Protection plan terms and conditions

These are the full terms for our Good, Better and Best protection plans. We publish them here so you can read every one of them before you sign anything, not after. The agreement you sign will say the same things.

If anything below is unclear, call us on 613-222-6531 and ask. A term you do not understand is a term we have written badly.

The short version

• There is no deductible. Not on any plan, not on any covered repair.
• Covered visits carry no service call fee.
• Work that is not covered is quoted first. We do not start it until you say yes.
• Plumbing and electrical cover is capped at $1,500 each per year on the Best Plan. Heating, cooling and water heater cover has no yearly cap.
• You can cancel at any time by telling us in writing. There is no cancellation fee.
• Plans run 12 months and renew automatically unless you cancel.
• We tell you at least 30 days before a renewal price changes.

1. Who these terms apply to

They apply between you, the homeowner named on the plan, and Canadian Energy Standard. The plan covers one residential home at the address on your agreement. Plans are for homes people live in — equipment used commercially, or in a building used for business, is not covered.

You must own the home, or have the owner's written permission to put equipment in it under a plan.

2. What each plan covers

3. Heating — what is and is not covered

Covered: diagnosis, repair, adjustment or replacement of the working parts inside one heating unit — the gas control valve, ignition system, fan and limit controls, blower and fan motor, condensate pump, pressure switches, relays, transformer, thermocouple, vent motor assembly, door switch and circuit fuse — together with the labour to do the work.

Not covered: the heat exchanger, the firebox or combustion chamber, the heating coil in an air handler, boiler heating sections and their piping, radiators and valves, circulating pumps, zone valves, filters, humidifier pads, Wi-Fi or smart thermostats, parts added to serve other equipment, any ductwork, and replacement of the complete unit.

4. Cooling — what is and is not covered

Covered: the contactor and relays, capacitor, condenser fan motor, fan blade, evaporator coil, internal copper line components and electrical wiring, low ambient sensor, and the standard thermostat, plus labour. Where a covered part has caused a refrigerant leak, recovery and recharge are included.

Not covered: replacement of the compressor or the condenser coil, repairs that belong to the furnace or air handler rather than the cooling unit, outdoor line-set damage from impact or pests, and replacement of the complete unit.

5. Water heater — what is and is not covered

Covered: thermostats, heating elements, gas valve, thermocouple, pilot assembly and drain valve on a water heater you own, plus labour.

Not covered: a rented or leased water heater (your rental provider covers that), tank replacement, tank leaks or corrosion, anode rods, sediment flushing needed because the tank was never maintained, expansion tanks, and recirculation pumps.

6. Plumbing — Best Plan only

Covered: hot and cold water pipes inside the home, drainage pipes inside the home, blocked toilets, sinks, tubs and showers, faucet repair, mechanical pop-up stoppers, the moving parts inside a toilet tank, outside hose bibs, mixing valves, humidifier shut-off valves, and repair of shut-off valves.

Not covered: faucet or fixture replacement, installing new fixtures, the main drain and anything below grade, blockages caused by tree roots, municipal water service problems, sump pumps, backflow preventers and check valves, well systems and septic systems, swimming pools and hot tubs, in-floor radiant heating, irrigation systems, appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, replacement of galvanised, lead or cast-iron piping, pipes upstream of the main incoming valve, and any repair needed because of poor original design or a faulty fixture.

Yearly limit: our total responsibility for plumbing parts and labour is $1,500, at our standard retail pricing including HST, in each 12-month term. Anything above that is quoted to you in advance, and you decide whether to go ahead.

7. Electrical — Best Plan only

Covered: interior wiring, standard switches and receptacles, ground fault interrupters, pot light repair or replacement, and diagnosis and repair of components inside your electrical panel.

Not covered: knob-and-tube or other obsolete wiring, aluminium wiring, work that was never permitted or was done by someone unqualified, inadequate wiring capacity or circuit overloading, damage from power surges, lightning, rodents or weather, electrical permits and inspection fees, service upgrades, range and dryer outlets, ceiling fans, bathroom fan motors and housings, doorbells, intercoms and alarm systems, central vacuum, garage door openers, USB receptacles, fluorescent fixture repair, appliances, and anything in a detached garage, shed or other outbuilding.

Yearly limit: our total responsibility for electrical parts and labour is $1,500, at our standard retail pricing including HST, in each 12-month term. This includes getting at wiring through unobstructed walls, ceilings and floors. Anything above that is quoted to you in advance.

