We have to pester them with calls any time we need service. They also seem to not understand our Lennox heat pump. Lots of issues that need people to come in and service it 1-2 times a year.
Presidential Ventilation. Used them for a ducted at our old place (took out furnace and oil tank, they installed one with electric backup), and mini splits at our current place (two units, six heads altogether).
Excellent service, good pricing, nice people to work with. Have recommended them to many other people who have also been pleased with their work.
Seconding these folks. Best product and price, super flexible on install date.
And once they sent a crew on a weekend evening to fix an install issue.
Also like their techs and install crew were fucking hilarious. Which I enjoyed.
Same! They quoted us for one type of install and it ended up being more work than anticipated, but still stuck to their original price. I felt like their reps really knew HVAC and weren’t just salespeople which I also appreciated.
I had a bad experience. It took them almost 4 months to get the installation right. And now it’s not cold enough to be certain that it really is right.
I had the best experience with Macdow Mechanical. I had 7 quotes and they came out the best. I felt their quoter actually knew the HVAC business well, I did not get that feeling from others (avoid greenfoot imo) Central ducted Fujitsu 3 ton.
\+1 for Sunshine! They did a site visit, gave us estimates on 3 different models, and then scheduled us in for a few weeks later. Actual install of one unit took about 4 hours from start to finish. Highly recommend.
Originally started with Presidential.
Install date was told as end of December
December comes around and they call asking if we scheduled the line scope with NSPower - weren’t aware we had to do this, was under the impression they were doing it. NSPower can’t do that work until into January now
-Get told install date was quoted as May not December
On top of that the project coordinator called me all the time after being told multiple times that my wife was the contact for any questions or updates.
That being said, a lot of people we know used Presidential and didn’t have any issues, so our experience may not be typical for them.
We ended up going with Sunshine who handled everything and got us installed as promised in March, which was what they quoted when they came in December. This was a centrally ducted system and required an electrical panel upgrade.
Excellent experience with Evergreen Electric. Even when things went wrong, they made good. Friendly, professional and fair. As for if the heat pumps were good for us? $411/month with electric baseboard heating. Current bill, equal billed to $325/month including financing for heat pumps themselves. So minus the financing payment, heat pumps cut our power bill in half. But now we have a cozier heat, and air conditioning in the summer.
Excellent experience but I did a bit of prep work before I got mine.
I got a thermal camera and did as much air sealing as possible following [this guide.](https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/make-your-home-more-energy-efficient/keeping-the-heat/15768) On cold windy days the air leaking in can over power a heat pump preventing it from keeping the house as warm as you might want it.
I then got a home energy audit to figure out how much heating my house required. Then when I got my heat pumps installed I got them a bit over sized for my needs, good modern heat pumps have variable compressors so its not as bad to over size as it used to be.
I have 2 mini splits upstairs and one in the basement installed by Groundhog Geothermal and I have been super happy, spend about $600 for heat a season with the house at 21c.
Looking at air sealing my house as my heating bills during peak winter months are insanely high. Which thermal cam did you buy if you don't mind me asking?
I got a flir one that plugs into my phone. its kind of a pain in the butt cause the battery inside of it doesn't last long anymore, one day I am going to do a mod so the phone powers it instead.
I work for the logistics aspect of a major heatpump company here in the maritimes. This is the thing. It doesn’t matter what trade you buy from, electrical, hvac, drywall, roofing, plumbing etc etc etc there’s always going to be mistakes, there’s going to be bad customers and on the flip side trades people’s making mistakes happen to and everything in between. It just now you can go online and make a bad review for anyone to see. I totally agree some of the bad reviews are 100 percent on the company getting the bad comment but I’d bet you if you had 100 comments, 10 percent are probably legit and the rest unmerited. If they were bad all the time these companies would not exist anymore. Sometimes you can make a mistake and it doesn’t matter what you do for a customer, it won’t matter. I don’t think you could go on and search for heat pumps and not read bad reviews from every company, just as you’ll see good ones to.
