Own It, Never Rent It
Own It, Never Rent It — Stop Renting Your Water Heater & HVAC
Across the GTA, homeowners quietly pay rental fees for years on equipment that could simply be theirs. Energy Clean does it the honest way: you own your system outright, with no contracts and no liens on your home.
Honest, local, no rentals
In Ontario, most water heaters are rented from two big providers on contracts that can cost far more than the unit is worth. Energy Clean does it differently: you own your equipment outright — no rental contract, no lien on your home, and no buyout traps.
You own it
The water heater, furnace, or heat pump is yours from day one — not leased back to you on a contract.
No contracts or liens
No multi-year rental agreement, and no notice or lien registered against your home's title.
Honest pricing
One fair price for equipment you keep — plus any Ontario rebate you qualify for. No open-ended monthly fee.
A two-company rental market — and you don’t have to be in it
~1.9M
Ontario homes estimated on an Enercare rental contract
Industry estimate
~1.7M
Ontario homes estimated on a Reliance rental contract
Industry estimate
$5M
Penalty Reliance paid in 2014 over return policies that made switching hard
Competition Bureau of Canada
Ontario's residential water-heater market is dominated by two rental providers — Enercare and Reliance — a long-standing rental duopoly.
In 2014, the Competition Bureau of Canada reached a consent agreement requiring Reliance to pay a $5 million penalty (plus $500,000 in costs) over water-heater return policies that made it difficult for customers to switch providers. — Competition Bureau of Canada
Direct Energy paid a separate $1 million penalty and exited Ontario's water-heater rental market in 2014; Enercare acquired its rental book. The Bureau noted Enercare itself was not found to have engaged in anti-competitive conduct. — Competition Bureau of Canada
Enercare has been owned by Brookfield Infrastructure since 2018.
Common homeowner frustrations with rentals include fees that climb over time, confusing buyout quotes, and contracts that outlast the equipment itself.
Renting vs. owning
The rental model vs. owning your equipment
Monthly cost
Renting
A recurring rental fee on your utility or comfort bill, often rising year over year.
Owning with Energy Clean
You buy the equipment once. When it's paid off, the payments stop for good.
Lifetime cost
Renting
Over the 10–15 year life of a unit, rental fees can total several times the price of buying it.
Owning with Energy Clean
You pay for the equipment — not an open-ended stream of fees.
Contracts & liens
Renting
Long rental contracts; historically, some providers registered a notice against the home's title.
Owning with Energy Clean
No rental contract — and no lien registered against your home.
Getting out
Renting
Ending a rental can mean a buyout amount that's hard to pin down and a return process.
Owning with Energy Clean
Nothing to buy out — the equipment is already yours.
Selling your home
Renting
A rental can complicate closing; buyers may be asked to assume the contract.
Owning with Energy Clean
Owned, paid-off equipment is a clean selling point.
Who keeps the savings
Renting
The rental provider profits from the recurring stream.
Owning with Energy Clean
You keep the savings — and any rebate on a qualifying upgrade.
Make the switch
Ready to own instead of rent?
Renting vs. owning, answered.
For most homeowners who plan to stay put, buying is the better long-term deal. Renting spreads a low monthly fee over many years, but over the 10–15 year life of a water heater those fees can total several times the cost of simply owning the unit. Owning also removes the rental contract and any claim registered against your home.
Two companies — Enercare and Reliance — dominate Ontario's residential water-heater rentals, a long-standing duopoly. In 2014 the Competition Bureau of Canada required Reliance to pay a $5 million penalty over return policies that made it hard for customers to switch providers.
A rental contract can complicate closing — the buyer may be asked to assume it, or you may need to arrange a buyout first. Equipment you own outright is simply part of the house, which keeps the sale clean and simple.
Usually yes, though it can mean navigating a buyout amount and a return process. We'll walk through your options and, if it makes sense, replace the rental with a unit you own outright — so you're done with the contract for good.
Over the life of the equipment, almost always. You pay once for the unit instead of an open-ended monthly fee — and when you buy a qualifying heat pump or heat-pump water heater you may also claim Ontario rebates that a rental never gives you.
You own it. Energy Clean sells and installs equipment you own outright — no rental contracts, no liens on your home, and no buyout traps. We quote honest pricing and show you the rebates you qualify for so you keep the savings.
Get In Touch
Done renting? Let's get you set up to own.
Book a free estimate and a local GTA advisor will price out equipment you own outright — no contracts, no liens, no buyout traps.