Electric furnace + central heat pump · Updated September 30, 2026
Electric furnace installation in Montréal: warm in winter, cool in summer, fresh air all year.
The central heat pump does most of the work, the electric furnace takes over in deep cold, and an air exchanger renews the air. 279 systems, 22 brands, installed by our refrigeration technicians in Montréal, Laval, Longueuil, the South Shore and the North Shore.
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279central systems in our catalogue
22brands, one installer
-35 °Cstill heating, per the Direct Air Magic Pro spec sheet
$120per 1,000 BTU at -8 °C, LogisVert (indicative)
01 · The house in action
How does an electric furnace with a central heat pump work? Slide the thermometer.
Pick a model, change the outdoor temperature and follow the air through the house. Tap the dots to open each part. Further down, twelve real systems react to the same cold.
Heat pump heatElectric elementsCool air / fresh airStale air exhausted
A year with your Gree Flexx Ultra R-32 3 tCapacity at -8 °C: 28,200 BTU/h · AHRI 215213330
-26 °C
Furnace only below -30 °CHeat pump + backup as needed -30 to -8 °CHeat pump -8 to 16 °CShoulder season 16 to 24 °CCooling 24 °C and up
Illustration. The minimum temperature comes from the manufacturer’s spec sheet; exactly when the backup starts depends on the house.
Outside, right now
-26 °CJanuary night
-35 °C-8 °C+32 °C
Heat pump + backup as needed
The heat pump is still heating. If the house needs more, the furnace’s electric elements kick in automatically.
Heat pumpHeating
Electric elementsAs needed
Air exchangerRunning
Point 1 of 5
Outdoor heat pump
It captures heat from the outdoor air in winter and releases the house’s heat outside in summer. Its heating capacity at -8 °C is what LogisVert uses.
What we check at the visit: Clearance around the unit, a base above the snow line, distance from windows and the neighbour’s lot as your city’s by-law requires.
6 / 12still heat at -26 °C, the others hand over to the furnace
Twelve 3-ton systems from our catalogue. Limit: minimum operating temperature stated by the manufacturer, read on September 30, 2026. Tap a card to open the product page.
02 · Types of furnaces and air handlers
Types of furnaces: what’s inside an air handler.
At AirGreen, an “electric furnace” is an air handler with electric elements, paired with a central heat pump. Tap a part to see what it does.
Electric elements. The backup: resistors that heat the air when the heat pump can’t keep up or shuts off below its limit. They are what make this cabinet an electric furnace.
Dark: the selected brand. Figures from our product pages on September 30, 2026; minimum temperature as stated by the manufacturer.
05 · LogisVert rebate
LogisVert rebate: the more your system heats at -8 °C, the bigger the rebate.
Hydro-Québec pays $120 per 1,000 BTU/h of heating measured at -8 °C for an ENERGY STAR cold-climate system. Pick a size, tap a model: the math happens before your eyes.
Indicative rebate
$4,224
Hitachi airCore 700 · 3 t
AHRI 216439113 · heats down to -25 °C
35,200 BTU/h at -8 °C ÷ 1,000 × $120 = $4,224
Max. 100% of pre-tax costApply within 9 months+5% with two measures
What Hydro-Québec checks
A new ENERGY STAR model, cold-climate certified for the $120 rate
Heating capacity at -8 °C, from the certification (AHRI number)
Same math at $50 for an ENERGY STAR model that is not cold-climate certified: Durastar Advanced 3 t, 24,400 BTU/h at -8 °C → $1,220. Indicative amounts; only Hydro-Québec confirms the rebate granted. Simulate LogisVert in detail · All grants
What about the $5,000 federal grant? The Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed. If someone still promises it to you, be careful.
06 · Your bill
Same heat, far fewer kilowatt-hours.
An electric furnace alone or baseboards turn 1 kWh into 1 kWh of heat. A heat pump pulls heat from outside: according to Hydro-Québec, it can be up to three times more efficient than baseboards.