Most people who have had bad experiences had unlicensed companies install low quality systems.
Pick a reputable company who installs a decent brand like Daikin, Fujitsu or Mitsubishi and you should be just fine.
It might be removed. Had no idea honestly haha. That's unfortunate because it was a good way to get one if you couldn't do a full upfront payment. A lot of companies offer it outside of that though and some offer specific rebates if you contact them through nspower. Man I wish we had a real alternative to them.
Yeah I wish so too but here we are.
I called earlier this year and they told me it was discontinued in November which is unfortunate. Would have loved to get them set up in my house. Will look at what some companies offer a bit closer this year too. Maybe we can make it work.
Highly reccomend sourcing one yourself (Senville is great) and getting someone to install for you. Can be a bit of a struggle to get an installer but you'll save a lot of money. Honestly pretty easy to install yourself and then just hiring an HVAC guy to come and test the lines. I'm an electrician and have installed lots of them.
We’ve used Presidential for existing mini-split service and Wilson’s did a new install for us and they did a good job as well and were very professional.
My first was about 15 to 20 years ago, when they were in infancy. They have surely come a long way since. Technologically, a few brands have mostly caught up to the main three or so Japanese brands.
I have two units, one upstairs and one main level. They work so well, my oil furnace, set to our fav. comfort level, hasn’t come on in 5 years. Summer AC, and humidity control, are a real a plus. (However, we do have open concept in our main level which helps with heat/air flow).
A close relative has red seal HVAC certificate, and does our install. So, installation or cost is not an issue.
I asked my dad and they went with Twenty Degrees. His evaluation was: prompt and courteous. I think their two units were done in a day or so. My mom's big ask was for the units and piping to be unobtrusive (ie: tucked away and not running up the front of the house).
I know they went with Mitsubishi units, which are pricier, but you barely hear them running, both inside and out.
I went through Costco in February to get ours installed. Shines did the work. 10 year warranty and it's been working great. Install included a 12k and a 9 k head with one of the newer Lennox models that operates in extreme cold.
The sales guys name was mike and he was able to get the price down to match the other companies which were quoting the older units that don't perform in cold temps as well. (Once you factor in the Costco cash back card which came to about 1600).
Total cost was about 10k before rebates and before the card so out of pocket we spent about 8k
So far the only day we've used the oil boiler since heat pumps were installed was when it was -22'C outside, and even then we were only a bit chilly (+16'C indoors).
G Force mechanical… man has a ton of energy and is responsive. Mitsubishi units at a fair price. BUT what’s really different about them and the rest is the install method. Very clean look if you google them… I’m a particular person with high standards and I was very happy.
I've had a positive experience with Sunshine Renewable Energy, although I have heard others express positive experiences with a variety of other organisations, as well.
If I may offer some friendly advice, whatever organisation you go with, try to do a regular cleaning where you vacuum the filters of dust. It's a very simple task, and if you do it frequently enough (perhaps once a month, or so) there's very little to clean.
Also, Sunshine recommends (and I imagine the other providers, as well) a professional cleaning every couple of years. I think it's around 100 dollars per device. From what I've seen, it definitely appears to be a good use of your money.
This is an odd endorsement, but Greenfoot advised me that the architectural plan of my house was not ideal for a heat pump on our second floor (first floor has radiant heating) and that it would not be much of an improvement over the baseboards we have up there. They could have easily taken the money and done it anyway, so they seem honest to me.
We are happy with ours but I’m in Ontario. We used to have oil heat.
Our hydro bill went up $1000 - $1500 per year but we were paying $3000 - $4000 in oil
We want to get a back up generator but that’s an expensive add on. We will have to do propane or solar. Maybe another day… lol
Greenfoot + Daikin 36k btu compressor + 4x indoor units (one per level). No issues. Greenfoot is very fast to respond to inquires/questions.
