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HVAC Industry Benchmarks 2026: What the Data Actually Shows

> This is a short roundup. Each figure below is covered in more depth — with worked examples, > checklists, and what to do if your shop is off the mark — in a dedicated guide: > the HVAC KPIs every shop owner should track > (all ten numbers plus a monthly scorecard), > flat-rate vs time and materials, > maintenance agreements, > getting more Google reviews, and > what it costs when a tech quits.

A quick look at four published findings that come up most often when owners compare notes on pricing, agreements, reviews, and hiring.

Flat-rate pricing vs. everything else

ACCA's Contractor of the Future study, surveying 1,000+ HVACR contractors, found that shops using flat-rate pricing for service calls average 7% net profit, versus 4% for shops using other pricing methods (time-and-material, mixed, etc.) — nearly double. Source: ACCA HVAC Blog, "Inside the Contractor of the Future Study: Key Findings from 1,000+ Contractors"

The same study found close rates improve by 11% when financing is offered on every job, not just when a customer asks for it. Source: same ACCA study

Maintenance agreements are the backbone, not the upsell

Market research from Mordor Intelligence's U.S. HVAC Services Market report, as cited by ACCA's blog, puts recurring service agreements at roughly 55% of total HVACR industry revenue. If agreements are a minor line item in your shop, you're an outlier — worth asking why. Source: ACCA HVAC Blog, "Strategies for Increasing Service Agreement Sales"

Reviews decide who even gets called

BrightLocal's 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey (1,141 US consumers) found:

  • 75% of consumers "always" or "regularly" read online reviews before choosing a local business; only 3% never do.
  • 71% won't consider a business rated under 3 stars.
  • 59% want to see at least 20-99 reviews before they trust the average rating.

Star count and review volume both matter — a 4.9 with 6 reviews reads as less trustworthy than a 4.6 with 80. Source: BrightLocal, "Local Consumer Review Survey 2024"

The tech shortage is real, and it's not slowing down

The BLS projects employment of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035 — much faster than the average occupation — with about 40,600 openings projected per year nationally (growth plus replacement need). Good techs have options; if your hiring pipeline depends on job-board posts alone, you're competing for the same shrinking pool as everyone else. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers"

Your shop versus the national numbers

None of these published figures show what a shop your size, in your market, actually charges or pays. The anonymous Owner Numbers survey fills that gap with a quick snapshot on tickets, close rate, tech pay, and lead cost.