Overview: HVAC Contractors
Heating carries this trade through a Canadian year. These companies install and fix furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, air conditioners, ducts and thermostats. They're also who you phone when the furnace quits on the coldest night in January. A good one sizes new equipment from a heat loss calculation on your house, not from the label on the old unit.
Gas work is licensed, and it's worth a quick check. In Ontario, the company must be a TSSA registered fuels contractor, and the technician needs a gas certificate. In British Columbia, Technical Safety BC licenses gas contractors and certifies gas fitters, and a new gas furnace needs a permit. Anyone handling most refrigerants in Ontario also needs a provincial certificate for that.
Ontario has also shut down a long-running sales trick. A company can't sign you up for a furnace, air conditioner, water heater or duct cleaning at your door unless you invited it there to buy. A contract that came from a cold knock is void.
Our listings show what each company states on its own website about licences, brands and hours. Choose your province, then your city, to find the crews that come out to your street.
What do heating and cooling services cost in Canada?
Start with diagnosis or maintenance when a system can be kept. For replacement, compare equipment, installation and backup-heating scope together.
| Service | Planning budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Repair and routine care | ||
| Heating or cooling diagnosis | C$100–C$200per visit | Regular-hours inspection of one residential system, with fault findings and repair estimate.Ask whether this charge is credited when you approve a repair during the same visit.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Diagnostic labour; Written repair options Budget separately or confirm: Repair parts; After-hours surcharge |
| Gas furnace igniter replacement | C$150–C$450per standard repair | Diagnosis confirms a failed igniter; ordinary part replacement during regular hours.Ask for the complete visit total: some repair prices credit the diagnosis, while others add it.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Compatible standard igniter; Replacement labour Budget separately or confirm: Uncredited callout or diagnostic charge; After-hours work or additional faults |
| Furnace maintenance and tune-up | C$150–C$250per scheduled visit | One residential furnace inspected, tested and cleaned; agreed checklist and report.Routine furnace maintenance does not include replacement parts, duct cleaning or air-conditioner service. Compare the inspection and cleaning checklist.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Inspection and routine cleaning; Operating checks Budget separately or confirm: Replacement parts and repairs; Duct cleaning or air-conditioner service |
| Installed replacement systems | ||
| Gas furnace replacement | C$4,000–C$7,500per installed system | Replace an existing natural-gas furnace with a suitable high-efficiency unit; ordinary access and existing ductwork.Confirm disposal, venting alterations and permit charges in the installed total.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Furnace and standard installation; Commissioning Budget separately or confirm: Duct redesign; Major venting changes |
| Central air conditioner replacement | C$3,000–C$9,000per installed system | Named capacity and efficiency class using compatible existing ductwork.Match capacity, efficiency and warranty before comparing totals. Duct changes, difficult line-set routes and electrical upgrades may add to the quote.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Matched equipment; Installation and commissioning Budget separately or confirm: Duct repairs; Electrical service upgrade |
| Ducted heat pump with an existing furnace | C$7,000–C$13,000per installed system | Compatible ducted heat-pump retrofit retaining the existing furnace as backup; model and capacity specified.These are equipment-and-installation budgets before incentives. Cold-weather output, controls and backup operation must be checked for the selected model.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Heat pump installation; Controls and commissioning Budget separately or confirm: New furnace or major ductwork; Electrical-service upgrades and unconfirmed rebates |
| Single-zone ductless heat pump | C$3,000–C$7,500per installed system | One indoor unit and one outdoor unit; standard accessible line-set route.This is one indoor unit, not a whole-home multi-zone system. Confirm electrical work, line-set length and the model’s heating performance.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Named matched equipment; Installation and commissioning Budget separately or confirm: Multiple indoor units or difficult line-set routes; New electrical circuits and service upgrades |
What changes the price
- Heating load, low-temperature output and the agreed backup-heating strategy.
- Duct condition, line-set route, drainage, electrical capacity and outdoor-unit location.
- Equipment model, labour warranty, maintenance terms and permit scope.
Ask before accepting a quote
- For a repair, what is the full visit total after any diagnostic credit, and what repair warranty applies?
- For replacement, which exact models and capacity calculation support the quote, including low-temperature output and backup heat?
- Which electrical, duct, venting or permit work is extra, and is the total shown before incentives?
Compare systems before incentives
- Ask for the installed total before any rebate, with optional upgrades priced separately.
- Compare backup heat and maintenance costs using your actual fuel and electricity tariffs.
Canadian context
In cold-climate heat-pump quotes, specify local winter design conditions and backup heating rather than assuming one configuration fits Canada.
Planning amounts in Canadian dollars. Published tax treatment varies; confirm applicable taxes and the final total in your written quote. Rows can be different services, alternative packages or separately priced extras. Add only work that is needed and not already included in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can a salesperson sign me up for a furnace at my door?
Not in Ontario, unless you asked them to come. A contract for a furnace, air conditioner, water heater or duct cleaning that grew out of an unsolicited visit is void, and you can keep the equipment with no obligation to pay. If you did invite them, you still have ten days to cancel after you receive your copy of the contract.
How should a company size a new system?
From a heat loss calculation on your own house, room by room. The system has to keep you warm on your region's coldest days, and that's a very different target in Victoria than in Winnipeg. With a heat pump, ask how much of the winter it carries alone, and which backup takes over, and at what outdoor temperature. The answer shapes your bills more than the brand.
Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm with a gas furnace?
Yes in Ontario, and the Fire Code is specific about it. A house with a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage needs a carbon monoxide alarm next to each sleeping area. Newer rules add one on every storey. The province also advises a yearly professional check of furnaces, vents and chimneys before the cold arrives. Ask the technician to test your alarms while they're there.
What separates a solid install from a cheap one?
Airflow and paperwork. A new furnace on leaky ducts still leaves the far bedroom cold. Look for measured static pressure, sealed joints and a start-up sheet with the readings on it. In British Columbia, the contractor takes out the gas permit and files a completion notice, so ask for that permit number. In Ontario, ask for the TSSA registration and the technician's certificate.
Should I rent a furnace or water heater instead of buying?
Read the rental contract closely first, including what a buyout costs. Ontario's Homeowner Protection Act banned notices of security interest on consumer goods like furnaces and water heaters. Those notices used to sit on land titles and trip up homeowners trying to sell or refinance. The ban doesn't cancel an existing rental contract, so you still owe what you signed for.
