Starting a heat-pump line in Quebec

The Quebec market for a new heat-pump line

In 2023, about 70% of Quebec households relied mainly on electricity for heat, with natural gas at about 5% and wood at about 4%, according to Statistics Canada. For a launch, that changes the first customer. Instead of persuading gas homes to switch, you are usually offering electrically heated homes a more efficient way to heat and cool, or replacing older units.

Montréal, Laval, Longueuil, Québec City and Gatineau are large, competitive markets. Sherbrooke, Lévis and Saguenay are smaller but still substantial. Gatineau has its own dynamics because it sits across the river from Ottawa, and some companies serve both sides. That means dealing with Quebec and Ontario rules at once.

Climate and seasonality

Heating season in Quebec is long and snowy, and it gets longer the further you go from the St. Lawrence lowlands. Winter performance is a question every buyer will ask, and your technical team sets the answer for each home, including any backup heat. For timing, a launch that installs its first systems in late spring and summer gets a full winter of results before its second season.

Licensing, certification and language

Quebec's rules are the most distinctive in Canada for a new heat-pump company.

• Contractor licensing: the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) licenses contractors. Anyone carrying out construction work for others, or having it carried out, generally needs an RBQ licence with the right subclasses. Hiring an unlicensed subcontractor exposes the general contractor to prosecution.
• Worker certification: construction-industry workers need competency certification from the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ).
• Workplace safety: the CNESST.
• Consumer protection: the Office de la protection du consommateur.

On language, the Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, requires French to be clearly predominant in commercial advertising and public signage, and websites and social media for Quebec customers must be available in French. And from June 1, 2025, a non-French brand or business name that can be seen from outside your premises needs French wording alongside it. The OQLF is the reference body. For a launch, this means budgeting for French pages, ads, quotes and truck lettering from the start, written by a fluent writer, not run through a translator at the end.

Programs relevant to a launch (as of October 2026)

• LogisVert: Hydro-Québec sizes its grant to the unit: $50 for each 1,000 BTU/h an ENERGY STAR heat pump delivers at -8°C, or $120 per 1,000 for a cold-climate model, to a maximum of $6,700. Geothermal and several other measures are covered too. Hydro-Québec notes the coming federal rebate and says LogisVert requests are processed normally.
• Rénoclimat: envelope-focused assistance. From October 1, 2026 the pre-retrofit evaluation became optional and new caps apply.
• Chauffez vert: closed; no applications after March 31, 2026.
• Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program in Quebec: an agreement was announced in June 2026 for low- and median-income households; the delivery program name wasn't confirmed when we checked.

For a launch, LogisVert's capacity-based formula is worth explaining clearly in your quotes, because it ties the grant to the equipment your technicians specify. Link the official page and date the explanation.

How we'd approach a Quebec launch

1. Settle RBQ subclasses and CCQ certification first; they determine what you can sell. Our training roadmap maps them.
2. Build French-first pages, ads and quote templates, with English as a second language where useful.
3. Differentiate on something real, such as response time, a specific region or a service plan, because "we install heat pumps" is not distinctive in Quebec. See offer design.
4. Use existing-customer outreach to win first jobs and reviews before paid search.

Call, text or email to plan a Quebec launch, or read the Ontario page if you serve both sides of the Ottawa River.