FortisBC has rejected multiple applications for $10,000 heat pump rebates because of a temporary lapse in the necessary certification of a major Lower Mainland contractor.
The CBC has learned the rebates of as many as 200 Moore and Russell customers have been jeopardized by a situation that has resulted in complaints and one small claims lawsuit from people who claim they were guaranteed they would qualify for money they were later denied.
“I’m not stoked about it, that’s for sure. I’m definitely pissed off,” said Jeff Thompson, a North Vancouver man who has spent the past four months trying to figure out who to blame for the rejection of the rebate for his new heat pump.
“I would say be wary of Fortis rebates and who you hire. It turns out it’s not a straightforward process.”
Thompson is one of thousands of British Columbians who have taken advantage of rebates offered by FortisBC and the province in recent years to encourage homeowners to replace their old heating and cooling systems with high-performance electric heat pumps.
The program has become so popular the province announced plans this week to expand the program this summer to include individual suites in multi-unit residential buildings.
But in order to qualify for a rebate, customers need their heat pump to be installed by a contractor certified with B.C.’s Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN), a database of retrofit contractors that meet specified trade designation and training qualifications.
Moore and Russell was certified with the HPCN at the time Thompson agreed to pay the company $20,000 to install his dual fuel pump. And they are certified today.
But the HPCN paused the company’s certification from March 5 to May 31 — something Thompson says he only learned about after submitting his rebate application.
“I was horrified,” said Thompson, who told the CBC the offer of a rebate was the main reason he had decided to go with a heat pump in the first place.
“It was a huge part because it’s half the value of what the install was.”
Moore and Russell general manager Jeremy Slater says he only learned the company’s certification had been put on pause in May after complaints started coming across his desk.
He says the problem dates back to the departure of an employee late last year. The HPCN requires all technicians to be up to date on four courses involving the basic principles of HVAC technology.
“When that person left, we needed to qualify somebody else with those courses with them, and the deadline for having that done lapsed,” Slater said.
He says the Home Performance Contractor Network sent an email saying the company’s account had been put on pause, but claims the email hit a firewall. Regardless, Slater says he never received it.
“And HPCN doesn’t have a process — even still — to follow up or confirm with a contractor when they put them on hold. They just expect that we would get the email.”
Despite the change in status, Slater says the company was still listed as a qualified contractor on FortisBC’s rebate application menu, which is why customers like Thompson were even able to apply for a rebate in the first place.
“So there was no way that a customer could have known that we were put on pause, and there’s no way that we could have known we were put on pause, unless we had actually received the email,” he said.
“Which is concerning for us at Moore and Russell because this could still be going on with other contractors and other homeowners purchasing heat pump equipment from Fortis and any of the rebate programs, as HPCN actually provides governance for all of the rebate programs in B.C.”
Slater says rebates worth a total of up to $1.5 million could be on the line for as many as 200 of his customers.
One of those customers filed a small claims lawsuit against Moore and Russell earlier this month, seeking $10,000 compensation for the heat pump rebate they were denied.
“After the installation, FortisBC rejected my rebate application, stating that Moore & Russell was not a certified HPCN contractor, which was a requirement for eligibility,” the lawsuit reads.
“Had I known this, I would have chosen a different contractor.”
Coquitlam homeowner Desmond Saisitthidej says FortisBC also denied his rebate because of Moore and Russell’s HPCN certification.
“I think it’s really frustrating,” he said.
“I think a lot of us did this in good faith, knowing that the rebate was available, knowing Moore and Russell had previously done this and that Fortis had previously paid out — and then to get caught in the quagmire between the two … It’s going to turn me off in the future.”
FortisBC says the company is dedicated to providing rebates and incentives to adopt higher-efficiency technology.
“We are aware of the concerns raised by customers regarding their rebate applications due to the standing of Moore and Russell’s membership with the Home Performance Contractor Network,” said corporate communications advisor Lauren Beckett.
“We appreciate our customers’ understanding, and we are reviewing the matter.”
In a statement, the HPCN said members are required to assign a company administrator as a sole contact for membership-related information.
“Company administrators are notified by email if there is a concern with their membership status and provided with instructions and a deadline to rectify the situation as appropriate — this includes multiple follow-up emails,” the statement said.
“They can also see their membership status at any time in the HPCN Portal.”
Saisitthidej and Thompson say they hope FortisBC will ultimately pay out the rebate to customers who feel they are paying for someone else’s mistake.
Slater says he has been in talks with both HPCN and FortisBC.
“I would expect that, in the spirit of the program overall, they would honour those rebates for our customers,” he said.
Slater says he has made changes to avoid a repeat of the problems leading up to the lapse in Moore and Russell’s certification, but he also feels FortisBC and HPCN need to address communications issues that saw customers left in the dark about their status.
“I would want to know what are we going to do differently so this never happens again,” he said.
“If a consumer goes to their website and sees a contractor listed, they have to know when they click on it and apply for the rebate that they’re in good standing and that didn’t happen this time. So, how are we going to change that and ensure that checks and balances are in place to protect consumers?”
