FortisBC Gas boiler rebate for commercial and industrial process heat

The Gas boiler rebate pays $9 per MBH, up to $45,000 per installation, where 1 MBH equals 1,000 British thermal units per hour. The amount is determined by the size of the boiler in MBH and its thermal efficiency. To be eligible, a new boiler must have a thermal efficiency of 90 per cent or greater, and it must be certified and included on the ENERGY STAR certified boiler list or the AHRI certified commercial boilers list, in the applicable tables for boilers 300 MBH or greater, at the time of purchase as evidenced by the date on the proof of purchase. A boiler certified after the purchase date is not eligible.

The application must be submitted with supporting documentation no later than 365 days after the purchase date shown on the paid invoice. FortisBC advises contacting the key account manager to confirm eligibility before buying or installing, which is the safest way to avoid ordering a boiler that does not appear on the eligible lists.

This is the part of the program most often misunderstood. The boilers must be used to meet the site's process heating needs. Boilers installed to meet other needs, such as space heating, service hot water, domestic hot water, pool heating, backup or standby or secondary boilers, are not eligible. FortisBC states plainly that only commercial and industrial customers that use gas for process heat, such as food processors and greenhouses, are eligible for boiler rebates, and that boilers used for space or domestic water heating are not eligible.

That means a restaurant boiler making hot water, a strata building boiler heating suites, or a secondary standby boiler at a plant all fall outside the program, even though they are gas boilers. The program is aimed at process loads where the boiler is part of production, sanitation or another industrial function.

Applicants must be FortisBC gas customers under any rate class except Rate 1, which is the residential rate. They must be the property owner or a long-term leaseholder of an existing commercial building, or a builder, developer or property owner of a new commercial construction project. The application window is 365 days from the purchase date on the paid invoice.

Because Rate 1 is excluded and process heat is required, this program does not apply to homes or to commercial space heating. Boilers.ca documents it because property managers and commercial owners ask about it, and because it is the only FortisBC program named specifically for gas boilers.

The process starts before purchase: ensure the boiler planned is an eligible model, and if there are questions, contact FortisBC before buying and installing. A gas or mechanical contractor licensed with Technical Safety BC installs the boiler; FortisBC maintains a contractor directory. The rebate application is completed online and must include the supporting documents described below.

Thermal Energy Service Provider (TESP) customers are subject to administration fees that are deducted from the rebate: $825 for evaluation of the rebate application and $490 for evaluation of eligibility for the right-sizing bonus. If the fees equal or exceed the rebate, the net rebate is $0.

The rebate application must include a paid invoice showing the purchase date, product type, quantity, make, model number and total cost before taxes. For new construction projects, FortisBC accepts, as an alternative, proof of payment in the form of a final progress draw invoice for the new building, plus engineer-approved shop drawings that indicate the job name and site address as proof of make and model of the eligible boilers.

Keeping the invoice and the certification listing evidence together matters, because the program ties eligibility to the certification status at the time of purchase and to the efficiency printed for the specific model. The terms and conditions for the commercial product rebate are published on the same page.

For an industrial site replacing a process boiler, this rebate can offset a meaningful share of the equipment cost: a 5,000 MBH eligible boiler would calculate at the $45,000 cap, while smaller process boilers earn proportionally at $9 per MBH. The 90 per cent thermal efficiency floor also means the replacement is a condensing-class boiler, which brings venting, condensate and gas supply considerations into the project scope.

The sequencing rule is simple: confirm the model is on the eligible list and speak to the FortisBC key account manager before the purchase order is issued. Once the boiler is bought, certification obtained later does not make it eligible. ROMA Heating & Cooling's residential replacement work does not use this program, but the same documentation discipline, model numbers, invoices and permit records, applies to every rebate application a homeowner or building owner files.