Advertising heat-pump rebates accurately

The principle: the general impression counts

Answer first: Canadian advertising law looks at the overall impression an ad creates, not only the literal words.

The Competition Bureau's guidance on misleading representations explains that a claim can be technically true and still misleading if the overall impression is false. For rebate ads, the classic trap is a headline amount that only a minority of customers can get, with the conditions hidden in fine print or on a different page.

A useful test: if a typical homeowner in your service area read the ad and then called, would they feel the ad described their situation? If most callers end up disappointed, the ad is the problem.

Writing the rebate amount

Answer first: use the program's own wording, keep "up to" where the amount varies, and show the main condition.

Do

• "Up to $7,500 toward an eligible cold-climate air source heat pump through Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program (as of October 2026, eligibility rules apply)." Amount and program from Save on Energy.
• "Income-qualified households may get a no-cost heat pump through [program name]. Check eligibility with [administrator]."
• "Program details checked [date]. Confirm current rules with the administrator."

Don't

• "$7,500 off every heat pump"
• "FREE heat pump!" when only income-qualified households can get one
• "Government-approved installer" unless the program publishes a registered contractor list and you're on it
• an amount from another province's program, or from a program that has closed

Combining programs

Stacking is where honest contractors get caught. Some programs can be combined, some can't, and some reduce one another. Unless the administrators publish that two programs can be combined, don't add their amounts together in an ad. If they can, say so with a link.

Advertising a net price

Answer first: if you show a price after rebates, show the price before rebates too, and make sure the total isn't missing mandatory fees.

The Competition Bureau treats drip pricing, advertising a price that can't be obtained because mandatory fixed charges are added later, as misleading. For heat pumps, that means an advertised installed price should include the charges every customer must pay for that package, such as permit or disposal fees you always charge.

A clear net-price layout:

Never present a rebate as your own discount. If the approval fails, the customer will remember who promised it.

Environmental claims

Answer first: be specific and factual, and avoid sweeping green claims you can't support.

Heat pumps have genuine environmental advantages in many situations, which makes it tempting to call them "zero emission" or "eco-friendly" in every ad. The Competition Bureau's guidance on environmental claims and greenwashing notes that it issued final guidelines in June 2025, and that a 2026 amendment through Bill C-15 removed a specific methodology requirement for certain claims. The general rule against false or misleading claims still applies, and the Bureau has said it will update its guidance.

In practice:

• "Runs on electricity instead of oil" is factual and checkable.
• "Can reduce your heating emissions, depending on how your home is heated today" is qualified.
• "100% green heating" is a claim you'd struggle to support.

Dating and maintaining claims

Answer first: every rebate statement on your site should carry a "last checked" date, and someone should own checking it.

A simple maintenance routine:

1. Keep a list of every page, ad and printed piece that mentions a program.
2. Check each program's official page at least monthly, and immediately when news of a change appears.
3. When a program changes, update every item on the list the same week.
4. When a program closes, replace the content with a dated closure notice and point readers to what's still available. Don't simply delete the page; people arrive from old links and searches.

Real examples from 2026 show why. Several federal and provincial programs changed or closed during the year, including the federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program, which took its last applications in several provinces on 2026-07-31. Contractors with a maintenance list handled it in an afternoon. Those without one were still advertising it weeks later. Our province pages show current statuses as of October 2026.

Following up with interested homeowners

Answer first: only send commercial texts or emails to people who gave you a basis for consent, and keep a record.

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation covers commercial electronic messages such as emails and texts. The CRTC's guidance explains that you need express or qualifying implied consent, must identify yourself, and must include a working way to unsubscribe, and that the sender must be able to prove consent.

For rebate marketing, that means:

• a homeowner who asks you to tell them when a program opens has given you a clear basis to do so; record when and how
• a list bought from a third party isn't yours to text
• "program now open" messages to past enquirers should go only to people whose consent you can show

Quebec: French comes first

Answer first: Quebec customers need French-language advertising and web content.

Since Bill 96 amended the Charter of the French Language, commercial advertising aimed at Quebec has to give French clear predominance, and a website serving Quebec customers needs a French version. The OQLF publishes guidance for businesses. If you serve Quebec, LogisVert and other program content should be written in French first, not translated as an afterthought.

A pre-publication checklist

Run every rebate ad and page through these questions:

1. Is the program open today, according to the administrator's own page?
2. Is the amount in the program's own words, with "up to" where it varies?
3. Is the main eligibility condition visible without clicking?
4. Is there a date and a link to the official source?
5. Does any price include all mandatory fees?
6. Is any environmental claim specific and supportable?
7. Will follow-up messages go only to people with documented consent?
8. If this is for Quebec, is the French version complete?

How we use this

Every rebate campaign HeatPump.Agency runs goes through this checklist before launch, and active program pages are rechecked monthly. It's built into our rebate-driven demand campaigns. For a forward look at the next big program, read the guide to federal rebate readiness, and for tools that track program paperwork, sister site HeatPumps.Solutions covers rebate-tracking software. Questions about your own ads? Call, text or email through the contact page.