For 1 kWh paid
Furnace only
1 kWh
Heat pump
1 kWh+1+1
“Up to three times” is a maximum: the gain drops when it’s very cold, and the electric furnace then takes over at baseboard efficiency.
7,065 ¢per kWh for the first 40 kWh each day (Rate D, April 1, 2026)
11,142 ¢per kWh above 40 kWh a day: every kWh the heat pump saves you at that tier is worth this much
46,154 ¢daily access charge, whatever the heating
07 · Air exchanger
The heat pump handles the temperature. The air exchanger handles the air itself.
Turn the exchanger off and watch stale air build up in an airtight house. Turn it back on: it goes out, fresh air comes in, and the heat stays.
Illustration
Stale air build-up (illustration)medium
Does your home need one?
Check what you’re living with.
No signs checked yet.
HRV, heat recovery ventilator.
The outgoing stale air warms the incoming fresh air, without the two mixing.
HRV
ERV
Recovers
Heat
Heat and some of the humidity
Useful when
The house is rather humid in winter
The air gets very dry in winter or very humid in summer
Installed by
Our team, RBQ licence 15.8 (ventilation)
Same team, same licence as your heat pump: ventilation, RBQ 15.8.
Six common beliefs about heating. How many can you call?
Answer all 6 cards
“A heat pump stops heating below -15 °C.”
“With a central heat pump, the electric furnace is still useful.”
“LogisVert is calculated on the heating capacity at -8 °C.”
“The $5,000 federal grant is still available.”
“Hydro-Québec may call you to offer LogisVert.”
“An air exchanger is an air conditioner.”
09 · How it works
Electric furnace installation: from your first message to your first warm winter.
1
You write to us
The form at the top of the page, or a call at 514-316-2973.
2
Free visit
We measure the house and look at the ducts, the electrical panel and the outdoor location.
3
Written estimate in 24 h
The model, the size, the installed price and the indicative LogisVert rebate, in black and white.
4
Installation
Our technicians install the heat pump and the furnace; the electrical hook-up is done under our licence 16.
5
Your LogisVert application
You have 9 months after installation. Keep the detailed invoice and the AHRI number.
10 · Frequently asked questions
Electric furnaces: the questions we get most.
The electric furnace (or air handler) is in the basement: it pushes air through the ducts and contains electric elements. The central heat pump is outside: it captures heat from the air. Together, the heat pump heats and cools, and the furnace is the backup in deep cold.
AirGreen · Montréal, Laval, South Shore, North Shore
Your winter starts with a free visit.
We come see the house and show you two or three systems that fit, with the LogisVert rebate for each, in writing within 24 hours. Then you decide, no pressure.
$5M insuranceCivil liability, from start to finish
Written estimate in 24 hAfter the free in-home visit
Showroom1370 rue Joliot-Curie, local 712, Boucherville
Watch out for scams. Hydro-Québec never solicits by phone or door to door for LogisVert. In doubt? LogisVert line: 1-833-396-1888.
Sources checked on September 30, 2026.
Hydro-Québec, LogisVert program, participant guide v1.10 of September 15, 2026: $120 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C (ENERGY STAR cold climate), $50 (ENERGY STAR), max. 100% of pre-tax cost, apply within 9 months.
Hydro-Québec, “Heat pumps”: up to three times more efficient than baseboards; below the model’s minimum temperature, a backup system takes over.
Hydro-Québec, electricity rates in effect April 1, 2026 (Rate D): 7.065¢/kWh up to 40 kWh per day, 11.142¢/kWh above, access charge 46.154¢/day.
Natural Resources Canada, Canada Greener Homes Grant: program closed (checked September 30, 2026).
Régie du bâtiment du Québec, description of subcategories 15.8 and 15.10.
AirGreen product pages (AHRI numbers, capacity at -8 °C, manufacturer’s minimum temperature), read on September 30, 2026.
Amounts shown are estimates; only the responsible agencies confirm the assistance granted.
