What sales tax applies to your fees in New Brunswick?

15% HST, as of October 2026, on fees in Canadian dollars.

Do private businesses in New Brunswick have to work in both languages?

No. The province's language law is about government services, and the Official Languages Commissioner confirms it does not oblige private firms to operate in both languages. Plenty of mechanical firms serve customers in English and French anyway, because the market rewards it.

With so many heat pumps installed, where is the opportunity?

Often in service and replacement rather than first-time installs. An installed base needs maintenance, repairs and eventual replacement, which is steadier and frequently better-margin work than chasing new installations.

Consulting for Mechanical Contractors in New Brunswick

New Brunswick's mechanical market has a feature few provinces share: heat pumps are already a mainstream primary heating system. That changes the shape of the business. Alongside new installations, there is a large and growing base of equipment that needs maintenance, repair and replacement, which is exactly the kind of recurring work that steadies a firm's year and adds value at sale.

The New Brunswick market for mechanical firms

Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Dieppe, Riverview, Quispamsis, Miramichi and Edmundston are the main centres. No single city dominates the way Toronto or Winnipeg does, so many firms serve two or three centres and the rural areas around them. Drive time is a real cost, and service-area decisions have a direct effect on billable efficiency.

Statistics Canada reports that in 2023, heat pumps were the primary heating system for 27% of New Brunswick households, while 39% used electricity as their primary heating energy and 6% wood. For a mechanical firm, that points to heat-pump service and replacement, electric and hydronic systems, and plumbing as core residential work, with commercial and institutional projects in the larger centres.

Seasons and crew planning

Expect snow and real cold every winter, and expect it to bite harder in the northern and inland parts of the province than in Saint John or along the Fundy shore. Heat pumps run hard in the coldest weeks, and that is when service calls cluster.

Because many heat pumps also cool, demand has a summer peak too. Maintenance agreements are a natural fit: a spring and autumn visit per system smooths the calendar and keeps technicians productive in shoulder months. A capacity plan shows how many agreements your crew can actually service.

A quick check: what a maintenance base is worth in crew time

Suppose you sign 400 heat-pump maintenance agreements, each with two visits a year at about an hour and a half per visit. That is 1,200 billable hours, or about 80% of one technician's year at 1,500 billable hours. Before selling agreements, check that you have that capacity in spring and autumn, and price each visit from your real cost per billable hour. An agreement sold below cost is a liability your buyer will notice.

Regulators and bodies to know

For reference only; contact them for any licensing or safety question.

For plumbing, gas, electrical and boiler work, the provincial office to know is Technical Inspection Services, which issues the related licences and permits.
WorkSafeNB provides workers' compensation; your premiums are part of the labour burden.
New Brunswick's Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages explains what the province's bilingual status does and does not require.

Programs shaping demand, as of October 2026

Save Energy NB, run by NB Power, lists home programs, including incentives for energy-saving renovations such as heating upgrades and an income-qualified stream. The provincial oil-to-heat-pump co-delivery closed to registrations on 2026-06-30. A new federal heat pump rebate was announced on 2026-10-08 and had not yet opened. Confirm current details with the administrators before quoting them.

Pricing and tax

Fees for New Brunswick clients are in Canadian dollars plus 15% HST, as of October 2026, per the CRA. See pricing.

How we would approach a New Brunswick engagement

For most firms, the opportunity is to treat the installed heat-pump base as an asset. We would look first at the service-versus-construction mix, with a maintenance agreement program modelled against your crew hours, then check pricing for service calls that involve long drives. Owners planning to sell within a few years should note that recurring agreement revenue is one of the things buyers value most; see exit planning.

We meet New Brunswick owners online by video call or in person. See all regions or contact us.

Consulting for mechanical contractors in New Brunswick