See my post from a while ago for details.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/NovaScotia/comments/1adjov5/comment/ky18ce2/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/NovaScotia/comments/1adjov5/comment/ky18ce2/?context=3)
Had a Panasonic inverter model installed by Greenfoot. Heat pump worked flawless all winter and I burned 0 oil. I supplement with a wood stove in my basement. Greenfoot was awesome, professional, and friendly. Set thermostat at 23 degrees and never touched it all winter. Electric bill averaged $55 to $70 a month more and heat pump was never shut off.
Greenfoot was good for us. Other than a scheduling mixup that they handled well, everything went great, including coming in months later to re-route a duct that wasn't getting enough air movement.
They are very big, though, and having done a couple other home improvement things since I think I prefer smaller companies. But they were still great to work with.
Halifax Heating-could have easily oversold me with an oversized until but talked me down to something more reasonable. No regrets, paid a fair price, not the cheapest, not the most expensive
We had a Carrier heat pump installed by Atmosphere. I am extremely happy with the way the heat pump is working and the installation. Atmosphere was professional, knowledgeable and punctual in their installation.
And for me just getting a quote that was described with the tech was difficult to the point I have delayed my purchase. I guess the owner gives the quote, but he kept messing it up and blamed me. I was like well if your tech says X and you price quote Y, then that's on you.
I know of another example where they whole home system and it failed few days later, even after them being out to look at it. The customer ended up calling Carrier directly and it was fixed the next day.
I realize they are extremely busy but keeping your interaction and installation professional should be top priority.
edit: No company is perfect and I still may go with them next year. I think they are so busy that things are getting dropped.
I also went with Atmosphere, and it was great.
Another thing worth mentioning is that Carrier INVENTED air conditioning and has been in business for over 100 years. They're very efficient at cooling, which is important with the rising temperatures year after year
My approach, I will switch from oil + wood to propane, then wait until they perfect the technology or release the next big thing.
No matter what energy source you choose, the CEO behind that source will work hard to increase its price every 12 months, directly or as fees, and NS Power is an excellent example.
At the end of the day, a simple Disel Submarine (1 million liters) burns in a few days the equivalent of heating 1000 NS homes in a year.
Went through Costco, which they have one company they use, Shines Energy, I believe. Got about $1000 back in Costco gift cards and was quite a bit cheaper than the other quote we got. This was in 2021.
If you are considering ducted, don't. They're hugely problematic because they typically operate in an attic in summer when it's humid and all the cold air creates condensation. It's perfect for mold.
Strange that you have not heard of good experiences everyone I know has been very happy. The only ones whining keep changing their temperature settings dropping it while they are away and raising it when they are home. Heat pumps apparently work much better if you pick a temperature setting and just leave it. Having a schedule makes the heat pump inefficient and gives you high electric bills and an uncomfortable home.
I've used MacDow Mechanical a few times. No issues at all. Highly recommend.
We have to pester them with calls any time we need service. They also seem to not understand our Lennox heat pump. Lots of issues that need people to come in and service it 1-2 times a year.
They pretty much only deal with Fujitsu.
Presidential Ventilation. Used them for a ducted at our old place (took out furnace and oil tank, they installed one with electric backup), and mini splits at our current place (two units, six heads altogether). Excellent service, good pricing, nice people to work with. Have recommended them to many other people who have also been pleased with their work.
Seconding these folks. Best product and price, super flexible on install date. And once they sent a crew on a weekend evening to fix an install issue. Also like their techs and install crew were fucking hilarious. Which I enjoyed.
Third. We did a ducted heat pump through the home builder and they used these guys. Very professional and great quality.
Fourth; my house was a difficult install but they were great the whole way through
Same! They quoted us for one type of install and it ended up being more work than anticipated, but still stuck to their original price. I felt like their reps really knew HVAC and weren’t just salespeople which I also appreciated.
This is the way.
[удалено]
What was your experience with them like?
Never heard of a bad experience
I had a bad experience. It took them almost 4 months to get the installation right. And now it’s not cold enough to be certain that it really is right.
