What we install, and how to choose
Short answer: we install Navien water heaters, tank and tankless. Which one suits your home comes down to how much hot water you use at once, whether you own or rent the current unit, and whether the venting and gas line can carry a tankless heater without extra work.
Why Navien
Navien is a condensing-technology specialist, best known in Ontario for high-efficiency tankless units. A condensing water heater pulls extra heat out of the exhaust instead of sending it up the vent, which is what lifts the efficiency rating and lets the unit vent in PVC rather than metal. Exact model, rating and warranty are confirmed in writing on the estimate.
Tank or tankless?
A tank heats a fixed volume and keeps it hot around the clock. It is cheaper to install, it is the straightforward swap when an old tank fails, and it runs out if several showers overlap. A tankless unit heats water only as it flows, so it does not run out and it is not paying to keep a tank warm all night — but it costs more upfront and can need venting, gas line or electrical work that a tank does not.
In Ontario a tankless water heater typically runs $4,000 to $7,000 CAD installed, before rebates, with a UEF of 0.90 or higher on the efficient models. Figures last reviewed September 2026.
Rented or owned matters as much as the brand
Many Ontario homes have a rented water heater on a monthly contract, and the rental provider — not you — controls replacement and repair on that unit. Before you price a new heater, check whether the current one is rented, because the exit terms change the arithmetic completely. Our page on buying or financing a water heater sets out both routes.
One safety number worth knowing
Health Canada’s guidance is to store hot water at 60 °C to control bacteria, and to deliver it to the tap at no more than 49 °C to prevent scalding — which is done with a mixing valve, not by turning the tank down. If your tank is set low to protect children, a mixing valve is the correct fix.
Next steps
See water heaters for the full range, tankless water heaters for the on-demand option, and hot water tanks for sizing and replacement. Not heating, or leaking? Start with water heater repair. For the other equipment we install, see all the brands we carry.