New energy efficiency regulations and smart systems drive the HVAC industry into a new era in 2025 and beyond. Discover the latest HVAC industry trends here.
insights from 185,000+ hours of HVAC marketing experience
As consumer preferences evolve and stricter efficiency regulations take effect, businesses in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) sector must adapt to new trends. After all, these changes are opportunities to sustain their profitability and growth.
Warm up to the hottest trends shaping the HVAC industry in 2025 to remain profitable!
HVAC industry trends you must know in 2025
The global HVAC market is expected to exceed $367 billion by 2030, with a 3.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2020 and 2030. To remain relevant and competitive in 2025, let’s look at the latest HVAC industry trends:
1. Phasedown of refrigerants with high global warming potential
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), the most common refrigerants used in building air conditioning and heat pump systems today, are potent greenhouse gases. Their high global warming potential (GWP) means they accelerate climate change and pose health and environmental threats.
To transition to more sustainable solutions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a program on HFC phasedown. The phasedown aims to reduce HFC production and use by 85% in 2036.
What this HVAC trend means for businesses
HVAC companies must manage their HFC inventory to comply with the phasedown. In addition, manufacturers must disclose HFC use on their labels by January 1, 2025.
They must also start exploring and transitioning to low-GWP and natural refrigerants like hydrocarbons. This shift requires training for HVAC employees, technicians, and contractors on new refrigerants, equipment, and regulatory requirements.
2. Energy efficiency targets
Aside from the HFC phasedown, another regulatory compliance affecting HVAC businesses is new energy efficiency targets, such as:
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2 (SEER 2)
Heating Seasonal Performance Factor 2 (HSPF 2)
Beginning 2023, all HVAC systems purchased and installed should be SEER 2 and HSPF 2 certified. SEER 2 standard measures the cooling efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps. Today, the minimum SEER 2 standard is 14.0 to 14.3, depending on the U.S. region.
Meanwhile, HSPF 2 measures the heating efficiency of heat pumps during cooler seasons. The higher the figure, the more efficient a heat pump is. Split system heat pumps must have an HSPF rating of 7.5 or higher, while single-packaged heat pumps, 6.7 or higher.
What this trend means for HVAC businesses
HVAC companies must continue adapting to new energy efficiency regulations and take advantage of government incentives to create energy-efficient systems. Investing in research and development to develop safe, and energy- and cost-efficient HVAC solutions will help businesses stay ahead of their competitors.
3. Demand for better indoor air quality
The U.S. indoor air quality (IAQ) market is expected to grow to $11.9 billion by 2027. Consumers’ increasing awareness of the impact of air quality on health is driving this HVAC trend.
The Covid-19 pandemic also drew attention to ventilation and the role of HVAC systems in preventing disease transmission. Other factors that contributed to this HVAC trend are the following:
Government regulations: While EPA doesn’t regulate IAQ, states like New Jersey and California have standards that encourage the use of IAQ products and best practices.
Indoor air pollution: Dust, mold, wildfires, and emissions from household appliances affect IAQ. As more people become aware of this, they seek ways to mitigate their effects.
Respiratory health issues: Allergies, asthma, and respiratory diseases are pushing consumers to improve their homes’ IAQ.
What this HVAC trend means for businesses
This HVAC trend underscores the importance of understanding customers’ evolving needs and providing products that will address their concerns. To do so, HVAC companies must innovate quickly and incorporate new features that people need from HVAC products.
In the coming years, more HVAC systems will have more advanced filtration technologies that consumers demand and governments push for to foster healthier homes, workplaces, and buildings.
4. Smart and connected HVAC systems
Demand for smart and connected HVAC devices is expected to grow in 2025 and beyond. In fact, the smart HVAC controls market is projected to reach $25.5 billion by 2032.
A couple of factors drive the trend of smart and connected HVAC systems. First, consumers want a more comfortable, secure, and energy-efficient HVAC system at home.
Another factor contributing to smart HVAC systems is incentives. Governments are encouraging the use of energy-efficient, smart HVAC systems in residences and commercial buildings through financial incentives.
Sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) are now integrated into HVAC systems. This integration has these benefits:
Improved IAQ: An HVAC system integrated with IoT sensors can monitor IAQ and trigger actions to improve air quality when needed. The smart system can then control humidity or trigger air circulation.
What this HVAC trend means for businesses
Smart HVAC systems offer consumers convenience and energy savings. By making smart HVAC devices user-friendly, businesses can encourage their target customers to adapt their products.
5. Smart diagnostic tools
As HVAC systems become “smart” and, therefore, easy to use, consumers also expect the same convenience in their maintenance and installation. Consumers are also expecting more reliable and efficient HVAC systems.
Enter smart diagnostic tools. Smart diagnostic tools for HVAC systems can improve after-sales service quality.
Advanced fault detection and diagnostics (AFDD) technologies can identify malfunctions in HVAC systems, thus enabling proactive maintenance. These smart tools can provide real-time diagnostics and potentially improve an HVAC system’s reliability and efficiency.
