How to Get More HVAC Leads (2026): 10 Channels by Speed + Cost

How to Read This List

Speed = how quickly a channel can produce a booked job from a cold start.

Cost = realistic all-in cost per lead, including your time where relevant.

Best for = the business stage or goal where that channel has the highest ROI.

These channels are not ranked by prestige. They're ranked by how quickly a typical single-location HVAC business can activate them and book real work.

1) Text Your Past Customers

Speed: Same day
Cost: Near zero
Best for: Any business with 6+ months of job history

This is the fastest lead channel and the most underused. You already have a list of homeowners who paid you and trusted you. Seasonal outreach to that list can produce booked jobs within hours.

The message can stay simple: "Hey, it's [Name] from [Company]. AC season is picking up. If you'd like your annual tune-up before the rush, reply and I'll get you on the calendar."

Most teams don't execute this consistently because manual list pulls and sending are easy to postpone. ServiceHub's seasonal broadcast feature schedules these campaigns in advance so they run on time without manual effort.

What to do this week: pull customers from the last 24 months, segment by equipment/service type, and send a seasonal check-in. Repeat twice per year or automate it in ServiceHub.

2) Google Business Profile (Local Pack)

Speed: 2-6 weeks
Cost: Free + maintenance time
Best for: Every HVAC business

Local Pack visibility for "AC repair near me" is one of the highest-ROI assets in local HVAC. Most profiles underperform because they are incomplete or stale.

Complete all fields, add real team/vehicle photos, post updates regularly, and request reviews after every job. Review volume and recency matter more than perfect score alone.

Consistency is the issue. ServiceHub can trigger review request SMS automatically when a job is completed, so review growth is systematic instead of occasional. See the full 5-step review workflow.

What to do this week: compare your profile against a higher-ranking competitor and close the top 3 gaps (usually photos, review count, or service descriptions).

3) Google Local Services Ads (LSAs)

Speed: 3-7 days
Cost: $25-$80 per lead
Best for: Businesses ready for paid high-intent demand

LSAs appear above standard ads and Local Pack, and you pay per lead contact. Lead intent is usually high, and close rates are often stronger than broader paid channels.

You still need verification, license and insurance alignment, and enough review strength to stay competitive. Budget caps matter in peak season.

What to do this week: check eligibility in Google LSAs and start verification if your licensing and insurance are current.

4) Google Search Ads (PPC)

Speed: 24-48 hours launch
Cost: $50-$150+ per booked lead depending on market
Best for: Teams with budget and fast lead response

Search Ads offer more control than LSAs (keywords, copy, landing pages), but can burn budget when targeting is too broad.

Top HVAC campaigns stay tight: service-specific intent terms, narrow geos, and landing pages matched to ad intent. Results depend heavily on rapid response and disciplined negative keyword control.

What to do this week: pull your search term report and add irrelevant terms as negatives. Many teams reduce wasted spend 20-30% immediately.

5) Nextdoor and Neighborhood Referrals

Speed: 1-2 weeks
Cost: Free to low
Best for: Residential-focused suburban businesses

Nextdoor recommendations work because trust is local and social. Neighbor validation often outperforms generic ad trust.

Claim your profile, then ask satisfied homeowners for explicit Nextdoor recommendations, not just reviews. Paid neighborhood sponsorship can also perform well in select markets.

What to do this week: claim your profile and ask your last 10 happy customers for Nextdoor recommendations.

6) HVAC Maintenance Agreement Holders

Speed: Same day to 1 week
Cost: Near zero
Best for: Any business with maintenance agreements

Maintenance customers are your most underworked revenue base: easier upsells, higher repeat repair probability, and better referral behavior.

Two high-value motions: seasonal outreach and equipment-age targeting (for replacement or efficiency consults).

ServiceHub stores equipment age and service history per customer so you can filter and trigger targeted campaigns without manual spreadsheet work. See the maintenance renewal workflow.

What to do this week: flag all maintenance customers with systems older than 10 years and run an assessment-focused outreach sequence.

7) Referral Partner Network (Plumbers, Electricians, Agents)

Speed: 2-8 weeks to establish, then recurring
Cost: Low
Best for: Long-term lead infrastructure

Adjacent trades and real estate stakeholders see HVAC issues first. Warm referrals from these partners close at higher rates than cold leads.

This only works when managed as a relationship system: follow-up, reciprocity, and consistent partner communication.

What to do this week: reach out to five potential partners with a direct reciprocal-referral ask.

8) Facebook and Instagram Ads

Speed: 3-5 days launch, 2-3 weeks optimization
Cost: $20-$60 per lead at steady state
Best for: Teams with real creative assets and defined service area

Meta is interruption-based, not search-based. Creative hook quality drives outcomes more than the offer itself.

HVAC creatives that work: before/after jobs, real technician videos, and seasonal urgency. Retargeting generally produces stronger economics than cold audiences.

What to do this week: test one short real technician/team video with a seasonal offer in your core service zip codes.

9) Organic SEO and Blog Content

Speed: 3-9 months
Cost: Time-heavy upfront, low CPL at scale
Best for: Long-term growth builders

SEO is slowest to start but strongest in compounding economics. Useful, local, intent-matched content can deliver leads for years.

Prioritize core service pages and city variants first, then add informational posts around high-intent homeowner questions.

What to do this week: search your top three high-ticket services in your city. If you're not on page one, prioritize the highest-margin service page first.

10) Home Service Marketplaces (Angi, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor)

Speed: Immediate
Cost: $30-$100+ per lead, often shared with competitors
Best for: New businesses needing short-term volume

These platforms can produce quick volume but often with weaker economics and lower close rates due to multi-contractor competition.

Use marketplaces as a bridge, not a foundation. Convert every won job into direct relationship assets (reviews, repeat contact, reactivation list).

What to do this week: calculate 90-day cost per booked job. If above target, shift a test budget toward LSAs and compare 30-day outcomes.

The Lead Response Problem Most Businesses Ignore

Lead generation is only half the equation. Slow response destroys conversion regardless of channel quality. Contacting within 5 minutes consistently outperforms delayed follow-up.

For HVAC, this matters most on emergency demand. If an AC breakdown lead arrives at night and receives no response, the job is often gone by morning.

ServiceHub handles this with instant after-hours SMS acknowledgment plus clear next-step expectations, keeping leads warm until live follow-up. See the full after-hours lead response workflow.

Putting It Together With ServiceHub

Channels produce leads. Systems produce revenue. What matters is what happens after a lead arrives: response speed, quote consistency, follow-up cadence, review capture, and reactivation.

ServiceHub is built for this loop: lead capture → quote → job → review → reactivation, running in the background while your team handles delivery.

If you want to compare your options, review HVAC software comparisons or start from the workflow view in your trial.

Keep Reading

Improve response speed with the after-hours lead response workflow.

Increase trust and visibility with the Google review playbook.

Compare tools in the HVAC software comparison guide.