What should a West Kelowna homeowner ask a heating service company?

Before calling, decide whether the visit is for diagnosis, maintenance, repair, replacement, or installation. Record the fuel or energy source, equipment type, manufacturer and model if visible, thermostat symptoms, unusual sounds or odours, filter condition, and what changed. A symptom record helps each company respond to the same question; it does not diagnose the appliance or prove that replacement is necessary.

West Kelowna's permit page says permits are required for most projects on private property and that the owner or an authorized contractor or agent is responsible for required building permits before work begins. The page also includes an Alterations and Improvements route. Treat a heating project as a complete scope: note whether it changes a gas line, vent, electrical connection, wall, opening, support, drainage, or another building component. Ask the City or responsible trade authority before relying on a generic statement that an equipment change needs no approval.

• West Kelowna requires permits for most private-property projects, according to its current building page.
• Property owners or authorized contractors are responsible for required building permits before work begins.
• Write the requested service, equipment details, access limits, and observed symptoms in one project brief.

Heating work can touch more than the appliance. Technical Safety BC says gas installation permits are required for licensed contractors installing regulated gas equipment or gas systems. Its process includes a gasfitter notification of completion, installation, or alteration after each phase, and it says changed scope may need an amendment before final inspection. Ask the contractor to identify whether the visit is gas equipment work, replacement, piping or venting alteration, or a service call.

Electrical equipment can create a separate permit question. Technical Safety BC says licensed contractors and homeowners installing electrical equipment require electrical installation permits, with a compliance declaration and inspection request in its process. Its gas-licence guidance says regulated gas work must be performed by a licensed person, an employee of a licensed contractor, or someone authorized to perform it. Treat these as authority checks, not proof of any company's current status.

• Ask who holds each gas or electrical permit and who requests the applicable inspection or completion record.
• Separate City building questions from Technical Safety BC gas and electrical responsibilities.
• Verify the contractor's current regulated-work qualification directly with the responsible authority.

Build comparable quotes by asking each contractor to respond to the same scope. For diagnosis, request the diagnostic charge, tests, likely repair, parts assumptions, labour, return visit, and authorization limit. For maintenance, ask what inspection, cleaning, adjustment, and written report are included. For replacement, request equipment make and model, fuel, capacity rationale, thermostat or controls, duct or vent changes, condensate management, electrical or gas coordination, removal, disposal, startup, commissioning, warranty, maintenance instructions, and exclusions. None of those requested fields alone guarantees performance or fit.

Compare quote boundaries rather than a headline total. Ask what happens if hidden damage, unsafe venting, inadequate electrical service, corroded connections, or access restrictions are found. Require a written change process and identify whether permit applications, inspection booking, corrections, equipment documentation, and finish repair are included. TradeList public HVAC matches are a starting point for questions only; they do not verify availability, licensing, insurance, price, workmanship, or project outcome.

• Compare the same diagnosis, equipment, labour, permit, startup, restoration, warranty, and exclusion categories.
• Require written assumptions and a change-order process for concealed or unsafe conditions.
• Ask what service report, equipment record, and maintenance instructions are included at handoff.

Before work starts, ask how a cold-weather failure or safety issue will be handled and who to call outside business hours. Do not open live electrical equipment or change gas connections yourself. If a project includes permit-controlled building or plumbing work, West Kelowna says inspections must be scheduled before related work is concealed. Keep inspection readiness, access, and responsibility for corrections in the written scope.

A gas odour is an emergency question, not a routine service appointment. FortisBC says a rotten-egg smell could indicate a gas leak and directs people to go outside, then call its 24-hour emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 or call 911. At handoff, request the service report, equipment model and serial numbers, operating and maintenance instructions, permit or notification records, inspection outcomes, approved changes, warranty documents, and unresolved items.

• Confirm safe shutdown instructions and emergency boundaries before a technician leaves the property.
• Keep permit, notification, inspection, service, equipment, warranty, and approved-change records together.
• Write down unresolved work, the responsible person, and the next follow-up date before close-out.