What this trend means for HVAC businesses
While smart diagnostic tools make servicing HVAC systems efficient, HVAC businesses take time to adopt them.
Contractors are unaware of their benefits and functionalities, making them hesitant to use these diagnostic tools. Hardware, labor, and training for these diagnostic tools may also be costly.
HVAC contractors may also not prioritize adopting these tools because servicing current units is not as profitable as selling new units.
As we step into 2025, HVAC businesses and contractors can examine their profit structures and explore how they can incorporate smart diagnostic tools into their strategies. After all, these tools improve customer experience, fostering customer loyalty and increasing revenue in the long run.
4 HVAC marketing trends in 2025
To thrive in with these new HVAC industry trends, businesses must adapt their marketing strategies. Here are the top HVAC marketing trends in 2025:
1. Local presence will still be important to improve discoverability
“HVAC continues to be an extremely competitive industry, especially in the paid space” says Paige Y., HVAC Expert at WebFX.
To attract prospects and customers to your HVAC business in 2025, continue focusing on improving your local presence.
Expert insights from
Paige Y.HVAC Expert at WebFX
“The HVAC industry is not as impacted by AI Overviews and SERP changes as other industries. Local searches are still prevalent, so ensure your local citations are accurate.”
HVAC marketing tip to improve your local presence
Paige recommends a three-prong approach to drive prospects and customers to your business: local SEO, Google Local Service Ads (LSA), and creating helpful content for your customers.
Local SEO: Employ local SEO best practices, such as creating a Google Business Profile, encouraging reviews from your customers, and ensuring consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) across local listings.
LSA for HVAC companies: Local service ads (LSA) appear at the top of Google search results when users look for location-based services. They are excellent ways to generate quality leads for your HVAC business.
Helpful content: Publishing relevant HVAC content on your site can attract leads and nurture your relationships with them. When you provide useful content for your customers, you also demonstrate your trustworthiness and reputation as an HVAC provider.
2. Ethical marketing will drive your HVAC business’s long-term success
Ethical marketing — a strategy that communicates a business’s values of transparency, responsibility, and honesty — isn’t a new practice. However, it will become a key HVAC marketing strategy in 2025 for your business’s long-term success.
In 2024, half of the U.S. population say they are feeling the effects of climate change. You can step up and educate your audience concerned about the environment about energy-efficient HVAC systems and best practices to reduce their carbon footprint with their HVAC devices.
HVAC marketing tip for ethical marketing
Keep in mind that ethical marketing is not a trend. It’s a long-term commitment, coupled with ethical business practices, that contributes to a sustainable HVAC business. Here are tips for HVAC businesses:
Disclose accurate information about your products’ energy efficiency and regulatory compliance details
Be transparent with your product and service pricing details
Publish educational content for your audience to help them make informed choices about HVAC products and best practices
3. Customer engagement and retention are key to fostering loyalty and getting referrals
Customer relationships are more important than ever in 2025. Foster customer loyalty by engaging and building relationships with your customers. After all, a 5% increase in customer retention can double your revenue.
When you keep your customers satisfied with your HVAC products and after-sales services, you may gain a loyal customer who will refer you to their family and friends.
HVAC marketing tip for customer retention
You can employ several strategies to keep your customers happy, retain them, and make them loyal to your HVAC business:
Proactive email marketing campaigns: Use email marketing to remind them about service appointments, or to survey their feedback and needs.
Personalized communication: Once you’ve gotten to know your customers better, send them personalized messages. If they want to learn more about reducing their carbon footprint, send them more information or a link via email. If they’re interested in service discounts, notify them when you have current offers.
Referral programs: Offer incentives (such as a special discount or free merchandise) for referring a family member or friend to your business.
4. Video marketing will keep your prospects and customers engaged with your HVAC business
Video marketing isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In fact, 100 million Internet users watch a video online every day. HVAC companies can use this strategy to educate their consumers about HVAC systems and engage with their customers on what other video content they’d like to see.
HVAC marketing tip for video marketing in 2025
HVAC businesses can use video to inform and engage with their audience. Here are a few ways:
Repurpose blog content or original survey into short-form videos
Hosting an online webinar
Recording an in-person event with key highlights
Take your HVAC business to new heights in 2025
Adopting new best practices, keeping up with the latest HVAC trends, and remaining competitive in the industry is a tall order for businesses. If you need a partner to help you with your marketing efforts in 2025, consider teaming up with WebFX.
We’re a full-service HVAC digital marketing agency with 29 hours of experience helping businesses from various industries. You can count on our 500+ experts to:
Understand your business, niche, and goals
Create a custom digital strategy for your HVAC business
Monitor your marketing campaigns’ performance with our proprietary tool, RevenueCloudFX, and ensure they drive leads, sales, and ultimately, revenue for your business.
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insights from 185,000+ hours of HVAC marketing experience
