Starting a refrigeration business in Quebec: complete guide

You have your refrigeration DEP and a few years of field experience? Here are the steps to launch your own refrigeration business in Quebec.

1. Required licences

RBQ licence (Régie du bâtiment du Québec)

• Subcategory 15 — Refrigeration systems
• Requires an exam + financial guarantee
• Mandatory for any commercial or industrial refrigeration work

Halocarbons certification

• Required to handle refrigerants in Quebec
• Exam administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
• Periodic renewal required

NEQ registration

• Quebec business number — register with the Registraire des entreprises
• Choice of legal structure: sole proprietorship, partnership, or incorporation

2. Insurance

• Professional liability — minimum $2M recommended
• Tools and equipment insurance — protects your investment
• Commercial vehicle insurance — if you use a service vehicle
• CNESST — registration is mandatory if you have employees

3. Basic equipment

• Digital manifold gauges (Testo, Fieldpiece)
• Electronic leak detector
• Clamp meter
• Contact and infrared thermometers
• Vacuum pump and charging scale
• Recovery cylinders
• Brazing tools (torch, nitrogen, silver)

4. Running your business

You've mastered the technical side. It's the management side that separates the technician who gets by from the entrepreneur who thrives:

• Work orders — document every service call (time, parts, photos)
• Invoicing — send invoices quickly with taxes (GST + QST)
• Customer follow-up — know when each customer needs maintenance
• Preventive contracts — recurring, predictable revenue
• Refrigerant logbook — legal requirement, document every charge

5. Finding your first customers

• Your network — former colleagues, DEP contacts, suppliers
• Local convenience stores and restaurants — they need regular maintenance
• Preventive contracts — offer an annual maintenance package
• Google Business Profile — show up in local searches
• Word of mouth — one happy customer refers three more

Expense categories to plan for

• RBQ licence + exams — see the RBQ website for current fees
• Insurance — liability, tools, commercial vehicle
• Tools — gauges, leak detector, vacuum pump, brazing
• Service vehicle — if you don't already have one
• Management software — to invoice, document, and track customers

Amounts vary widely depending on your situation. Contact the RBQ and an insurance broker for accurate figures.