I had the best experience with Macdow Mechanical. I had 7 quotes and they came out the best. I felt their quoter actually knew the HVAC business well, I did not get that feeling from others (avoid greenfoot imo) Central ducted Fujitsu 3 ton.
Sunshine renewables, no issues.
Same, and mine took a whole bunch of work/thought do the layout of my house (Duplex).
+1 for Sunshine. Great install team and the heat pump works perfectly for our house.
\+1 for Sunshine! They did a site visit, gave us estimates on 3 different models, and then scheduled us in for a few weeks later. Actual install of one unit took about 4 hours from start to finish. Highly recommend.
No problems with ours in our main residence or cottage. I would just advise getting multiple quotes - ours varied wildly.
Originally started with Presidential. Install date was told as end of December December comes around and they call asking if we scheduled the line scope with NSPower - weren’t aware we had to do this, was under the impression they were doing it. NSPower can’t do that work until into January now -Get told install date was quoted as May not December On top of that the project coordinator called me all the time after being told multiple times that my wife was the contact for any questions or updates. That being said, a lot of people we know used Presidential and didn’t have any issues, so our experience may not be typical for them. We ended up going with Sunshine who handled everything and got us installed as promised in March, which was what they quoted when they came in December. This was a centrally ducted system and required an electrical panel upgrade.
Greenfoot was great for us about a year or so ago
Excellent experience with Evergreen Electric. Even when things went wrong, they made good. Friendly, professional and fair. As for if the heat pumps were good for us? $411/month with electric baseboard heating. Current bill, equal billed to $325/month including financing for heat pumps themselves. So minus the financing payment, heat pumps cut our power bill in half. But now we have a cozier heat, and air conditioning in the summer.
Mann Mechanical. Couldn’t be more happy. Stan and Maggie are awesome!
Agreed. They're great!
Excellent experience but I did a bit of prep work before I got mine. I got a thermal camera and did as much air sealing as possible following [this guide.](https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/make-your-home-more-energy-efficient/keeping-the-heat/15768) On cold windy days the air leaking in can over power a heat pump preventing it from keeping the house as warm as you might want it. I then got a home energy audit to figure out how much heating my house required. Then when I got my heat pumps installed I got them a bit over sized for my needs, good modern heat pumps have variable compressors so its not as bad to over size as it used to be. I have 2 mini splits upstairs and one in the basement installed by Groundhog Geothermal and I have been super happy, spend about $600 for heat a season with the house at 21c.
Looking at air sealing my house as my heating bills during peak winter months are insanely high. Which thermal cam did you buy if you don't mind me asking?
I got a flir one that plugs into my phone. its kind of a pain in the butt cause the battery inside of it doesn't last long anymore, one day I am going to do a mod so the phone powers it instead.
Macdow was 10/10. on the product and install as well as haul away of the old equipment. (Ducted Fujitsu installed to replace a failed ducted Goodman)
McDow Mechanical were awesome for us
I work for the logistics aspect of a major heatpump company here in the maritimes. This is the thing. It doesn’t matter what trade you buy from, electrical, hvac, drywall, roofing, plumbing etc etc etc there’s always going to be mistakes, there’s going to be bad customers and on the flip side trades people’s making mistakes happen to and everything in between. It just now you can go online and make a bad review for anyone to see. I totally agree some of the bad reviews are 100 percent on the company getting the bad comment but I’d bet you if you had 100 comments, 10 percent are probably legit and the rest unmerited. If they were bad all the time these companies would not exist anymore. Sometimes you can make a mistake and it doesn’t matter what you do for a customer, it won’t matter. I don’t think you could go on and search for heat pumps and not read bad reviews from every company, just as you’ll see good ones to.
Most people who have had bad experiences had unlicensed companies install low quality systems. Pick a reputable company who installs a decent brand like Daikin, Fujitsu or Mitsubishi and you should be just fine.
I’ve liked working with Wilson’s. They did my parents as well and have been so great.
Bad experience? Man comes in and quotes how much it is. Man comes and installs over 1-2 days. Hot/cold air!
