How we ranked these: every BC city gets the same CleanBC, BC Hydro, and FortisBC base rebates ($5,000–$16,000 typical stack, up to $25,000–$30,000 for a lower-income deep retrofit). The ranking below is based purely on what each city adds beyond that baseline — a direct cash top-up or a real financing program — not on the base rebates themselves, which are identical everywhere.
Vancouver
$27,000–$32,000 deep-retrofit stack — City adds up to $2,000 on the heat pump rebate, on top of BC's largest population and installer network.
Richmond
$27,000–$32,000 deep-retrofit stack — same $2,000 city top-up as Vancouver.
Coquitlam
$27,000–$32,000 deep-retrofit stack — same $2,000 city top-up.
Maple Ridge
$27,000–$32,000 deep-retrofit stack — same $2,000 city top-up.
Langley
$27,000–$32,000 deep-retrofit stack — same $2,000 city top-up.
Nanaimo
up to $15,000 interest-free financing, repaid on your property tax bill — no city cash top-up, but removes the upfront-cost barrier entirely for a mid-size retrofit.
Penticton
Own Home Energy Loan Program financing the balance at low cost on your utility bill, plus BC's fastest solar payback thanks to high annual sun hours.
Victoria
$25,000–$30,000 deep-retrofit stack — a free local navigator service helps residents claim the full stack.
Kelowna
$25,000–$30,000 deep-retrofit stack — strong sun hours make solar payback faster than most of the province.
Surrey
$25,000–$30,000 deep-retrofit stack, standard provincial and utility programs.
Burnaby
$25,000–$30,000 deep-retrofit stack, plus a separate path for condo/apartment owners.
Abbotsford
$25,000–$30,000 deep-retrofit stack, standard provincial and utility programs.
What about the other 6 BC cities we cover?
Chilliwack, Kamloops, Squamish, Vernon, Fort St. John, and Prince George all sit in the same Tier 3 range as the bottom five above — the standard $25,000–$30,000 stack with no city-specific top-up. Fort St. John and Prince George get an edge from northern fuel-switching incentives that push the heat pump portion higher than in southern BC. See every city's numbers →
The honest takeaway
Don't pick where to do your retrofit based on this list — the difference between tiers is at most a few thousand dollars, and the base rebates ($5,000–$16,000 for most households) are identical no matter which BC city you're in. What this ranking is actually useful for: if you're already in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 city, make sure you're claiming the local top-up or financing program on top of the provincial rebates — it's easy to miss since it's not part of the CleanBC application itself.
Get your exact city numbers
We'll show your provincial rebates plus any local top-up your city offers.
Estimate my rebates →Figures pulled directly from our own city-by-city rebate pages, sourced from BetterHomes BC, BC Hydro, FortisBC, and each municipality's published programs. Confirm current amounts on your city's page before applying.
Full BC rebate overview → · Free heat pump for lower-income households →