Reliance Home Comfort is a residential services company in Canada primarily focused on rental, sales and maintenance of water heaters and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The company has its largest base of operations in Ontario, but also has offices in western Canada. It serves 1.7 million customer households across Canada.
Reliance has its origins in the storage water heater rental business formerly owned by natural gas utility Union Gas, which served much of Ontario. Reliance's main Ontario competitor, Enercare, has a similar origin as the rental business of Toronto-area utility Consumers' Gas. (The utility operations of both Union and Consumers' are now part of Enbridge.)
In addition to water heater rentals (and sales in some areas), Reliance sells, rents, installs, and maintains furnaces and air conditioners. It also offers maintenance and repair plans for heating and cooling systems, as well as for plumbing and electrical systems.
Although not specific to Reliance, the water heater rental business model has been noted as being a poor value for many consumers. The federal Competition Bureau has noted that purchasing a water heater outright "can result in substantial savings over time" compared to rental. However, Reliance and other rental companies argue that because their rentals include maintenance, including replacement parts and labour, they can provide peace of mind for consumers.
