A heat pump warranty in Ontario is three separate promises with three separate clocks, and a fourth layer of provincial rules sitting underneath all of them. This guide sets out what Carrier publishes, what the 90 day registration window actually costs you if you miss it, and which Ontario certificates decide who is even allowed to touch the refrigerant. It sits under our main home equipment warranty guide.

What does a heat pump warranty actually cover?

Three separate documents cover a heat pump, written by two different companies, and only one of them pays for the technician. Carrier's Canadian homeowner FAQ states the manufacturer's position in one line: "Labor is provided by the dealer/contractor for a period of time as determined by them."

What does the 90 day registration window decide?

On Carrier equipment, registering the unit within 90 days of installation is the difference between a 10 year parts warranty and a 5 year one, and it is also the condition for the unit replacement coverage. Carrier's wording on the 27VNA1 page is blunt: "Warranty period is 5 years if not registered within 90 days."

Two things are worth saying plainly about that table. The first is that the Consumer Choice trade, five parts years swapped for three labour years, is the better deal for most homeowners, because labour is the line that actually gets billed. The second is that it "is available only if the installing dealer/contractor has elected to participate in the Consumer Choice warranty program", so ask whether the company quoting you is enrolled, and ask us the same question rather than assuming. Register at Carrier's product registration portal, and check an existing unit by serial number with Carrier's warranty lookup.

Is the heat pump compressor covered, and what is unit replacement?

The compressor is covered as part of the parts warranty on every model, and on three Carrier Infinity models it is covered by something better. Carrier's 27VNA1 page describes a "10-year unit replacement limited warranty for compressor failures only, to original purchaser with timely registration, except where restricted by jurisdiction", and Carrier's Canadian heat pump listing limits that to "Models 27VNA0, 27VNA1 and 27VNA3 only."

The practical difference is large. On most equipment a failed compressor means a compressor arrives and a technician spends most of a day fitting it into a system that is already ten years old. On those three models it can mean a new outdoor unit instead. In both cases the labour is separate, and in both cases the refrigerant is yours to pay for.

Do cold-climate heat pumps get a different warranty?

No. A cold-climate heat pump carries the same terms as the rest of its series; what changes is how hard the machine works to earn them. Carrier states that the 27VNA1 maintains "100% heating capacity down to 0ºF", which is about -18 C, and supports heating operation down to -23 F, about -31 C, with cooling capability up to 125 F, about 52 C.

Those numbers are the reason registration and maintenance matter more on a heat pump than on anything else in the house. The unit heats in January and cools in July, so it accumulates roughly double the run hours of an air conditioner, and it defrosts, which cycles the outdoor coil, the fan motor and the defrost control far more often. More cycles on covered parts is exactly the situation where the difference between 10 years and 5 stops being theoretical. Our guide on how heat pumps perform in cold climates covers the performance side.

What does Ontario add on top of the manufacturer's warranty?

Ontario adds a layer of law that decides who is allowed to touch your heat pump at all, and it is the part of this subject that no national or United States guide will tell you. Refrigerant handling here is a certified job by statute, not a matter of the manufacturer's preference.

Where this applies. Every rule above is provincial, so it works identically in Mississauga, Brampton, Etobicoke, Milton, Georgetown, Caledon and Bolton. What changes by address is the escalation path: refrigerant certification is checked against one provincial card, TSSA registration against one provincial registry, and Consumer Protection Ontario takes complaints province wide. There is no municipal version of any of it, which is precisely why a contractor cannot tell you the rules are different in your town.

What voids a heat pump warranty?

Most denied claims come down to how the unit was installed, who has worked on it since, and whether it has been maintained. None of those are exotic, and all of them are visible to a technician years later.

Does a heat pump warranty cover labour?

The manufacturer's parts warranty does not, with one exception: Carrier's Consumer Choice option, where a participating dealer can offer three years of labour in place of five years of parts. Otherwise labour comes from the installing contractor, and in Ontario that is typically one to two years.

We have not published our labour term for heat pump installations, so ask us for it in writing on the quote and ask every other contractor for theirs the same way. Some Ontario companies publish considerably longer terms, and that is a real advantage worth pricing: AtlasCare, for one, advertises five years covering parts and labour on everything it installs. The whole picture, including what Ontario law makes a contractor put on the quote, is in our guide to HVAC labour warranties in Ontario. The equivalent breakdown for tankless equipment is on our Navien tankless water heater warranty page.

Do rebates change a heat pump warranty?

No, and the two run on opposite timetables, which is the only thing about rebates that belongs on a warranty page. The Home Renovation Savings program, delivered by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, states that "Pre-approval is mandatory. Installations done before approval are not eligible for rebates", so the rebate step comes before the work, while manufacturer registration comes after it, inside 90 days. Meeting one has never excused missing the other, and the amounts and rules change, so read the program terms directly rather than a contractor's summary of them. Our guide to government rebates for HVAC in Ontario is the page we keep current on the amounts.

Is a protection plan worth it on a heat pump?

The gap is labour from year two onward on a machine whose parts are covered to year ten and which runs all year. That is a longer and busier gap than a furnace or an air conditioner leaves, which is the honest case for buying cover rather than a sales line.

