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Why Cold-Climate Heat Pumps Excel in Ontario Winters

Ontario winters are known for their freezing temperatures, icy winds, and long stretches of frigid weather.
For decades, many homeowners assumed that heat pumps couldn’t handle this kind of climate.
But today’s cold-climate heat pumps are a different story.
Thanks to modern engineering and major efficiency improvements, they’re now one of the most effective, reliable, and energy-saving heating options for Ontario homes.
Here’s why cold-climate heat pumps excel during even the harshest Ontario winters.
1.
Engineered to Perform in Sub-Zero Temperatures
Older heat pumps struggled when temperatures dropped, but cold-climate models are specifically designed to maintain strong heating performance even in –20°C to –30°C weather.
They accomplish this with:
Advanced compressors that pull heat from outdoor air more efficiently
Enhanced refrigerants that remain effective at lower temperatures
Variable-speed technology that adapts to real-time conditions
This means your home stays warm without relying heavily on backup heating sources.
2.
Consistent Comfort Without Temperature Swings
Traditional furnaces turn on and off in cycles, which can create uneven temperatures.
Cold-climate heat pumps operate differently — they run continuously at lower speeds to keep your whole home consistently comfortable.
Benefits include:
Fewer cold spots
Steadier temperature control
Reduced noise
Less dryness compared to gas heating
This balanced comfort is especially noticeable in older homes or multi-level layouts.
3.
Major Energy Savings All Winter Long
Cold-climate heat pumps are extremely efficient because they move heat instead of generating it.
Even in freezing weather, they can produce two to three times the heat for each unit of electricity consumed.
This can lead to:
Lower winter heating bills
Reduced reliance on expensive electrical resistance heat
A smaller environmental footprint
With energy prices rising across Ontario, these savings make a real difference.
4.
Smart Defrost Technology Keeps Efficiency High
Ontario winters bring snow, ice, and frost — all of which can affect HVAC performance.
Cold-climate heat pumps use intelligent defrost controls that activate only when necessary.
This prevents:
Excess energy waste
Ice buildup on outdoor units
Performance drops during cold snaps
Your system stays efficient and reliable throughout the season.
5.
Perfect for Hybrid Heating Systems
For homeowners who already have a gas furnace, a cold-climate heat pump can work in dual-fuel (hybrid) mode.
This setup automatically chooses the most efficient heat source based on outdoor temperature.
Advantages include:
Optimized energy use
Lower gas consumption
Reliable comfort during extreme cold
Better long-term savings
Hybrid systems offer the best of both worlds — efficiency and backup peace of mind.
6.
Environmentally Friendly Heating
Cold-climate heat pumps produce significantly fewer emissions than fossil-fuel systems, helping reduce your home’s carbon footprint.
As Ontario’s electricity grid continues to get greener, the environmental benefits of heat pumps will only grow.
7.
Year-Round Comfort from One System
One of the biggest advantages? Your heat pump doesn’t just heat — it cools your home in summer, replacing the need for a separate air conditioner.
This simplifies maintenance, reduces equipment costs, and keeps your home comfortable throughout all four seasons.
Experience the Benefits with Twintech Heating & Cooling
Cold-climate heat pumps are one of the most efficient and reliable home-heating technologies available today — and they’re perfectly suited for Ontario winters.
At Twintech Heating & Cooling, we specialize in recommending and installing the best cold-climate systems for homes across the Durham Region and Toronto.
All interactions from sales to installation were Courteous and professional. The installation was seamless and the attention to detail including clean up was outstanding. I highly recommend TwinTech Heating and Cooling.
Twintech's Salesman Dave arrived promptly was friendly and courteous, listened and assured us the installation would be completed according to our requests. The crew arrived early morning on May 11th, 2018 and worked through till late afternoon non-stop. They were very friendly, very professional, their expertise was excellent, their workmanship outstanding and the installation was completed in a timely and efficient manner. We were completely satisfied and happy with the quality of the work.
