Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Who is the Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC)?
  1. Nice to meet you! The HPSC is a not-for-profit that serves as the lead industry facilitator to increase the supply and demand for BC retrofit contractors to deliver quality, affordable services for consumers that focus on whole-home performance. Check out our About page to learn more.
Q. Is it mandatory to participate in the Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN)?
  1. Currently, the HPCN is mandatory for contractors that want to be eligible for their customers to receive rebates or incentives from the CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate programs and the CleanBC Better Homes income-qualified offer (launching soon). Registration in the HPCN does not replace provincial and/or industry regulations pertaining to your sector of work and is not part of the mandatory requirements for contractors to complete work in BC.
Q. Is there a cost to register for the network?
  1. No, currently there is no cost for contractors to register with the network, although there may be fees associated with obtaining the required accreditation or qualification criteria, which contractors are responsible for. There may be a network membership fee introduced in the future.
Q. What if my company offers multiple home performance services? (For example, a renovation contractor that offers fenestration and HVAC services).

  1. Any eligible company may apply for as many sectors as they are qualified for within the HPCN. In this example, if the renovation contractor installs window and door retrofits, they are welcome to apply to the network as a fenestration contractor. If they also install HVAC retrofits, they will have the option to enroll in that sector as well and the same goes for insulation.

    A reminder that contractors must have at least 1 supervisor or lead installer complete the sector-specific qualification criteria to be eligible for each sector in the HPCN.

Q. Can I register if we subcontract out some or all of our work?

  1. Your company’s registration does not cover subcontractors. Your company must directly employ the supervisor(s) or lead installer(s) responsible for the work of the HPCN sector you are registering for.

    If your company subcontracts out some, but not all of its HPCN-relevant work, make sure your subcontractors are also registered on their own in the HPCN.

    If your company manufacturers or supplies products but entirely subcontracts the installation work, only your subcontractors, not your company, need to apply for the HPCN.

    In any case that you work with a subcontractor for HPCN-relevant work, you will need to clearly identify the name of the subcontractor on your customers’ invoices to ensure the homeowner can apply for rebates or incentives.

Q. If I register with the Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN), am I automatically eligible to participate in energy incentive programs?
  1. Currently, the HPCN is mandatory for contractors that want to be eligible for their customers to receive rebates or incentives from the CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate programs and the CleanBC Better Homes income-qualified offer (launching soon). It is the contractor’s responsibility to stay up-to-date on additional program eligibility requirements.

    The HPSC will make all reasonable efforts to educate contractors in the HPCN on the participating programs and share program updates.
Q. Can a supervisor or installer register without a contracting company?
  1. A supervisor or installer cannot register in the HPCN without an associated contracting company. Independent contractors that are registered as a business (i.e. self-employed) and complete the installation work themselves are eligible to register; they would be required to complete both the business requirements and qualifications.
    Q. What happens if a supervisor or installer qualifies under one Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN) contractor and then leaves that company?
    1. Qualified supervisors or installers will retain their qualifications if they leave a HPCN contracting company. If the person leaves a contractor and does not immediately transfer to a new company, they will remain inactive in the network and their information will be archived. At any point, if the person joins a new company that is also registered with the HPCN, they will be eligible to resume their status in the HPCN; in this case, they may be required to complete updated qualifications depending on the length of time that passes or the designation of the new company.
    Q. How were the accreditation and qualification criteria selected?
    1. Check out the Big Picture page for more information.
    Q. Is there a membership period? Will I, or my supervisors and installers, need to renew my qualifications?
    1. Currently, there is no set membership period. Contractors will be subject to ongoing management that will require all business accreditation and qualifications to remain up-to-date, both of which may incur a fee that the contractor is responsible for. As the program grows and evolves, it is also possible that additional qualifications will be introduced in the future and existing qualifications may be removed. The HPSC will always provide reasonable warning of these changes to provide contractors and their employees amble time to prepare.
    Q. Is the training mandatory and how was it selected/developed? I have completed other industry training and/or I have working in the industry for years, do I still need to take this training?
    1. Completion of the specified training is mandatory for all contractors, and their supervisor(s) and installer(s), who wish to join the HPCN. If you have previously completed a required training course before applying to the HPCN, and have a certificate of completion for it, you are not required to retake the training. When industry members proposed priority actions to support the growth of the home performance industry during the development of the Working Roadmap, they identified prescriptive training as an important factor to improve quality whole-home retrofits. The HPSC worked with industry representatives from each sector to identify training needs, complete a gap analysis of existing resources, and select existing training and/or develop new training. You can read more about the development process of the required training here.

      Mandatory training for home performance sectors can benefit all companies and individuals, across all levels and years of experience. It helps ensure that you and your company have access to the latest information and resources for retrofitting with a whole-home approach in BC. It provides greater consistency in retrofit approaches, which leads to greater customer satisfaction and a more level playing field for your business. It also helps enhance the overall reputation of the retrofit industry by increasing the quantity of well-trained retrofit contractors in BC; a strong reputation can increase support for the industry and open up new opportunities for your business.
    Q. Business is booming and it is difficult to take employees off the job site for training. Have you considered how this might impact our participation in the HPCN?
    1. Yes, we have heard from our industry members that it is not always easy to spare employees for training. The HPSC has been working, with the support of funding and program partners, to provide ample time and resources for supervisors and lead installers to complete the required training. We recognize that contractors will have varying levels of available labour and flexibility in their schedules and that some may be able to complete the training sooner than others.
    Q. Why does the HPSC require reference checks?
    1. When industry stakeholders determined a need for a retrofit network in BC, they indicated that quality assurance was an important component.Reference checks serve as one element of the HPCN’s quality assurance, helping to identify any concerns with applicants’ business practices. The HPSC also conducts industry reference checks during the reference check stage of registration and as part of ongoing management for HPCN members; these may include contacting governing and/or licensing bodies in the contractors’ service area.
    Q. The qualifications for the HVAC and insulation sectors include training that can be completed within six months of registration. What if I/we/my company does not finish the rest of the training within six months?
    1. At minimum, one employee (supervisor or lead installer) needs to complete the training requirements within the six-month deadline to maintain your HPCN membership. If the first employee you register fails to meet this deadline your account will be paused ─ temporarily removed from the public directory ─ until one employee successfully completes all required training.

      Subsequent employees that you register for the training are also expected to adhere to the six month deadline. The HPSC will initiate its resolution protocol as necessary to promote this requirement.
    Program AdministratorProgram Name and WebsiteRebate Type
    CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings Program• Windows
    • Heat Pumps
    • Insulation
    CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebates• Heat Pumps
    • Insulation
    Home Renovation Rebate Program• Heat Pumps
    • Insulation
    Home Renovation Rebate Program• Heat Pumps
    • Insulation
    FortisBC Dual Fuel Heating System Rebate• Duel Fuel Systems
    FortisBC Income Qualified Rebate Program• Heat Pumps
    • Insulation
    Home Heating System Tune Up and Smart Thermostat Program• Furnace or boiler tune-ups
    • Smart thermostat installations

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