TSSA warns Ontario homeowners against unregistered and uncertified fuels workers

What TSSA said

The short answer: a public-safety campaign, not a new rule, aimed at homeowners who might hire on price alone.

According to the release, work done by unqualified people falls outside TSSA oversight and can expose homes and businesses to carbon monoxide and fire hazards. TSSA listed red flags for consumers, including prices that seem unusually low, and offered campaign resources such as videos, real cases, FAQs and a list of warning signs. TSSA's Fuels Safety Program director was quoted advising homeowners not to take the risk of hiring unqualified workers even when their prices are lower.

TSSA also gave a sense of scale: Ontario has 9,000 registered contractors and 60,000 certified professionals, according to the release.

How homeowners are told to check

The release gives consumers two steps:

1. Look up the company in TSSA's Registered Fuels Contractor search on tssa.org.
2. Confirm the individual technician's credentials before work starts.

It also tells the public how to report suspected unregistered workers to TSSA's fuels technical services team. The release does not mention new penalties or a specific enforcement case.

The rules behind the campaign

In Ontario, fuels work is regulated by TSSA, while electrical safety and electrical contractor licensing fall to the Electrical Safety Authority. Our Ontario page summarises the provincial regulators and links each one. The basic requirement TSSA is highlighting has not changed: fuels work must be done by a registered contractor using certified gas technicians.

What it means for contractors (analysis)

This section is our analysis, not part of TSSA's release.

Registration is a selling point you are probably not using. TSSA is spending its own budget teaching homeowners to look up contractors. A registered company that shows its registration clearly on its website, Google Business Profile and quotes meets the homeowner halfway. Many contractor sites mention it only in the footer, if at all.

Make the check easy. Tell customers, in one plain sentence, that they can verify your company on TSSA's lookup, and name your business exactly as it appears there. A mismatch between your trading name and your registered name can make an honest contractor look suspicious.

Answer the price objection directly. TSSA's warning that low prices are a red flag gives registered contractors a fair way to explain why their quote is higher. A short "why our price includes certified technicians and permits" section on service pages is more persuasive than a generic "quality service" claim. Our HVAC websites service builds those trust sections into each page.

Reviews and local search reinforce it. When a homeowner searches your name after checking TSSA, your Google Business Profile should tell the same story: correct legal name, service area, hours and recent reviews.

Don't overstate it. Registration is a legal minimum, not proof of quality. Phrases such as "TSSA-approved" or "TSSA-certified company" can mislead; describe what you actually hold, such as TSSA-registered fuels contractor with certified gas technicians.

A quick audit of how you present your registration

Contractors can check their own visibility in ten minutes:

1. Search your company name on TSSA's contractor lookup and note the exact registered name.
2. Compare it with the name on your website header, Google Business Profile, truck lettering and invoices.
3. Check whether your website says anywhere that your company is a registered fuels contractor.
4. Read your quote template: does it name the certification held by the technician who will do the work?
5. Look at your service pages for furnaces, boilers and water heaters; each is a natural place for one sentence on registration and permits.

Small gaps here are common and easy to fix, and they line up your marketing with the exact check TSSA is asking homeowners to make.

Related coverage

Ontario contractors may also want our coverage of the federal heat pump rebate, which will change what many Ontario furnace customers ask about. All stories are listed in the newsroom.

HVACNews.ca is a marketing and business consulting service for HVAC companies, not an HVAC contractor. This summary of a public release is not compliance advice; regulatory questions belong with TSSA. To discuss your marketing, call, text or email us through the contact page.