresh air
Energy recovery ventilator, interlocked with the air handler
Backup heat
8 kW electric duct heater for the coldest hours
Sizing
The furnace was three times too big
Most heat pumps fail on sizing, not on cold. We compared the old furnace, the energy audit and a year of the home's own meter data before choosing anything.
Old gas furnace, output100,000 Btu/h input at about 80% efficiency
80,000 Btu/h
Design load, energy audit estimateCalculated from the house, at -18 °C
38,100 Btu/h
Design load, from the home's own meter dataMeasured heat use against outdoor temperature, at -18 °C
23,000 Btu/h
Heat pump alone at -15 °CPublished capacity, no backup heat
20,600 Btu/h
The old furnace was about three times bigger than the house needs. Oversized equipment short-cycles: it blasts hot air, shuts off, and swings the temperature. Sizing on the home's own data let a 2 ton heat pump do the job, with a small electric heater for the few hours colder than about -15 °C.
How it responds
What happens when it gets cold
Slide the outdoor temperature and watch who carries the house.
Pick an outdoor temperature
-10 °Ca cold January night
Heat pump8 kW duct heater, staged
The heat pump carries the whole house on its own, modulating down to match the load.
Modelled from a year of the home's meter data and the manufacturer's published capacity. Over a full season the duct heater supplies about 1% of the heat.
What runs the house now
Heat pump
Backup heat
Hot water
Fresh air
Steam shower
Service and panel
Concept rendering
Six systems, no combustion
Heat pump2 ton inverter heat pump on a wall bracket
Heats to -30 °C, cools at SEER2 18.6
- What went in
- A modulating outdoor unit with an air handler in the old furnace's spot, on the existing ducts, installed with Critical Heating and Cooling.
- Why it matters
- It runs long and low instead of blasting on and off, so the house holds a steady temperature.
Backup heat8 kW duct heater, staged and locked out
About 1% of the season's heat
- What went in
- Set to stage in steps rather than dump all 8 kW at once, and locked out above -15 °C.
- Why it matters
- The settings left at factory default would cost real money every winter.
Hot waterHeat pump water heater, 50 gallon
Pulls heat from the basement air
- What went in
- A hybrid tank that heats water with a small heat pump and dehumidifies the basement as a bonus.
- Why it matters
- Water heating is the second-biggest gas load. Now it is the cheapest electric one.
Fresh airEnergy recovery ventilator
Recovers about 80% of the heat
- What went in
- Balanced fresh air, interlocked with the air handler so it moves through the whole house.
- Why it matters
- No combustion indoors and a tighter house both need planned fresh air.
Steam showerElectric steam shower and heated towel bar
One of the biggest single loads in the house
- What went in
- An electric steam generator behind the tile, a digital control in the shower and a hard-wired heated towel bar.
- Why it matters
- Comfort loads like this are why the service was checked on real meter data, not a guess. The measured peak already includes it.
Service and panel200 A smart panel, no upgrade
141 A calculated, all loads in
- What went in
- Every electric load, the duct heater, the addition and future battery charging counted by the Code method.
- Why it matters
- A full switch off gas did not need a bigger service.
Concept renderingNext: the kitchen addition
Induction, electric ovens and its own heat pump
A rear kitchen addition is under way. It gets its own mini split, electric radiant floor and fresh air, so it does not lean on the central system. Its load is already counted in the 141 A.
The service
Fully electric on 200 A
Counted by the Ontario Electrical Safety Code method on 15-minute meter data, with every new load added in.
Busiest 15 minutes on the meterBefore the switch, on the home's own meter
53 A
Calculated load, everything electricPeak x 1.25, plus duct heater, kitchen addition and battery charging
141 A
Plus a full-size EV charger48 A Level 2 charger added at its full rating
189 A
The service200 A at 240 V
200 A
No service upgrade, and no load management needed. With every load counted at full rating, the house calculates to 141 A, and a full-size 48 A EV charger still fits at 189 A. Each future load is checked the same way, on the meter data, before it goes in. The first month on the heat pump peaked at just 40 A.