I had cold and hot spots all over my 70 yr old home. My furnace is quite new and Greg optimized the fan and furnace. The original installer just took it out of the box with factory settings and installed it- basically running at 50% of capacity. Greg also routed heat into my laundry room, yeah - so now I can renovate laundry room - thanks Greg. He is honest, professional and knowledgeable. I will be calling him back in the spring to optimize my AC as well.
Wonderful from beginning to end. I tend to fret and worry about home improvements but the excellent team at TwinTech put my mind as ease. They listen, they are patient and best of all ... the work they did is amazing! I chose the Goodman 80K BTU 2 stage furnace and the matching Goodman air conditioner. Greg, Grant and Poitr "Peter" arrived on time, took great care, explained everything to me and they answered all of my questions. They carefully adjusted the factory settings to optimize the furnace for my house and they also checked the duct work in the basement. Dave, the Sales Manager, came by to say "hello" and to see if I was happy. YES, I am happy with the work! The furnace is very quiet. I have it running on low just to circulate the air in the house and it's so much quieter than my old furnace. When I need new duct work for an upcoming basement renovation TwinTech will be my first choice. I highly recommend TwinTech. PS. They were even nice to my dogs.
Greg was prompt on the scheduled day of installation and the work was done well within the time estimated beforehand. Installation was neat and the equipment and scope of work was as specified in the quote. One item I must point out is that we were faced with a "No Heat" situation the day before the scheduled installation and Greg came out to address it free of charge. Not only that, but he also corrected an installation fault with our smart thermostat that was not part of the original job, again free of charge.
Greg came by to do a routine furnace checkup. He was very knowledgeable and professional, letting me know what's being checked/adjusted and giving me tips to ensure everything runs smooth. Very honest and upfront about what's working fine vs. what may need to be fixed/replaced. He didn't attempt to up sell anything that wasn't necessary. I'm glad to have finally found someone I can trust and rely on for all my HVAC needs - furnace, A/C, and hot water tank.
I'm very happy with the work that was done. Everyone from salesperson to the installers were friendly and professional. They were on time and cleaned up the job site after it was installed. They also answered all my follow up questions promptly. I wouldn't hesitate to work with them or recommend them again.
Thanks to the team at Twin Tech for a great job installing my new heat pump/ac unit. The guys were very polite and professional. When they left you would never have known they had been there except for the new Mitsubishi unit on the wall!! would highly recommend the Twin Tech team.
Installed professionally, no delays, no rework needed. Very reliable contractor and sales person. Also installed BBQ gas line and some duct work.
Greg and Grant are friendly, reliable, and knowledgeable HVAC professionals. The twins, Dave and the entire team provided efficient top quality service. Our family plns to use Twintech for all of our future HVAC needs.
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We are very happy to recommend this company to everyone. Our furnace broke down on Sunday morning. We phoned them and before noon Grant the owner showed up. He worked on the furnace for about a hour not wanting to give up to fix the problem. The furnace was 17 years old. I was the one talking about replacing it. End result was the next day it was all done. On the Sunday Bob came over with heaters to warm up the house. We decided to replace the water heater at the same time. Thanks Grant for the excellent work. Thumbs up.
Right on time. Explained how to work the HRV in a different way so the house would not be so dry. Changed my whole house water filter for me as well. Friendly, helpful, caring service!
Very pleased with the professional service that TwinTech Heating and Cooling provided in replacing my furnace. I got several quotes from different service providers. Their price was excellent and they explained the features very well. We are very glad we went with TwinTech and highly recommend their services.
We were new homeowners in need of a second opinion. TwinTech Heating & Cooling were Amazing and professional. Very knowledgeable and great service all around. Recommend to anyone looking for honest and reliable services. Treated with respect and care. Thank you Greg, Mitch and Bob!
TwinTech is an excellent and honest company! I called them for a second opinion after being told by another company that I needed to replace my furnace. Turns out this was not the case at all! I did not need a new furnace. TwinTech did not push to make an unnecessary sale and saved me from a huge expense. Bob and Mitch were extremely professional and above all honest! I definitely recommend TwinTech!
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