How to lower your heating bill in the GTA: 2026–27 winter cost guide

The wind has a bitter chill, and you can see your breath on the breeze – Canada’s heating season is well upon us.

Whether you’re firing up your furnace or amping up the load to your electrical panel, you can expect your home’s heating system to put in overtime for the next several months… and that can mean a higher energy bill.

If you’re looking to pare down what you spend to stay warm and toasty this winter, you’re certainly not alone.

Read on to learn more about what impacts your heating bill, the common types of heating systems used in the GTA, and how to improve your home’s energy efficiency on any budget.

What is a typical heating bill in the GTA?

What you’ll pay for heating largely depends on the type and size of your home, as well as the heating system (typically natural gas or electricity) that you have. For example, a smaller townhouse may be heated for less than $500 over the colder months, while a larger detached house may cost between $600 - $1,400. Older homes that haven’t had any energy-efficient upgrades may have an even higher bill, upwards of $1,800.

You can calculate your own heating bill estimate based on your specific home, using the Ontario Energy Board’s calculator.

Cost of heating systems commonly used in Ontario

What leads to a higher heating bill?

What you can control:

• Having outdated windows: Often found in older homes, single-pane glass lets more heat escape than double-glazed, driving up heating costs by 15 - 30 %, according to Natural Resources Canada.
  

• Thermostat use: Constantly cranking your thermostat will hike up your bill in kind. In fact, a commonly cited guideline by the International Energy Agency says lowering your thermostat by just 1°C can cut heating costs by around 2% annually.

What you can’t:

• Your home’s size: Larger homes require more energy to generate and distribute heat evenly throughout every floor. Uneven heating can lead to increased thermostat use to warm up a chilly basement, while the upper floors become uncomfortably hot.

• Your home’s age: Older homes may have outdated or failing window or door sealings, which let cold air in. Insulation may also be deteriorating or thin, making the overall structure less efficient when retaining heat.

• Where you live: If your home is in a rural location, it may be in a higher-priced rate delivery area and served by regional infrastructure, which can cost more than in dense urban centres.
  

• Fluctuating natural gas prices: Gas prices can shift depending on market and geopolitical conditions, and will rise when there’s supply-and-demand imbalances. Utilities, such as Enbridge Gas, will also adjust the price of gas in the winter as they pass on the increased cost of purchasing and storing it. As the majority of Ontario residents use a natural gas heating system, shifting commodity prices can have a big financial impact on consumers.

Lowering your home’s heating bill: What you can do for free

While you can significantly reduce your home’s heating bill by investing in a few energy-efficient upgrades, making a few lifestyle changes can also effectively lower costs. Here are a few easy shifts to implement.

Time your usage: Being mindful of when you use your thermostat most can help save money. Natural Resources Canada recommends a setting of 20°C during the day, and 17°C at night or when you’re away, with savings of up to 8% on natural gas home heating and cooling costs.

If you have electric heating, you can also take advantage of Time-of-Use rates (TOU) and Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) plans. These allow you to concentrate your heating and appliance use during times when power costs less. In Ontario, winter TOU hours run from 7:00 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends and on statutory holidays. ULO hours run overnight between 11:00 p.m to 7:00 a.m.; running your electric furnace, baseboards or space heaters to build up heat during these off-peak hours can greatly trim your bill.

Regularly replace your furnace filters: Most filters need to be switched out monthly to ensure debris and dust aren’t trapping and degrading airflow. A clogged filter also forces your furnace to work harder to properly push heat around your home, shortening its overall lifespan while also driving up your bill.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to change your furnace filter.

Close off unused rooms: Also called zone heating, keep the doors shut on any living spaces not in regular use.

Harness the power of sunlight: South-facing windows get the strongest sunlight, so keep your curtains open on bright days to bring in natural solar heat, and close them at night to keep the warmth inside.

Keep vents and baseboards clear: Physically blocking the flow of warm air is one of the fastest ways to waste energy. Keep your baseboards and air vents clear of dust, and ensure they’re not trapped under furniture or rugs.