The possible downside, plainly: our published protection plans describe heating and cooling equipment in Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers, and they do not name heat pumps anywhere. A heat pump is both your heating and your cooling in one box, so which tier it falls under, and whether it is covered at all, is a question to get answered in writing before you subscribe rather than after. Ask us, and if the answer is no, price a third party extended warranty against it instead of buying a plan that may not apply. Our guide to maintenance plans sets out what the annual inspection is actually for.

How do I make a heat pump warranty claim in Ontario?

Call the contractor who installed it first, because manufacturer warranties are processed through dealers rather than direct to homeowners. Have five things ready before you call.

1. The model and serial number from the rating plate on the outdoor unit.
2. The installation invoice and date, which is what every term runs from.
3. Proof of registration, or a warranty lookup result, so the 10 year term is not in dispute.
4. Your maintenance records, which answer the neglect exclusion before it is raised.
5. Whether anyone else has opened the refrigerant circuit, and whether they held the certification, because that is the first thing a manufacturer will ask about.

The technician diagnoses the fault and, if it is a covered defect, orders the part through Carrier. You pay for labour, refrigerant and consumables unless a labour warranty or plan covers them, and a replacement part normally carries only the remainder of the original term rather than a fresh one. If we did not install your unit we still service most major brands: book heat pump repair or call 905-564-8545. If it simply is not running, start with why is my heat pump not working, and if you are choosing equipment, see the heat pump brands we carry and heat pump installation.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a heat pump warranty in Ontario?

On Carrier equipment the parts warranty is 10 years if the unit is registered within 90 days of installation and 5 years if it is not. The contractor's labour warranty is separate and typically runs one to two years, or three years where the dealer participates in Carrier's Consumer Choice programme.

Is the heat pump compressor covered under warranty?

Yes, as part of the manufacturer's parts warranty on every model. On Carrier's Infinity 27VNA0, 27VNA1 and 27VNA3 a compressor failure within 10 years qualifies for unit replacement rather than a compressor swap, provided the unit was registered on time and you are the original owner.

Do cold-climate heat pumps have longer warranties?

No. A cold-climate model carries the same terms as the rest of its series. What changes is the duty: it heats in winter and cools in summer, so it runs roughly double the hours of an air conditioner and defrosts regularly, which makes registration and annual maintenance matter more, not less.

Does a heat pump warranty cover labour?

The manufacturer's parts warranty does not. Labour comes from the installing contractor, usually one to two years in Ontario. Carrier's Consumer Choice option can trade five years of parts for three years of labour, but only where the installing dealer has elected to participate in that programme.

What happens if I miss the 90 day registration window?

On Carrier equipment the parts warranty drops from 10 years to 5, and the unit replacement coverage for compressor failures no longer applies because it requires timely registration. It cannot be undone afterwards, so registration is the single most valuable free thing you can do after an installation.

Who is allowed to work on a heat pump in Ontario?

Only a certified technician may remove, discharge, handle or dispose of refrigerant, under O. Reg. 463/10, and that person carries an Ozone Depletion Prevention card. Mechanical repair also requires a Certificate of Qualification in the refrigeration and air conditioning trade. Uncertified work is an offence and a warranty exclusion.

Is a heat pump warranty transferable to a new homeowner?

Carrier's stated coverage runs to the original owner on eligible equipment in eligible residential applications. If you are buying a house with a heat pump already installed, take the model and serial number and run them through Carrier's warranty lookup before you assume any coverage comes with it.

Final verdict

Register the unit inside 90 days, keep the invoice where you can find it, use certified contractors only, and get the labour term written on the quote before you sign. Those four things cost nothing and they decide almost everything about what a failure will cost you in year seven. If your heat pump is already in and you do not know its registration status, stop reading and go and look it up; that is the highest-value ten minutes available to you today.

Sources and references

1. Carrier Canada, Infinity Variable-Speed Ultimate Cold Climate Heat Pump 27VNA1. The 10 year parts option, the 5 year parts plus 3 year labour Consumer Choice alternative, the 90 day registration rule, the 10 year unit replacement for compressor failures, original owner language, and the capacity and operating temperature figures. Read August 27, 2026.
2. Carrier Canada, heat pumps listing. Unit replacement limited to models 27VNA0, 27VNA1 and 27VNA3.
3. Carrier Canada, homeowner FAQ. Labour is provided by the dealer or contractor for a period they determine.
4. Carrier product registration and Carrier warranty lookup.
5. Ontario, get a certificate to handle refrigerants. Only a certified technician may remove, discharge, handle and dispose of refrigerant, under O. Reg. 463/10; the ODP card; the separate Certificate of Qualification for mechanical repair; HRAI delivery. Read August 27, 2026.
6. Technical Standards and Safety Authority, be fuels wise. Fuel-fired appliances must be maintained by TSSA-registered contractors employing certified gas technicians.
7. Consumer Protection Ontario, your rights when starting home renovations or repairs. Written contract over $50 CAD and warranty descriptions in the contract.
8. Home Renovation Savings, heat pumps. Pre-approval is mandatory and installations done before approval are not eligible. Delivered by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy. Read August 27, 2026.
9. Aire One Peel protection plans. The published tiers, read August 27, 2026: heating and cooling tiers, with heat pumps not named.