Boilers and hot-water heating in Montreal: licences, oil rules and grants

Quick answer: Montreal is mostly electrically heated: in Statistics Canada’s 2023 survey 54% of households used electric baseboards and only 6% a boiler with radiators, and more than half of those boilers are electric. Boiler work in Quebec is reserved for CMMTQ members holding RBQ licence subclass 15.4. Quebec bans replacing an oil boiler with any fossil-fuel system in small buildings, and the Chauffez vert conversion grant ended on 31 March 2026.

Hot-water radiators are a familiar sight in Montreal’s older duplexes and triplexes, but most of the city heats with electricity. This guide covers what is actually used in Montreal, who may work on a boiler in Quebec, the provincial oil-heating rules, the city’s ban on combustion heating in new buildings, the heat rules for tenants, and the grants that are open in 2026.

What Montreal homes actually use

Main heating system (2023)	Montreal	Quebec	Canada
Electric baseboard heaters	54%	54%	23%
Heat pump	15%	16%	8%
Forced-air furnace	10%	11%	46%
Boiler with hot water or steam radiators	6%	4%	7%

Among Montreal households with a boiler, 53% have an electric boiler and 39% a natural gas one (Statistics Canada, Table 38-10-0286-01). Electricity is the main heating energy for 71% of Montreal households and natural gas for only 5%. So if you have radiators, your “boiler” may well be an electric one, which changes both the price and who can work on it. See boiler or furnace for how water-based systems work.

Who may work on a boiler in Quebec

In Quebec, contractors need a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) in the right subclass, and pipe-mechanics work is reserved for members of the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ). The CMMTQ lists these subclasses as exclusive to its members:

RBQ subclass	Covers
15.1	Forced-air heating systems (furnaces), whatever the fuel
15.2	Natural gas burner systems: gas piping from the meter to appliances and venting
15.3	Oil burner systems
15.4	Hydronic heating: water heated by a boiler, whatever the fuel, and distributed by pipework (for example radiant floors); includes steam heating
15.5	Plumbing

So for a boiler and radiators you want a contractor with subclass 15.4, plus 15.2 if gas piping is involved or 15.3 for oil. The CMMTQ publishes a member directory and the RBQ lets you look up a licence number. Heat pumps that are part of a hydronic system also need a refrigeration subclass (15.9 or 15.10).

Oil boilers: the Quebec rules

The Quebec government’s oil-heating page, last updated 8 June 2026, sets out the rules under the Règlement sur les appareils de chauffage au mazout:

Oil heating may not be installed in new homes.
In existing buildings of up to 600 m² and three storeys or fewer, such as bungalows, duplexes and triplexes, an oil boiler, furnace or water heater may not be replaced with anything burning a fossil fuel, including natural gas.
Routine maintenance and minor repairs are allowed only while the appliance is under 20 years old. Major repairs, such as to the combustion chamber or heat exchanger, are banned; the appliance must be replaced with a renewable system such as an electric boiler, heat pump or thermal storage.
The contractor must declare the removal of an oil appliance online, including the tank; not declaring can lead to a fine.

The Chauffez vert grant for converting oil or propane heating ended on 31 March 2026 (CMMTQ). The rules above still apply. Our oil boiler replacement guide covers the general trade-offs.

New buildings: Montreal’s combustion ban

The Ville de Montréal has banned heating and hot-water appliances that burn oil, natural gas, propane or biodiesel in new residential, commercial and institutional buildings, from 1 October 2024 for small buildings (up to three storeys and 600 m² per floor) and from 1 April 2025 for all others. The city says existing buildings are not covered, so replacing a gas boiler in an existing home is not caught by this by-law.

Permits in Montreal

Permits are handled by the 19 boroughs, and rules vary. The city says no permit is needed to install a heat pump at a single-family house, duplex or triplex in at least some boroughs, but siting rules apply (some boroughs ban units on the front of the building, and heritage areas have extra conditions). The city’s guidance points to the RBQ for electric and gas heating systems. Ask your borough’s permit counter (311) before any work that changes the building.

Heat rules for Montreal tenants

The city says a dwelling must normally reach 21°C in the cold season, with at least 15°C in non-habitable or vacant rooms, and that a carbon monoxide detector is required where the building has oil, gas or other fuel-fired heating.

Grants open in 2026

Programme	What it pays (as published)
LogisVert (Hydro-Québec)	Up to $6,700 for a heat pump; $1,500 for roof insulation and caulking. The Quebec government says LogisVert also pays up to $15,000 for central heating with a heat storage unit, or $22,000 with a central heat pump, when converting from oil.
Énergir dual energy	For Énergir gas customers adding a heat pump: up to $4,100 with hot-water heating ($4,800 in a duplex or triplex), up to $7,300 with warm-air heating ($9,100), plus up to $7,800 ($8,000) for an electrical upgrade
Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program	No-cost retrofits for low-to-median-income households; Quebec is a participating province
Chauffez vert	Ended 31 March 2026
Canada Greener Homes Loan	Closed to new applications since 2 October 2025

Énergir says its dual-energy set-up uses electricity for about 70% of heating, with gas taking over at around −12°C to −15°C. We found no grant for a new gas boiler on its own. Hydro-Québec says it never sells LogisVert by phone or door to door.

Typical prices

We have not found a published Montreal-specific boiler price survey, and the Ontario figures we use elsewhere may not reflect Quebec labour rates. For national ranges (a standard condensing gas boiler $5,500–$9,000 and an electric boiler $3,000–$6,500 installed in the Toronto area; an air-source heat pump $6,000–$12,000 nationally), see our Canada boiler costs guide. All figures were checked in September 2026.

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How to choose a heating contractor in Montreal

Ask for the RBQ licence number and check that it includes subclass 15.4 for boiler and radiator work, and 15.2 or 15.3 for the fuel.
Check CMMTQ membership in its member directory.
For oil, ask the contractor to confirm the removal declaration and tank removal in writing.
For grants, check eligibility and the contractor’s status for LogisVert or Énergir before you sign.

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

Boiler and heating firms in Montreal

These businesses appear in public business listings for Montreal, 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 the RBQ licence and subclass yourself before you book.