Running the service for a Quebec HVAC company

The Quebec market and its buyers

Seven in ten Quebec homes heat with electricity, so heat pumps are the main replacement conversation. Statistics Canada figures for 2023 show electricity as the main heating energy in 70% of Quebec homes; natural gas (5%) and wood (4%) trail far behind.

Montréal, Laval and Longueuil form the largest and most competitive market. Québec City and Lévis across the river, Sherbrooke, Saguenay and Gatineau each have their own search landscape. A Gatineau company that also takes work in Ottawa needs a bilingual plan: French pages for Quebec customers and English pages for the Ontario side of the river. Homeowners with electric baseboards tend to search for running costs and comfort; those with older oil or propane systems search for replacement options.

When the calendar shifts in Quebec

The heating season is long, especially outside the St. Lawrence lowlands, and the summer cooling season is real.

• July and August: publish fall heating and heat pump content in French, with current grant details.
• September to November: heat pump consultations and replacements ahead of winter.
• December to March: emergency heating calls and backup-heat questions; steady heat pump education.
• May to August: cooling enquiries and heat pump installs, which double as air conditioning for many homes.

Language rules your marketing must respect

French must be clearly predominant in commercial advertising and signage aimed at Quebec. Under the Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, content for Quebec customers must be available in French. From June 1, 2025, a business name or trademark in another language that can be seen from outside your premises also needs French terms beside it. The OQLF's guidance for businesses is the reference, and we are not language-law advisers. In practice, every page, ad and Business Profile field for Quebec is written in French first.

Regulators your marketing should reference

• The Régie du bâtiment du Québec licenses contractors and covers building safety, including gas, plumbing, electrical and pressure equipment. Construction work for others generally requires an RBQ licence with the right subclasses.
• The CCQ handles competency certification for construction workers, the CNESST workplace health and safety, and the Office de la protection du consommateur consumer protection.

We display your RBQ licence number as issued. We don't advise on licensing.

Programs to schedule around, as of October 2026

• Hydro-Québec's LogisVert offers grants for ENERGY STAR heat pumps, calculated per 1,000 BTU/h, with higher amounts for cold-climate units up to $6,700, plus geothermal and other measures. Hydro-Québec notes the federal rebate expected in 2027 and says LogisVert requests are processed normally.
• Rénoclimat changed on October 1, 2026: the pre-retrofit evaluation became optional and new caps apply.
• Chauffez vert closed; no applications after March 31, 2026. Old pages promoting it should come down.

Translation alone is not enough. Quebec homeowners search with their own vocabulary, such as thermopompe for a heat pump, and an English page run through a translation tool rarely matches it. We build French pages from French keyword research, and your team checks every technical term before anything goes live.

Your first 90 days in Quebec

1. Trial week: benchmark French-language searches, which often have different competitors from English ones.
2. Onboarding: French service pages, a dated LogisVert page, and removal of any outdated Chauffez vert content.
3. Month two: French campaigns launched; English campaigns only where you serve English-speaking customers.
4. Month three: first clean month, split by language to show where booked jobs come from.

See the onboarding page, the FAQ, or the areas hub.