8. General exclusions — all plans

• Anything already broken, worn out or faulty when your plan started (see section 9).
• Equipment that was not installed correctly, or does not meet the code that applied when it was installed.
• Damage from flood, fire, freezing, storms, lightning, power surges, pests, or anything an insurance policy would normally handle.
• Damage from misuse, neglect, or work done by anyone other than us or a contractor we sent.
• Equipment the manufacturer has discontinued where parts can no longer be obtained.
• Cosmetic damage, noise that does not affect operation, and routine items such as filters and batteries.
• Restoring walls, ceilings, floors or finishes that had to be opened to reach a covered part. We close the opening safely; we do not re-plaster, retile or repaint.
• Any consequential loss — spoiled food, a hotel room, time off work, or damage caused by the equipment failing.
• Complete replacement of any unit. These are repair plans, not replacement warranties.

9. Starting your plan, and pre-existing problems

Coverage starts 30 days after your first payment. That waiting period is there so a plan cannot be bought to fix a fault that already exists. During those 30 days you can still book work, but it is quoted and charged normally.

Your equipment must be in good working order, properly installed, and reasonably maintained when the plan starts. We may inspect it first. If we find a pre-existing fault, we will tell you in writing what it is and either exclude it or quote you to put it right before coverage begins.

If a first visit shows that a system was already failing when you joined, that repair is not covered, and we will tell you before doing any work.

10. Booking service

Call 613-222-6531 or email info@canadianenergystandard.ca. Plan members are scheduled ahead of non-members.

We aim to attend a no-heat call in winter within 24 hours, and other covered calls within three business days. Best Plan members can reach us 24 hours a day for a true emergency — no heat, no water, or a plumbing or electrical fault that is unsafe.

Those are targets, not guarantees. Weather, parts availability and demand during a cold snap can push them out, and we will tell you honestly when they do.

Someone aged 18 or over must be home for the visit, and we need safe access to the equipment.

11. What you pay, and what you never pay

• Deductible: $0. There is no deductible on any plan.
• Service call fee on a covered visit: $0.
• Covered parts and labour: $0, up to the yearly limits below.
• Yearly limit on plumbing: $1,500. Yearly limit on electrical: $1,500. Each applies on its own, per 12-month term, at our standard retail pricing including HST. Heating, cooling and water heater cover has no yearly limit.
• Work that is not covered is quoted to you in advance. We do not begin until you approve the price in writing.
• Missed appointments. If nobody is home and you have not given us notice, we may charge for the visit. We will always try to reach you first.

12. Billing

Plans are billed every two weeks by pre-authorised debit or credit card, starting on the date your plan begins. Prices are in Canadian dollars and do not include applicable taxes.

If a payment fails we will contact you. If an amount stays unpaid for 30 days, coverage is suspended until it is settled, and we may cancel the plan.

13. Term, automatic renewal, and how to cancel

Your plan runs for 12 months and then renews automatically for further 12-month terms until you or we cancel it.

You can cancel at any time — during the first term or any renewal — by telling us in writing. Email to info@canadianenergystandard.ca counts as writing. Cancellation takes effect on the day we receive your notice, unless you ask for a later date.

• There is no cancellation fee, and no penalty for cancelling early.
• We refund any amount you have paid for coverage after the cancellation date.
• If you have had a covered repair whose cost exceeded what you have paid so far, we may recover the difference — we will set out that figure in writing before charging anything.
• Ontario: you may also cancel within 10 days of receiving your written agreement for any reason at all, and receive a full refund. This is your right under the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, and nothing here takes it away.
• Quebec: your rights under the Consumer Protection Act (RLRQ c. P-40.1) apply in full, including those relating to contracts of successive performance.

We can cancel too, on 30 days' written notice, or immediately if payment is unpaid, if access is unsafe, or if the plan is being misused. If we cancel, we refund the unused portion.

Before a renewal we write to you at least 30 days ahead with the renewal date and the price. If the price is going up, that notice says so plainly, and you can cancel before it takes effect.

14. If you move

The plan covers the address on your agreement. If you sell, you can transfer the remaining term to the buyer at no charge, or cancel under section 13. If you move to another home in our service area, we can move the plan with you once we have confirmed the equipment there is eligible.

15. Parts we replace

Any part we remove and replace under a plan becomes our property. We may use new, refurbished or functionally equivalent parts, and we choose the make and model.

16. Limits

We are not the manufacturer of your equipment and we make no promise about how it will perform. We are responsible for doing our work properly and for damage we cause through our own negligence. We are not responsible for indirect or consequential loss.

Our total liability in any 12-month term is limited to the amount you paid us for the plan in that term, except where the law does not allow that limit — and in Quebec and Ontario, consumer protection law may not allow it. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have under consumer protection legislation, or our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.

17. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms or the price for a renewal term. We will tell you in writing at least 30 days before the change takes effect, and you may cancel instead of accepting it. We will not change the terms partway through a term you have already paid for.

18. Questions, and complaints

Talk to us first — most things are a misunderstanding we can fix in a phone call.

• Phone: 613-222-6531
• Email: info@canadianenergystandard.ca

If we cannot resolve it together, you can contact the consumer protection office in your province. In Ontario that is the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery; in Quebec, the Office de la protection du consommateur.

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