Oil furnace replacement in Quebec: what the rules allow

Fewer than 200,000 Quebec households still heat with oil, according to the Government of Quebec. If your oil furnace, boiler or water heater breaks down this winter, the rule described on Québec.ca (in French, page updated June 8, 2026) limits what you can do. It is worth knowing before the service call, so you don’t pay for a repair that is not allowed.

1. What is banned

• Installing an oil heating appliance in a new residential building.
• Replacing an oil appliance (furnace, boiler, water heater) with one that burns a fossil fuel, oil or natural gas, even renewable gas, in an existing building of 600 m² or less and three storeys or fewer: bungalow, cottage, semi-detached, duplex, triplex.

The replacement is an electric furnace or boiler, a heat pump (air or geothermal), a heat accumulator or a biomass appliance. Buildings not connected to the power grid, or served by an autonomous grid such as the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, are exempt.

2. Repairs still allowed

• Normal maintenance, if the appliance is less than 20 years old (less than 10 years for a water heater).
• Minor repairs, for example replacing electronic components.
• Banned: replacing or repairing the combustion chamber or the heat exchanger. In that case the appliance must be replaced with a renewable-energy system.

In practice, ask the technician to write down which part is at fault: a burner or an electronic control is not the same as a cracked heat exchanger. If the verdict is replacement, you will need that diagnosis to compare your options.

3. Removing the appliance and the tank

Work on an oil appliance is done by a qualified professional, for example a member of the CMMTQ. They must dismantle and dispose of the old system and declare the removal online, including the tank, removed to current standards. Failing to declare can lead to a fine. Maintenance and minor repairs do not need a declaration. Before you hand over the dismantling, look the company up in our tool: its RBQ licence and subclasses are listed.

4. Converting from oil in Greater Montréal: municipal rules and help

In Montréal, the by-law on greenhouse gas emissions from new buildings (in French) bans combustion heating appliances, oil included, in new construction: since October 1, 2024 for small buildings (up to 3 storeys and 600 m² per floor) and since April 1, 2025 for all others. The City states that existing buildings are not covered (page updated September 12, 2025), so for an existing house, Quebec’s rule is the one that applies.

The conversion itself may need a municipal step. According to the City of Pointe-Claire (in French), replacing a heating system with another type requires a building permit before the work. Check with your borough or town before you sign.

As for financial help, the Québec.ca page, read on November 1, 2026, says LogisVert offers up to $15,000 for a central heating system with a heat accumulator, and up to $22,000 in total if a central heat pump is also installed; it also mentions the federal program for affordable oil-to-heat-pump conversion. The conditions are on Hydro-Québec’s LogisVert page.

5. Before you sign

The government reminds you not to sign on the spot, especially under pressure, to compare several companies and to check their claims on government websites. No one is authorized to sell subsidized heating equipment door to door. For financial help, see our guide to renovation subsidies, and for heat pumps, heat pumps and LogisVert.

Heating companies are active in Saint-Laurent, the West Island and Châteauguay; for the water heater, see also plumbers in Laval. You can describe the oil system you need to replace and receive quotes. Be wary of offers at the door: read door-to-door sales.