Trade news that actually matters.

Ontario’s heat-pump rebates run up to $7,500–$12,000 — and only registered contractors can submit

Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings program pays homeowners up to $7,500 for cold-climate air-source heat pumps and up to $12,000 for geothermal — and applications go through HRS-registered contractors only. If you're in HVAC and not registered, every competitor who is becomes the easier choice. Deadlines and program windows shift — check the program site before quoting it to customers.

Do this: get registered, then put “rebate-registered” on your Google listing, website and quotes. It's a closing tool, not paperwork.

Your Google Business Profile now powers your pay-per-lead ads

Since mid-2025, Local Services Ads reviews live entirely in your Google Business Profile — and your profile's rating and review volume now directly affect your ad ranking. A verified profile is already mandatory to run LSAs at all. Translation: the free listing and the paid ads are now one system, and reviews are its fuel. (Our review playbook is free.)

“Google Guaranteed” is gone — meet the blue checkmark

In late 2025 Google retired the Google Guaranteed and Google Screened badges and replaced both with a single Google Verified blue checkmark. If your truck wrap, website or estimates still say “Google Guaranteed”, update the wording — homeowners are already seeing the new badge in search.

Tablet-in-the-driveway review asks are now a violation

Google's 2026 review-policy refresh formally bans review quotas for techs, asking customers to mention an employee by name, and on-premises pressure — including the classic “scan this before I leave” tablet move. Penalty: wiped reviews, possibly a suspended profile. Asking honestly at the moment of thanks is still allowed — and still works best.

Google now ranks you lower if you answer the phone slowly

Local Services Ads now track whether you answer, how fast, and whether the call lasts long enough to be a real conversation — and slow answerers get worse placement and pay more per lead. Unanswered phones now cost you twice: the lost job AND the ranking. (This is exactly the leak our follow-up automation plugs.)