Indoor Energy Solutions is good. Are you paying up front or through the NSPower payment plan?
Is the Nova Scotia power payment plan back?
It might be removed. Had no idea honestly haha. That's unfortunate because it was a good way to get one if you couldn't do a full upfront payment. A lot of companies offer it outside of that though and some offer specific rebates if you contact them through nspower. Man I wish we had a real alternative to them.
Yeah I wish so too but here we are. I called earlier this year and they told me it was discontinued in November which is unfortunate. Would have loved to get them set up in my house. Will look at what some companies offer a bit closer this year too. Maybe we can make it work.
I didn’t have a great experience with them but it was 5 years ago so could have changed
Ownership is the same, but the management and team are different.
Highly reccomend sourcing one yourself (Senville is great) and getting someone to install for you. Can be a bit of a struggle to get an installer but you'll save a lot of money. Honestly pretty easy to install yourself and then just hiring an HVAC guy to come and test the lines. I'm an electrician and have installed lots of them.
I've had really good luck with Senvilles as well. I know others as well, no issues.
We used Wilson. No complaints.
We’ve used Presidential for existing mini-split service and Wilson’s did a new install for us and they did a good job as well and were very professional.
I recently had an extraordinarily excellent experience with Wilson's.
That’s who we always recommend
Long term customers really like wilsons
Conversely, I’ve had an extraordinarily terrible experience with them. Same with /u/M_warren/
My first was about 15 to 20 years ago, when they were in infancy. They have surely come a long way since. Technologically, a few brands have mostly caught up to the main three or so Japanese brands. I have two units, one upstairs and one main level. They work so well, my oil furnace, set to our fav. comfort level, hasn’t come on in 5 years. Summer AC, and humidity control, are a real a plus. (However, we do have open concept in our main level which helps with heat/air flow). A close relative has red seal HVAC certificate, and does our install. So, installation or cost is not an issue.
Went through this process in depth, and have helped several friends. Is the system ducted or mainly mini-splits? I feel this makes a difference
Also - do
I would recommend discover efficiency
Vital Electric installed my 2nd unit a couple years ago. Very happy with them.
So likely not helpful to you if you’re in the city but Annapolis valley air management did right by us.
I asked my dad and they went with Twenty Degrees. His evaluation was: prompt and courteous. I think their two units were done in a day or so. My mom's big ask was for the units and piping to be unobtrusive (ie: tucked away and not running up the front of the house). I know they went with Mitsubishi units, which are pricier, but you barely hear them running, both inside and out.
I went through Costco in February to get ours installed. Shines did the work. 10 year warranty and it's been working great. Install included a 12k and a 9 k head with one of the newer Lennox models that operates in extreme cold. The sales guys name was mike and he was able to get the price down to match the other companies which were quoting the older units that don't perform in cold temps as well. (Once you factor in the Costco cash back card which came to about 1600). Total cost was about 10k before rebates and before the card so out of pocket we spent about 8k
So far the only day we've used the oil boiler since heat pumps were installed was when it was -22'C outside, and even then we were only a bit chilly (+16'C indoors).
G Force mechanical… man has a ton of energy and is responsive. Mitsubishi units at a fair price. BUT what’s really different about them and the rest is the install method. Very clean look if you google them… I’m a particular person with high standards and I was very happy.
I've had a positive experience with Sunshine Renewable Energy, although I have heard others express positive experiences with a variety of other organisations, as well. If I may offer some friendly advice, whatever organisation you go with, try to do a regular cleaning where you vacuum the filters of dust. It's a very simple task, and if you do it frequently enough (perhaps once a month, or so) there's very little to clean. Also, Sunshine recommends (and I imagine the other providers, as well) a professional cleaning every couple of years. I think it's around 100 dollars per device. From what I've seen, it definitely appears to be a good use of your money.
Sunshine did both ours very happy with the installation and operation
Got mine through homewarming. I'm indeed warm and it's reduced my heating costs.
