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Straight answers
The questions people ask most about getting certified and starting and running a HVAC business in Ontario. Answered straight, with links to the official sources.
Residential is service- and sales-heavy with strong seasonality and the easiest path to your own business. Commercial/refrigeration is more technical, steadier year-round, and pays a premium — refrigeration especially. Your 313A travels across both; many do residential first, then move to commercial or refrigeration for the money and the stability.
For the full residential market, effectively yes. The ODP card is the floor for handling refrigerant. The TSSA gas ticket (G3, then G2) is what lets you touch furnaces and boilers — and most residential HVAC revenue is gas heating. Techs without gas are limited to A/C and install support.
There's a real swing: AC drives summer, heating drives the cold snaps, and the shoulder seasons (spring/fall) can be slow on the residential side. Companies smooth it with maintenance contracts, install backlog, and commercial work. It's a reason to value an employer with a strong service base — or to build one.
In peak season it can be — a heat wave or a deep freeze means furnaces and ACs fail all at once and the phone doesn't stop. It pays well, but it's the part people burn out on, which is why the senior moves are toward day-shift service management, sales, or ownership.
If you're good with people and know the equipment, the in-home sales side (selling system replacements) is where a lot of the top HVAC earners are — commission income, no more attics and rooftops. It's a real career fork: some techs love getting off the tools, others miss the wrenches.
313A is the full refrigeration & A/C certificate and opens everything; 313D is the shorter residential A/C stream that gets you working faster but narrower. If you're sure you want residential, 313D is a quicker start you can upgrade later; if you want options, go 313A.
Yes. The refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic trades (313A and 313D) are compulsory, so you need the certificate or apprentice status to do that work. Gas-fired heating work additionally requires a TSSA gas fitter certificate, and handling refrigerant requires an ODP card.
313A (Refrigeration & A/C Systems Mechanic) is full scope — residential, commercial, and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning. 313D (Residential A/C Systems Mechanic) is limited to residential A/C and heat pumps. 313D can be upgraded to 313A.
Typically a 313A or 313D certificate (or certified employees), a TSSA gas fitter ticket (G2/G3) to service gas furnaces and boilers, an ODP card for refrigerant, plus incorporation, WSIB, and ~$2M liability insurance. The gas + refrigeration + sheet metal combination is what makes HVAC one of the more credential-heavy trades.
To install or service gas furnaces, boilers, and rooftop units you need a TSSA gas fitter certificate (G3 for limited-input residential, G2 for most residential/light commercial, G1 for unlimited). Most full-service HVAC businesses hold at least G2.
The Ozone Depletion Prevention (ODP) card certifies that you are trained to handle refrigerants in compliance with environmental regulations. You generally need it to purchase refrigerant and to work on systems containing it.
A sole proprietorship is cheaper and simpler to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts and claims. Incorporating creates a separate legal entity that limits personal liability, can reduce tax once you are profitable, and reads as more credible to larger clients. Most contractors incorporate once they have employees, real revenue, or work on others' property.
Yes — construction is a mandatory WSIB sector in Ontario. Even independent operators and partners with no employees generally must register, and clients and general contractors will require a valid WSIB clearance certificate before you can work on their site.
You must register for and charge HST once your revenue exceeds $30,000 over four consecutive quarters. Many contractors register before that threshold so they can claim input tax credits on tools, materials, and vehicles from day one.
Ontario's Construction Act sets the rules: a 10% holdback on most contracts, prompt-payment timelines (you must be paid within set periods after a proper invoice), and an adjudication process for disputes. Understanding holdback, lien rights, and prompt payment is essential to protecting your cash flow.