Boilers in Toronto: permits, TSSA checks, rebates and contractors

Quick answer: boilers are a minority in Toronto: Statistics Canada’s 2023 survey found 8% of Toronto households heat mainly with a boiler and radiators, against 59% with a forced-air furnace. The City says replacing a furnace or boiler in a house does not need a building permit, but gas work must be done by a TSSA-registered contractor using certified technicians. Home Renovation Savings pays up to $2,000 for a heat pump in a gas-heated home; there is no rebate for a new gas boiler.

If you own a pre-war semi in the Annex, Leslieville or Parkdale, there is a fair chance it still has hot-water radiators fed by a gas boiler. Most newer Toronto houses use forced air. This guide covers what is different in Toronto: which systems are actually used, the City’s permit rules, who is allowed to work on gas equipment in Ontario, the heat rules for tenants, and the rebates and loans that are open in 2026.

What Toronto homes actually use

Statistics Canada’s Households and the Environment Survey reports the main heating system by metropolitan area. The 2023 figures for the Toronto area:

Main heating system (2023)	Toronto	Ontario	Canada
Forced-air furnace	59%	66%	46%
Boiler with hot water or steam radiators	8%	7%	7%
Electric baseboard heaters	5%	7%	23%
Heat pump	4%	4%	8%

Of Toronto households with a boiler, 41% use natural gas. The survey also found that 34% of Toronto households living in apartments have a centralised heating and cooling system serving the building, which is the landlord’s or condo corporation’s responsibility rather than yours. If you are not sure whether your radiators run on hot water or steam, read steam vs hot water radiator systems before you ask for quotes.

Toronto permits for boiler work

Toronto Building publishes lists of work that does and does not need a building permit:

Job in a house	Building permit?
Replacing a furnace or boiler	Not required (City list)
Installing or modifying a heating system (for example new pipework or a new system type)	Required
Finishing a basement that includes installing or modifying heating	Required
Installing or reconstructing a chimney	Required

Where an HVAC permit is needed for a detached or attached house, the City’s fee table effective 1 January 2026 lists a flat fee of $214.79 for a boiler or furnace replacement and $270.64 for heating, ventilating and air conditioning. Ask your contractor who will apply and include the fee in the quote.

Who may work on a gas boiler in Ontario

Gas appliances in Ontario are regulated by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), not the City. TSSA says most fuels regulations require contractors to be registered with it, and registered contractors must make sure the technicians they send are properly trained and certified under Ontario Regulation 215/01, Fuel Industry Certificates. TSSA runs a “Find a Registered Fuels Contractor” search on its website, so you can check a firm before it starts. Ask which certificate the technician holds and whether the firm will leave the paperwork for the installation.

Heat rules for Toronto tenants

If you rent and your landlord pays for heat, Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 497 requires a minimum of 21°C in the unit from 1 October to 15 May. The dates changed in 2025; older guides still give 15 September to 1 June. If your landlord provides air conditioning, it must be run from 1 June to 30 September to keep the unit at no more than 26°C. Boiler repairs in a rented home are the landlord’s job; see boiler problems in a rented home for the general principles.

Rebates and loans open in 2026

The Enbridge Home Efficiency Rebate ended intake on 27 January 2025. Its successor, Home Renovation Savings, run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, pays for heat pumps, insulation, windows, smart thermostats and more, but not for a gas boiler or furnace. The heat pump rebates depend on how the home is heated now:

Home Renovation Savings heat pump rebate	Rate	Maximum
Cold-climate air-source heat pump, home heated by Enbridge natural gas	$500 per ton	Up to $2,000
Ground-source heat pump, home heated by Enbridge natural gas	Flat	$3,000
Cold-climate air-source heat pump, home heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood	$1,250 per ton	Up to $7,500
Ground-source heat pump, home heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood	$2,000 per ton	Up to $12,000

Heat pumps must be on Natural Resources Canada’s qualifying lists, installed by a participating contractor, and pre-approved before installation; the programme says installations done before approval are not eligible. New builds occupied for six months or less do not qualify.

The City’s Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) is open and lends up to $125,000, repaid through your property tax bill. Unusually, its list of eligible work includes high-efficiency furnaces and boilers as well as heat pumps. The rates published for applications until 30 September 2026 were 3.34% over 5 years, 4.01% over 10, 4.46% over 15 and 4.75% over 20 years, plus a 2% administrative charge; the loan cannot exceed 10% of your property’s current value assessment. Check the new rates after that date.

Federal money: what has closed

Two federal schemes that older articles still mention are no longer available to new applicants. The Canada Greener Homes Grant closed earlier, and CMHC says the Canada Greener Homes Loan portal has been closed to new applications since 2 October 2025. The replacement, the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, offers no-cost retrofits such as insulation and heat pumps to low-to-median-income homeowners and tenants, but only through participating provinces. Ontario is not currently listed as a participating province.

Typical boiler prices

We have not found an independent Toronto-only price survey. A Toronto-area installer’s published 2026 guide puts a standard condensing gas boiler at $5,500–$9,000 installed, a high-efficiency condensing boiler at $6,500–$11,000 and a combi boiler at $4,500–$9,000, while Enercare says a new gas boiler starts at about $11,750. HomeStars puts a natural gas furnace at $4,000–$6,750 and an air-source heat pump at $6,000–$12,000. All figures were checked in September 2026; see our Canada boiler costs guide for the full table. Heat pump or replacement gas boiler covers the trade-offs.

Request a boiler quote

Free and no obligation. Tell us what you need and where, and we will look for a heating engineer who covers your area.

What do you need? * Country * Postal code * Town or city Property type How soon? *

Anything else we should know? (optional)

Your name * Email * Phone (optional) Best way to contact you

I agree that Best Boiler Deals may pass my details to a heating engineer covering my area so they can contact me about this request. Privacy policy.

We are a comparison and referral service, not a heating engineer. We do not guarantee a quote, a price or a response time. Anyone working on gas appliances in the UK must be on the Gas Safe Register; check the engineer's ID card before work starts.

How to choose a boiler contractor in Toronto

Check TSSA registration. Look the firm up in TSSA’s registered contractor search and ask which fuel certificate the technician holds.
Ask about permits. A straight boiler swap in a house usually needs no building permit, but a system change may. Get the contractor’s answer in writing.
Hot water or steam? Ask how many boilers of your type the firm has replaced, and whether it will size the boiler from a heat loss calculation rather than the old boiler’s rating.
For a heat pump, use a Home Renovation Savings participating contractor and wait for pre-approval, or you lose the rebate.

Our guide to comparing boiler quotes like for like has a checklist of questions to ask.

Boiler and heating firms in Toronto

These businesses appear in public business listings for Toronto, and each has its own website describing boiler, hydronic or heating work. We have not checked their work, prices, licences or insurance, and they have not paid to appear. Check TSSA registration yourself before you book.