FurnaceNews.ca reports the furnace market for the people who sell, install and service furnaces in Canada. Each brief begins with an official document we opened and read ourselves: a regulator's report, a minister's letter, a program page, a court docket or a Federal Register notice. We summarise it in our own words, show the source's real date, and then add a separate, labelled section of contractor analysis.
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Ontario directs OEB to set criteria for a possible third gas expansion intake
Ontario's Minister of Energy and Mines wrote to the Ontario Energy Board on August 10, 2026, directing it to report by January 15, 2027 on criteria for a potential third intake of the Natural Gas Expansion Program. The first two phases gave 17,000 customers access to natural gas.
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Two oil-heat conversion programs close in 2026: OHPA and Chauffez vert
July 31, 2026 was the last day to apply for the federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability grant, with final receipts due January 31, 2027. Quebec's Chauffez vert aid for replacing oil or propane systems stopped accepting applications after March 31, 2026.
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CleanBC Energy Savings Program rules change for invoices from July 6, 2026
BC's income-qualified Energy Savings Program changed its requirements for invoices dated on or after July 6, 2026. Rebates for switching from gas, propane or oil remain at all three income levels, a dual-fuel ducted heat pump option is listed, and several electric and wood conversions are now limited to lower income levels.
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U.S. Supreme Court vacates ruling that upheld the DOE gas furnace standard
On June 8, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court granted review in American Gas Association v. Department of Energy, vacated the D.C. Circuit judgment and sent the case back. Canada's own 95% AFUE minimum for most residential gas furnaces is unaffected.
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Technical Safety BC ranks carbon monoxide as B.C.'s top safety risk for 2025
Technical Safety BC's State of Safety report for 2025, released May 27, 2026, names carbon monoxide the province's top technical safety risk. Its gas data show 79 incidents and 36 injuries in 2025, and one fatal exposure traced to a high-efficiency furnace with a separated vent pipe.
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DOE seeks comment on petition to delay U.S. furnace standard to 2030
The U.S. Department of Energy published a notice on April 27, 2026 asking for comment on a petition from three gas industry associations. They want the compliance date for the consumer furnace standard moved from December 18, 2028 to January 1, 2030, at a minimum.
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Quebec funds Énergir's dual-energy heating program with $163.4 million
Quebec's government announced on April 10, 2026 that it will provide $163.4 million to Énergir for a financial assistance program for dual-energy heating, in which electricity is the main heat source and natural gas is the backup. More than 11,000 households are expected to benefit.
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Explainer: Montréal's ban on combustion heating in new buildings
Montréal's by-law on greenhouse gas emissions from new buildings bans gas, oil and propane heating appliances in most new construction: small buildings since October 1, 2024 and all others since April 1, 2025. Existing buildings are not covered.
How a brief is built
Every brief follows the same order, so it can be scanned in a minute and read properly later.
- Lede: what happened, who published it, and when, with a link.
- Figures: numbers as the source states them, often in a table.
- Context: how the rule or program works.
- Contractor analysis: practical notes for furnace companies, marked as our view.
- What to watch: the next date or decision, if the source gives one.
We leave out anything we cannot trace to the source. When a source is ambiguous or two official pages disagree, the brief says so rather than picking the more convenient figure.
Standards and regulation
- Gas groups ask DOE to push the U.S. furnace compliance date to 2030 (notice of April 27, 2026). DOE asked for comment; it did not decide. Canada's 95% AFUE rule is separate.
- U.S. Supreme Court vacates the ruling that upheld the DOE furnace standard (order of June 8, 2026). The case returns to the appeals court; why product supply in Canada could feel it.
- Explainer: Montréal's combustion heating ban in new buildings (city page updated September 12, 2025). New construction only; existing homes are not covered.
Safety
- Technical Safety BC ranks carbon monoxide as B.C.'s top risk for 2025 (release of May 27, 2026). Gas incidents up 19.5%, and a fatal case traced to a separated furnace vent pipe.
Gas supply and expansion
- Ontario directs the OEB to set criteria for a possible third gas expansion intake (letter of August 10, 2026). Report due January 15, 2027; no funding committed yet.
Fuel switching and dual fuel
- Quebec funds Énergir's dual-energy program with $163.4 million (April 10, 2026). Electricity first, gas furnace at about -12 °C.
- BC Energy Savings Program rules change from July 6, 2026. Gas-to-heat-pump and dual-fuel rebates kept; electric conversions narrowed.
- Two oil-heat conversion programs close (OHPA on July 31, 2026; Chauffez vert on March 31, 2026). Deadlines for approved households and claims to remove from your website.
Why a newsroom about furnaces
Furnace demand in Canada is shaped by documents most homeowners never read: a federal efficiency table, a utility program schedule, a provincial income chart, a safety regulator's annual report. Contractors who read them first answer questions accurately, retire stale claims and time their marketing sensibly.
FurnaceNews.ca is also a marketing service for furnace companies. We are not a heating contractor and never install, repair or service equipment. The research behind these briefs feeds the content we write for clients, described on our services page. For a dated program or standards page for your own market, see our content service, and for regulators and programs by province, the coverage hub.
How we decide what counts as news
An item makes it into the newsroom when three things are true: an official body published it, it changes something a furnace company does or says, and we could load and read the source ourselves. That rules out rumours, vendor marketing dressed as news, and stories we can only find second-hand. It also means some important topics wait until the official document appears.
Corrections
If you spot an error, call, text or email us with a link to the correcting source; we will fix the brief and change its updated date. Programs, rules and deadlines change often, so confirm with the administrator before quoting anything to a customer. The contact page has the details.
Frequently asked questions
Where does FurnaceNews.ca get its stories?
From primary documents we load ourselves: regulator reports, government letters and program pages, court dockets and Federal Register notices. Each brief links its source and gives the source's date.
Is the analysis part of the news?
No. Every brief keeps the summary of the source apart from a section labelled as FurnaceNews.ca analysis, so readers can tell reporting from opinion.
Why is one piece marked as an explainer?
When the underlying rule is older than a typical news cycle but still drives questions, we publish it as an explainer and say so at the top, with the source's own date.
Can I suggest a story?
Yes. Call, text or email us with a link to the official source. We only publish items we can verify from a primary document.