In Sept-Îles, January averages -14.5 °C, but it's the length of the season that stands out: 6,122 heating degree-days a year, 43% more than Montreal, and nearly 100 even in July (1991–2020 normals). Baie-Comeau sees -13.4 °C in January and 5,822 degree-days. Your heat pump will be heating almost year-round, so its efficiency matters even more than elsewhere.
Aim for an ENERGY STAR Cold Climate model, which performs better in very cold weather according to Hydro-Québec, and keep your backup heating: below their minimum operating temperature, between -15 °C and -25 °C for newer models, air-source heat pumps shut off. On January 3, 2014, Sept-Îles recorded -39.9 °C.
In Baie-Comeau's Marquette sector, the city distributes electricity to nearly 5,000 customers; they're eligible for LogisVert just like Hydro-Québec customers. The rebate: $120 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C for a Cold Climate unit, $50 for an ENERGY STAR model, with the application due within nine months. On Anticosti Island, the LogisVert guide sets special conditions. The free heat pump for modest-income households is being rolled out on the Côte-Nord, but 2026–2027 registration is closed; Chauffez vert is over and Rénoclimat no longer funds heating. The $2,000 federal rebate announced on October 8, 2026, is still waiting for its portal.
Depending on where you live, your installer may come from far away: shop early, before the fall rush, and ask whether travel and maintenance are included. Insist on an RBQ licence with 15.9 or 15.10, plus 15.1, 15.7 or 15.8, and CMMTQ or CETAF membership. Our contractor check guide, our heat pump guide and the calculator are there to help.