Burnaby homes and the systems that suit them
Post-war bungalows and character homes in Burnaby Heights, Willingdon Heights and Capitol Hill usually have a gas furnace, a basement that may be a suite, and ducts sized for the old furnace. A ducted heat pump can reuse them, with a ductless head for the lower floor.
1970s and 1980s townhouses around Edmonds, Metrotown and Lougheed often heat with electric baseboards. A ductless multi-split moves heat instead of making it, and homes on electric baseboards qualify for the $4,000 BC standard rebate with no income test.
High-rise and mid-rise condos at Brentwood and Metrotown are the tightest case. Most suit a ductless system with a balcony outdoor unit, subject to strata bylaws and the City's balcony rules. See our condo and townhouse guide.
Get a Burnaby heat pump quote
We'll check your panel, the City's siting and noise limits and your strata rules, then send an itemized price.
Planning around the 45 dBA night limit
Burnaby's night-time limit is the number that decides most placements. Burnaby's Noise Bylaw 7332 caps continuous noise at 45 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and the City's own guide advises installing at the rear of the lot, facing a solid barrier taller than the unit and away from a neighbour's windows and doors. On Burnaby's narrower lots we use low-sound models, vibration pads and fencing so the unit meets the limit from the day it starts.
Burnaby's hills and mild, wet winters
Burnaby Mountain and the slopes toward Capitol Hill and Westridge get a little more rain and the odd cold snap, but a cold-climate heat pump handles Burnaby winters without strain. Good drainage under the unit and keeping it out of the roof drip line prevent ice build-up.
See how the BC and federal rebates work or what heat pumps cost in Metro Vancouver.