The HPSC has been made aware of companies promoting their retrofit services through door-to-door sales and of companies acting as lead generators, selling leads for business to other companies. Some aspects of these actions do not align with the HPCN Code of Conduct. The HPSC has outlined further guidance below.

Any HPCN members found to be noncompliant with the following guidelines will be subject to the Contractor Management protocols, which may include suspension of their membership.

Door-to-door sales

When conducting door-to-door sales, HPCN members must adhere to the following. Your employees and business must:

• Always be transparent with potential customers. This includes:
  • Clearly identifying yourself as an independent business that is not affiliated with government or utility rebate programs.
    • For permitted language on how to inform customers that you are an HPCN member and what that means for rebate eligibility, your company admin can view the HPCN Membership guide.
  • Do not imply that the person or company selling the product and service has exclusivity or is the only company that can provide it.
  • Do not make promises of "free" products in relation to rebate programs.
  • Do not claim that the rebates are time sensitive e.g., "You must do this within 48 hours, or you will miss out".
  • Always direct homeowners to official rebate program websites or contact information and inform them of their responsibility to confirm their eligibility and submit their own rebate documents.
  • Not collect personal information beyond what is required for the retrofit job. For example, do not ask for income documents to verify eligibility for income-based rebate programs.
  • Not use pressure sales tactics such as short-term pricing deals. Your quotes should be honoured for the industry-standard 30 days at a minimum.

Businesses must follow all Canadian and provincial laws related to sales. The following resources may be useful in understanding these requirements.

• Consumer Protection Act -- DIRECT SELLERS REGULATION
• Door-to-door sales: what needs to be in your contract

Lead generation (companies selling or buying leads)

HPCN members should be involved in the entire sales to installation pipeline of their retrofit work. This is in line with the objectives of home performance which require homeowner education, right-sizing, commissioning, and excellent customer service. If these steps are broken up across different companies, it is challenging to maintain commitment to home performance and quality workmanship which could inadvertently harm your business's reputation (and your HPCN membership). Therefore, it is not recommended to work with lead generation companies.

However, if an HPCN member chooses to buy or sell leads for work, they must adhere to the following.

• The lead may only consist of contact details of homeowner(s) interested in learning more about retrofit upgrades. The lead cannot be a quote for work.
• The homeowner must clearly understand that they are being transferred from the lead generating company to the company responsible for quoting and installation.
• Working with the lead generating company must not result in an increase to the cost of service to the homeowner.

Businesses must follow all Canadian and provincial laws related to sales. The following resources may be useful in understanding these requirements.

• Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act