If you plan to purchase a heating or air conditioning system, ask your family and friends for recommendations of experienced and professional merchants.

Finding an experienced merchant

An experienced merchant :

• will be able to guide you in choosing the appliance and answer your questions;
• will be able to calculate the house’s heating and cooling load;
• has received the appropriate training;
• is an authorized dealer for the sale of the parts and appliances the merchant offers.

Beware of companies that give you only a telephone number to reach them. In case of a problem, you could have trouble tracking down the merchant.

Shop around with different merchants. Compare prices, appliance features, warranties offered, energy savings claimed, etc.

Check whether the merchant holds the required authorizations

Make sure the person who installs your appliance holds the appropriate licence or permit. This may be:

• a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec;
• a permit from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (in French only);
• a licence from the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (in French only);
• a licence from the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (in French only).

These organizations issue documents to an individual after verifying his or her professional competency. Please contact these organizations directly for more information on this subject.

Getting information about a merchant

You can get further information about a merchant using the Get information about a merchant tool. Entering the merchant’s name in the tool will provide you with certain information, such as:

• wether if the Office has previously intervened with that merchant;
• wether if the merchant has received formal notices from other consumers.

Getting information about warranties offered and after-sales service

Check out the length and coverage of the warranties offered. They vary from one manufacturer to another.

Find out about the quality of after-sales service. You can, if need be, ask for references from customers of the business.

Certain contracts are prohibited by itinerant sale. This is the case, for example, with contracts for heating or air conditioning appliances (air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, geothermal systems, etc.).

Itinerant merchants are not allowed to enter into or be involved in entering into such contracts, even on an incidental basis. This applies to any contract related to any of these goods, such as a maintenance or warranty contract.

Refer to the page on contracts that are prohibited by itinerant sale to find out more.

Some merchants may request a down payment before delivering or installing a heating or air conditioning appliance.

If possible, do not provide a down payment to a contractor, or pay only a very small sum. Some consumers have lost money after a company with which they did business closed its doors, for example.

A merchant offers to sell you a heating appliance (e.g. a heat pump) or solar panels. Beware of any claims from the merchant that the appliance will cost you next to nothing because you will save energy and benefit from government programs. Merchants are prohibited from making false or misleading statements.

Government programs and tax credits

Energy efficiency programs and tax credits that aim to encourage eco-friendly home renovations certainly do exist.

However, it is up to you to determine whether you satisfy the conditions to benefit from such programs (eligibility criteria, eligible work, financial aid, etc.). Don't just take the word of a salesperson. His or main intention is not for you to benefit from a program, but rather to sell you an appliance.

Energy savings

A salesperson may try to lure you with claims of significant savings on your electricity bill with the appliance he or she is selling (heat pump, solar panels, etc.). You will probably have difficulty checking those claims... As a result, you can ask the salesperson to put those savings claims in writing on the contract. If the salesperson refuses to do so, the claims may simply be false promises.

You plan to install solar panels? Hydro-Québec offers a calculator to estimate what it would cost to install panels, how much energy they could produce in a year and how long it would take to recoup your investment.

Take the time to think things over

Generally speaking, an offer made today will still be valid tomorrow. Take the time to think things over. The Office recommends not signing a contract on the spot.

It is a good idea to ask the salesperson to give you a copy of the documents related to the contract he or she wants to enter into with you. You can take the time to read through them and assess the value of the offer with a clear mind. If the salesperson refuses to leave you these documents, this may be a sign that you're doing well to think twice about it...

Recourse options

If a merchant has given you false or misleading information, you can contact the Office de la protection du consommateur to report the merchant.

Entering into a detailed agreement with the merchant selling you a heating or air conditioning system is to your benefit. The more details your contract contains, the better informed you will be regarding what to expect.

The rules differ based on the manner in which the contract is entered into (in person or by telephone or online).

Contract entered into in person

Are you entering into your contract in person?

