Who issues gas and oil licences in Manitoba?

The Office of the Fire Commissioner's Inspection and Technical Services handles gas and oil burner permits and tradesperson licences, as well as electrician licences and boiler and pressure vessel inspection. Confirm the details with the OFC directly.

Should my new Manitoba company sell heat pumps?

If you're trained and licensed for them, it's worth considering. Efficiency Manitoba runs an open air source heat pump rebate, and a third of Manitoba homes heat with electricity. Just make sure your brand still makes sense to gas customers if you serve both.

What is the F280 bonus I've heard about?

As of October 2026, Efficiency Manitoba offers registered suppliers a small bonus on heat pump rebate applications that include an F280 heat-load calculation, until 31 March 2027. Check the program page for current rules.

Starting a Heating Company in Manitoba

Manitoba is a province where a new heating company can be busy almost all year. The heating season is among the longest in southern Canada, Winnipeg is a large single market, and Efficiency Manitoba's heat pump programs give customers a reason to call about upgrades as well as repairs. The opportunity is real; so is the need to pick a clear focus rather than trying to be every kind of heating company at once.

We help with naming, the website, local search and paid calls. Licensing is between you and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.

The Manitoba market for a new heating company

Manitoba homes split between gas and electric heat more evenly than most prairie homes. Statistics Canada reports that in 2023, 52% of Manitoba households heated mainly with natural gas and 33% with electricity. That gives a newcomer two distinct customer groups:

Gas homes: furnace and boiler repair, replacement and maintenance.
Electric homes: baseboards, electric furnaces and electric boilers, many of which are candidates for heat pumps under current programs.

Winnipeg dominates by population, followed by Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler, Portage la Prairie and Thompson. A new Winnipeg company usually starts with a few neighbourhoods or one side of the city; a Brandon or Steinbach company can aim to become the obvious local name within its first couple of seasons.

Climate: a long season with a sharp start

The point to plan around: Manitoba's cold arrives hard and stays. Very cold prairie winters make heating failures urgent, and long seasons mean maintenance and replacement interest stretch from early autumn into spring.

For your launch timing:

Aim to be fully findable, with a verified Google listing and working phone handling, before the first sustained cold.
Use late spring and summer for heat pump consultations, when homeowners have time to compare options.
Keep a short list of customers who've had service, and remind them about tune-ups each autumn. Repeat work steadies a new company's cash flow.

Authorities to look up before you open

We list these for convenience; confirm your obligations with each one directly.

Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner: its Inspection and Technical Services handles gas and oil-burning equipment permits and tradesperson licences, boilers and pressure vessels, and electrician licensing.
Apprenticeship Manitoba: trade certification and apprenticeship.
WCB Manitoba: workers' compensation.
Manitoba Companies Office: business name registration and incorporation.
Manitoba Consumer Protection Office: consumer protection.

Programs your customers will ask about

As of October 2026, Manitoba has several programs a heating company's customers may raise:

The Efficiency Manitoba heat pump rebate was open at the time of writing; ducted and ductless cold-climate systems earn different amounts, and the home must be an existing primary residence.
Manitoba was the first province to sign onto the federal Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, delivered through Efficiency Manitoba for low- to median-income households, as set out in the September 2025 announcement.
The federal oil-to-heat-pump grant closed to new Manitoba applicants on 31 July 2026.

Some programs work only through registered or program contractors. Whether your new company can register is a question for Efficiency Manitoba, not for us. In your marketing, link to the official pages, date what you write, and tell customers to confirm eligibility with the administrator.

How we'd launch a new heating company in Manitoba

Choose your customer group first: gas homes, electric homes or both, and say so plainly in your brand. See naming and brand.
Build a launch site with clear service pages and a dated programs page. See launch website.
Verify your profile and gather early reviews through the local launch service.
Run paid search by season: repair terms in winter, heat pump consultations in spring and summer.

The areas overview compares Manitoba with Saskatchewan and Ontario, and our results page shows what similar launch work has produced for HVAC brands elsewhere.

Starting a heating company in Manitoba