Next: the envelope
Where a 1960s house loses its heat
The heat pump is sized for the house as it is today. Three envelope upgrades make it even easier on it.
- Insulate the bare basement wall. The biggest single loss in most 1960s homes.
- Replace the original windows. Double-glazed with no low-E coating, so a quarter of the heat leaves through the glass.
- Air seal. Taking the house from about 4.2 to 3.0 air changes at test pressure.
- Together: the heat pump carries the house unaided down to about -19 °C, and the duct heater runs 60% fewer hours.
Next: battery and solar
The bill, step by step
Annual electricity cost for the fully electric house, modelled on its own meter data.
Today, time-of-use rates
$2,901/yr
Add 5 kW of solar
$2,137/yr
Solar + Powerwall, ultra-low overnight rates
$1,545/yr
The next step is already sized. A battery fills overnight when power is cheapest and runs the house through the evening peak, and solar tops it up. Modelled from the home's own 15-minute meter data, with the Ontario Home Renovation Savings rebate applied.
Going electric?
The order that works
- Start with the data. A year of utility meter data shows the real heating load and what the service can carry.
- Do the easy swaps early. Hot water and cooking can go electric any time, often when the old unit fails.
- Size the heat pump to the house, not the furnace. Oversizing costs comfort and money.
- Set up the backup heat. Staged, locked out above about -15 °C, never left at factory default.
- Add fresh air. An ERV interlocked with the air handler, once combustion is gone.
- Check the service by the Code method. Most homes on 200 A do not need an upgrade.
- Disconnect the gas. Close the account and have the service removed.
- Then battery and solar. Cheap overnight power, backup in an outage, and a lower bill.
The process
How an electrification comes together
- 1Data review. A year of the home's meter data, plus any energy audit, to find the real load.
- 2Sizing and load assessment. Heat pump, backup heat and the service checked together.
- 3Circuits and panel. Existing circuits reused where they fit, breakers matched to the new equipment.
- 4Install, turnkey. Heat pump, air handler and ventilation in one visit with Critical Heating and Cooling, our HVAC partner, under one Energable contract.
- 5Commissioning. Staging, lockouts and thermostat set for this house, not left at default.
- 6Gas off, battery next. Disconnect the gas, then plan backup power and solar on the same data.
Every home ends up here
Going fully electric starts with your own data
Send the address. We review your hourly data, size the heat pump and check your service, then send a fixed quote within 1 to 2 business days.
Go Full Electric →Straight Answers
Home Electrification Questions
The kind we would give before you commit a dollar of capital. Tap a question.
Can a 1960s house heat with a heat pump in Toronto winters?
Yes, with the right size. This 1960s house runs on a 2 ton cold-climate heat pump that carries it on its own down to about -15 °C. A small electric duct heater covers the colder hours, roughly 1% of the season's heat.
Do I need a 200 A or 400 A service to go fully electric?
Often 200 A is enough. This home's calculated load with every appliance electric, a backup duct heater, a kitchen addition and future battery charging came to 141 A on its 200 A service. A load assessment on your own meter data answers it.
How do you size a heat pump for an older home?
From measured data, not the old furnace. Here the furnace was rated at about 80,000 Btu/h of output, the energy audit estimated 38,100, and the home's own meter data showed about 23,000 at the design temperature. Sizing to the real load avoids short-cycling.
What backup heat does a cold-climate heat pump need?
A modest electric heater, set up properly. Staged rather than all-on, and locked out above the temperature where the heat pump can carry the house. Factory defaults often leave it in single-stage mode, which costs money every winter.
What does going off gas involve?
Replacing each gas appliance, then closing the account. Heating and cooling with one heat pump, hot water with a heat pump water heater, induction for cooking, then the utility disconnects and removes the gas service.
Is a battery worth adding after electrifying?
It is the natural next step. A battery charged on ultra-low overnight rates runs the house through the expensive peak and keeps the heat on in an outage. Paired with solar, this home's modelled bill drops from about $2,900 to about $1,550 a year.
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