The Office de la protection du consommateur recommends that you always request a written contract from the merchant selling you a heating or air conditioning system. This will allow you to have and maintain proof of your agreement. A written contract will make it easier to assert your rights if you are not satisfied with the company's services.

The contract does not have to be drawn up in a particular form unless it is an instalment sale contract. In other words, if you are financing your purchase through the merchant. In that case, the contract must contain mandatory information.

Useful information

Make sure that everything that was promised by the merchant is included in the contract, along with all important details.

The contract should include :

• the merchant’s name and address;
• the license and permit numbers, if they are required;
• the scheduled start and end of work dates;
• information about the warranty;
• a statement in which the contractor commits to abide by the municipal regulations and the National Building Code standards;
• the contractor's liability insurance policy number and the name of the insurance company;
• a detailed description of the work to be done, along with the type and quantity of materials to use (make sure to append the estimate to the contract);
• the total cost and the terms of payment.

To ensure the work will be done within the specified time limits, ask for the following note to be added to the contract: " The work will be completed before or on (date); otherwise the merchant will refund the down payment paid by the client. ".

If the merchant promised you would benefit from energy savings, request that they include the exact reduction in consumption in the contract.

Check the length and the coverage of the warranty offered to you, and whether the installation of your appliance is covered by the warranty. Ask to have these items indicated in the contract.

Make sure to add a note mentioning the contract total includes the removal of construction debris at the end of the project.

Contract entered into by telephone or online

If you plan on choosing a merchant over the phone or online, know that the law provides that a distance contract must be provided in writing.

Mandatory information

Before entering into a contract by telephone or online, the merchant must provide you with certain mandatory information, such as:

• their name, address, phone number and, if available, their fax number and email address;
• a detailed description of the products and services covered  by the contract;
• the total amount you will need to pay and, if it applies, the amount to be paid on periodic payments;
• the terms of payment;
• the start date of the appliance installation work;
• the duration of the appliance installation work;
• the cancellation terms, if they are provided for;
• any other condition or restriction that applies to the contract.

Transmission of the written contract

The contractor must provide a written contract within 15 days after you entered into an agreement by telephone or online. This will allow you to verify whether the contract's contents correspond to the offer that was made to you. The contract must be presented in a way that allows you to hold on to it.

Content of the written contract

The contract must include your name and your address, the contract signature date, and all the other mandatory information the merchant must provide before you enter into an agreement by telephone or online.

Before buying an extended warranty, be aware that any heating or air conditioning appliance bought from a merchant is covered by warranties provided by law.

Legal warranties entitle you to expect that the heating or air conditioning appliance you are buying:

• will serve the purpose for which it was bought;
• will have a reasonable lifetime, given the price paid, the contract, and the conditions of use;
• will not contain hidden defects – that is, important defects that were present before the sale, that were not mentioned to you and that you could not have noticed, even if you were observant;
• will conform to the description written in the contract and the advertising, and to the merchant’s statements.

You also benefit from the same conditions on a second-hand heating or air conditioning appliance purchased from a merchant.

Information provided by the merchant 

Before offering an extended warranty in the store, a merchant must:

• inform you of the existence and contents of some legal warranties by reading the following text: “The Act provides a warranty on the goods you purchase or lease: they must be usable for normal use for a reasonable length of time”. The merchant must also provide a written notice that should only include mandatory information;
• verbally inform you of the existence and duration of the warranty offered for free by the manufacturer, if applicable. Upon your request, the merchant must also verbally inform you of how you can access all of the warranty’s conditions.

A merchant that offers you to purchase an additional warranty must also inform you that you have 10 days following the purchase to cancel it without fees or penalties. To find out more, refer to the information on cancelling an additional warranty.

The Office de la protection du consommateur recommends that you not sign any document before making a final decision to purchase a heating or air conditioning appliance. Contrary to popular belief, you do not always have a certain period of time to cancel a signed contract if you change your mind within 10 days.

For further information about cancelling this type of contract, refer to the page Cancelling a contract.