ChatGPT Is Forcing HVAC Contractors to Post Prices Online
If I told you about an HVAC contractor who, back in 2010, refused to create a website because he did not think his customers were online, you would probably shake your head and think that was a poor business decision.
Well, in 15 years, the HVAC contractor of the future might be thinking the same thing about a contractor in 2025 who refused to put HVAC product prices on their website. Why? Because AI search is changing the ways homeowners learn about HVAC contractors and equipment. If your company is not putting prices on your website, you are putting yourself at a severe disadvantage when AI is answering homeowners’ questions.
“The way homeowners research things has changed. Now there is a middleman, and that is this chat agent,” said Paul Redman, president of Contractor Commerce. “It does not matter if it is ChatGPT, Claude, or whatever other AI they are using. Consumers still want to go really far down a company’s website to get information, but they are using the AI tool to do it. Consumer behavior has changed.”
Knowing that, the real question becomes what a contractor needs to do to be best positioned to be an option as the consumer goes through this buying journey that is not as linear as it used to be.
The answer is to start putting pricing on their website. For the sake of this discussion, let’s just say a homeowner is using ChatGPT. It would not be a big leap for someone living in Chicago to type in: “How much does a new home air conditioner cost in Chicago?”
ChatGPT is going to need to pull that information from somewhere. If you are a contractor in Chicago and have your pricing posted, that place has a much better chance of being your website.
It gets better: When ChatGPT provides the answer, it is going to source the information by linking to your website and telling the user that you are an HVAC contractor.
Looking for quick answers on air conditioning, heating and refrigeration topics? Try Ask ACHR NEWS, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ACHR NEWS
“The thing people aren't necessarily thinking about is consumers may not want to leave the ChatGPT app to actually make purchases,” Redman said. “I am not suggesting that someone would buy a mini split or an HVAC system directly within ChatGPT. But this idea of doing transactions within ChatGPT is a very, very real thing. What we are doing at Contractor Commerce is helping contractors let the homeowner get that information within ChatGPT.”
So while we are not talking about buying full-blown HVAC systems through ChatGPT, we certainly might be talking thermostats or filters.
What is the goal? Step one: if someone is in Chicago and they want to know how much it would cost to put a mini split in an above-the-room garage, they need to be able to get that information from a contractor's website through ChatGPT. Step two is if they want to configure a solution by asking a couple of questions while getting a custom option — that should be able to happen within ChatGPT, too. Maybe they want to replace their outdoor unit, but are also thinking about the mini split for that garage room situation. This is all happening in a conversational way.
“That's where one of our biggest areas of focus is right now. It's, hey, let's assume the consumer is not going to leave and go to the contractor's website at this stage of the buying process. And so that's been a really good project for us,” Redman said.
A couple years ago, most contractors would give a company like Contractor Commerce a hard no. But we have begun to reach a tipping point where most realize this is the direction the buying process is going. Like that contractor in 2010 who was not really comfortable figuring out how to get a website built, the train is leaving the station, and we will see who is on board.
The big concern from contractors is that this makes it easier for consumers to price shop — which I completely get. However, to counter that, I would point to the auto industry. In the early 2000s, they started putting prices on their website, and by 2010, it was common practice. So, I ask you, have car prices gone up or down since this was done? Is there a dealership in your town that will sell a new car to you for cheap?
The reality is that consumers know there are a lot of variables when making a purchase like an HVAC system. What they are going to do is make an informed decision and invite someone out to the home who they trust. That trust-building process is done through the configuration process I outlined. These days, it is often done through ChatGPT.
This is not a stove for their house. It is not a linear installation. There are going to be questions. That's the most important part. The customer is going through that process, and you're building trust. Contractors are giving prices and some other information for the homeowner to consider so that they get invited out to the home.
And these days, that starts with meeting modern customers where they are at and putting prices on the website.