Put on a sweater: Sometimes the old adage rings true: layering up can allow you to keep your home’s base temperature 1 - 2 degrees lower.

Low-cost heating fixes you can do on a weekend

Seal with new weatherstripping and caulking: Do a quick inspection around your home to find any gaps around moveable parts, such as windows and doors, vents, and other openings meant to block air, dust, and bugs. Depending on the gap, you can either plug it with caulking or apply new weatherstripping. 

Caulking is a paste-like sealant that is applied either from a squeeze tube with a nozzle, or caulking gun. It’s great for sealing stationary gaps smaller than a quarter-inch wide in areas where joints meet, like around window frames, trims, and baseboards.

Weatherstripping comes in the form of strips or tape made from materials like silicone, foam, or felt. Unlike caulking, which should be used in areas that don’t move, weatherstripping can be applied to moving components such as door edges and window sashes.

Apply window film: If you have single-pane windows that won’t be upgraded this year, or decorative windows such as stained glass, applying a window film can help improve their energy efficiency by trapping heat indoors by creating and insulating air pocket.

Book a furnace tune-up: Bringing in a licensed HVAC Pro to inspect your furnace costs between $150 - $300, but heading off any potential issues with your furnace can help you save big on heating bills later on – not to mention peace of mind. A Pro will ensure your unit is clear of dust and debris, change the filter, test all moving and motorized parts and check for any cracks which can present a carbon monoxide risk, especially in older units.

Learn more about what’s included in a furnace tune-up.

Patch outlets and ductwork: Applying foam gaskets behind electrical outlets and light switch plates on exterior walls helps prevent cold air from leaking in. In your basement, use foil tape to cover any leaks in your HVAC ductwork.  

Wrap up your water heater: Put a heat insulation blanket on your water heater tank and wrap your hot water pipes to help them retain heat better. This helps your water heat faster when turning on the faucet.

Bigger home investments to lower your heating bills

Update your attic insulation: This costs roughly $1,000 to $6,000, but can be well-worth it. Not only will a properly-insulated attic help lower both heating and cooling bills by 15% on average, according to ENERGY STAR, but it can also help prevent costly ice damming issues, which occur when expanding ice from roof meltwater forces its way into a roof, potentially leading to ceiling leaks.

Get a smart thermostat: These are a great way to help lower your heating costs by taking the guesswork out of programming your furnace. A smart thermostat automatically adjusts heating and cooling at set times and lowers use when no one is home, cutting back on energy waste. According to ENERGY STAR, smart thermostats can help save on heating costs between 8 - 12%, and cooling costs by 15%.

Get a heat pump: Heat pumps are combined heating and cooling systems that use refrigerant and air transfer technology to generate hot and cold air. 

Because they both heat and cool the home, heat pumps can remove the need for a separate air conditioner.  However, because they are most effective at heating in moderate temperatures, GTA homes may benefit most from a hybrid set-up with a gas furnace backup to handle bouts of extreme cold. 

In general, heat pumps can greatly improve energy efficiency and reduce your heating bills by an average of $1,400 annually. 

“The benefit of a heat pump over a furnace is when you’re in the in-between seasons, say -5 to 10°C above zero – the heat pump is more efficient,” says Adrian DeMarco, CEO of DeMarco Mechanical Services. “You’re going to get much more efficiency out of a heat pump than you would a furnace at that temperature range.”

The federal government has also recently rolled out a new heat pump rebate program that covers between $2,000 to $10,000 of the installation of an approved heat pump, depending on your household income.

Double pane your windows: Buying and installing double-paned windows can range between $400 - $1,500 per window, depending on its size, as well as the frame materials. However, they can pay for themselves with time, saving between $125 - $500 per year on both heating and cooling bills, and cutting heat loss in half, compared to single-pane windows.

Need a Pro to help get your home into cold-weather shape? Whether you need an HVAC technician, window installer or gutter cleaner, you can find trusted Pros who are already used, and referred by, your neighbours.