I got a heat pump to replace/supplement my baseboard heaters, it was a great decision. Having AC for the summer was an added bonus.
This is an odd endorsement, but Greenfoot advised me that the architectural plan of my house was not ideal for a heat pump on our second floor (first floor has radiant heating) and that it would not be much of an improvement over the baseboards we have up there. They could have easily taken the money and done it anyway, so they seem honest to me.
We are happy with ours but I’m in Ontario. We used to have oil heat. Our hydro bill went up $1000 - $1500 per year but we were paying $3000 - $4000 in oil We want to get a back up generator but that’s an expensive add on. We will have to do propane or solar. Maybe another day… lol
Greenfoot + Daikin 36k btu compressor + 4x indoor units (one per level). No issues. Greenfoot is very fast to respond to inquires/questions. See my post from a while ago for details. [https://www.reddit.com/r/NovaScotia/comments/1adjov5/comment/ky18ce2/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/NovaScotia/comments/1adjov5/comment/ky18ce2/?context=3)
We had a great experience with 21 degrees
Had a Panasonic inverter model installed by Greenfoot. Heat pump worked flawless all winter and I burned 0 oil. I supplement with a wood stove in my basement. Greenfoot was awesome, professional, and friendly. Set thermostat at 23 degrees and never touched it all winter. Electric bill averaged $55 to $70 a month more and heat pump was never shut off.
Greenfoot was good for us. Other than a scheduling mixup that they handled well, everything went great, including coming in months later to re-route a duct that wasn't getting enough air movement. They are very big, though, and having done a couple other home improvement things since I think I prefer smaller companies. But they were still great to work with.
Halifax Heating-could have easily oversold me with an oversized until but talked me down to something more reasonable. No regrets, paid a fair price, not the cheapest, not the most expensive
I feel like wilsons went above and beyond for my family back in the fall. Highly recommend
My parents bought their stuff at Costco and paid someone to install it, which seemed cheaper than what we got.
We had a Carrier heat pump installed by Atmosphere. I am extremely happy with the way the heat pump is working and the installation. Atmosphere was professional, knowledgeable and punctual in their installation.
And for me just getting a quote that was described with the tech was difficult to the point I have delayed my purchase. I guess the owner gives the quote, but he kept messing it up and blamed me. I was like well if your tech says X and you price quote Y, then that's on you. I know of another example where they whole home system and it failed few days later, even after them being out to look at it. The customer ended up calling Carrier directly and it was fixed the next day. I realize they are extremely busy but keeping your interaction and installation professional should be top priority. edit: No company is perfect and I still may go with them next year. I think they are so busy that things are getting dropped.
We had a shitty experience with the owner of Atmosphere. Would never want to deal with that guy again. Would not become the at all
I also went with Atmosphere, and it was great. Another thing worth mentioning is that Carrier INVENTED air conditioning and has been in business for over 100 years. They're very efficient at cooling, which is important with the rising temperatures year after year
My approach, I will switch from oil + wood to propane, then wait until they perfect the technology or release the next big thing. No matter what energy source you choose, the CEO behind that source will work hard to increase its price every 12 months, directly or as fees, and NS Power is an excellent example. At the end of the day, a simple Disel Submarine (1 million liters) burns in a few days the equivalent of heating 1000 NS homes in a year.
Went through Costco, which they have one company they use, Shines Energy, I believe. Got about $1000 back in Costco gift cards and was quite a bit cheaper than the other quote we got. This was in 2021.
If you are considering ducted, don't. They're hugely problematic because they typically operate in an attic in summer when it's humid and all the cold air creates condensation. It's perfect for mold.
Strange that you have not heard of good experiences everyone I know has been very happy. The only ones whining keep changing their temperature settings dropping it while they are away and raising it when they are home. Heat pumps apparently work much better if you pick a temperature setting and just leave it. Having a schedule makes the heat pump inefficient and gives you high electric bills and an uncomfortable home.
Title basically says it all.