How Much Do
HVAC Leads Cost?
Published rates run from $55 to $234 per lead depending on the vendor and the market you're in. Here's what each channel actually costs, and how to convert that into the only number that matters — cost per booked install.
Cost Per Lead
by Channel
"Cost per lead" means different things across these channels, which is most of why comparison is hard. A pay-per-lead vendor charges for a delivered phone call. Google Ads charges for a click that may never call. A flat-fee data subscription charges nothing per lead at all.
| Channel | Typical cost | Billed on | Exclusive? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-per-lead services | $55–234 / lead | Delivered call or form | Varies by vendor |
| Google Local Services Ads | $40–120 / lead | Delivered call | No |
| Google Ads (search) | $8–30 / click | Click | n/a |
| Direct mail | $0.45–1.20 / piece | Piece mailed | Yes |
| Canvassing | $15–40 / appointment | Labor hours | Yes |
| Local SEO | $0–1,500 / mo | Flat or agency fee | Yes |
| Replacement demand data | Flat monthly | Subscription | Yes, by territory |
Ranges reflect published vendor rates and commonly reported contractor figures for 2025–2026. Treat them as directional; your own market will differ. The Local Services Ads number is also about to move: starting October 1, 2026, Google bills any connected call over 20 seconds whether or not it's answered.
The table above shows variance by market, not by time — and contractors report the second kind is worse. Marketplace leads that ran $25–45 in-season have been reported climbing past $300 in slow season, on the same platform, for the same contractor. A per-lead price that moves against your cash flow is a different problem than a per-lead price that's merely high, and it's the reason a flat monthly rate is worth comparing even when it looks more expensive on a good week.
What the Lead
Sellers Charge
Several vendors publish pricing openly, which makes them a useful benchmark even if you never buy from them.
| Vendor | Published rate | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 99 Calls | $54.99 / lead | Exclusive, flat rate, no contract |
| Service Direct | ~$112 avg (US, Q1 2023) | Pay-per-call, rate varies by market |
| 33 Mile Radius | Quoted per market | Exclusive live calls |
| Modernize | Quoted per market | Marketplace, replacement-focused |
Market matters more than vendor. Service Direct publishes average cost per billable call by region, and the spread is wide. Among the regions listed here it runs from $55 in Missouri to $234 in Austin — same product, same company. These are Q1 2023 averages, highest cost first.
| Region | Avg cost per lead (Q1 2023) |
|---|---|
| Austin, TX | ~$234 |
| Colorado | ~$183 |
| Florida | ~$176 |
| Arizona | ~$155 |
| Texas (statewide) | ~$150 |
| Dallas, TX | ~$143 |
| Nevada | ~$135 |
| United States | ~$112 |
| Georgia | ~$109 |
| Washington | ~$99 |
| Southern California | ~$98 |
| North Carolina | ~$92 |
| Illinois | ~$79 |
| Louisiana | ~$68 |
| Missouri | ~$55 |
Source: Service Direct, “How Much Do Service Direct HVAC Calls Cost?” (Feb 2023), averages for billable HVAC phone leads, Q1 2023. The post states only the US, Texas, Dallas and Austin figures in text. The rest are read off the regional map in the same post, whose markers are unlabeled, so each is placed by the state it sits in. A few markers sit near state borders or in no clear state and are left out, including the map's lowest (~$36, Northeast). These figures are more than three years old and priced on one vendor's platform: use them to see how far prices move by region, not as a current quote.
A newer, rougher cut. A May 2026 guide from Elevarus, a lead-generation agency, sorts metros by how many contractors bid on the same shared lead. Its author calls the bands “directional bands from vendor audits, not published benchmarks,” so read it as a ranking, not a quote. It prices shared leads, so the dollars aren't comparable to the exclusive pay-per-call averages above.
| Competition | Shared lead, typical | Buyers per lead | Example metros |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | $75–120 | 4–7 | Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles |
| Mid | $50–80 | 2–4 | Charlotte, Nashville, Kansas City, Indianapolis |
| Lowest | $30–55 | 1–2 | Birmingham, Knoxville, Boise, Tulsa, Spokane |
Source: Elevarus, “Why a $45 HVAC Lead in Knoxville and a $95 HVAC Lead in Phoenix Have the Same Booked-Job Math in 2026” (May 19, 2026). Elevarus sells lead generation, so it has a stake in the answer.
The Only Number
That Matters
Cost per lead is a vanity metric. Cost per booked install is the number that decides whether a channel is profitable, and it depends entirely on your close rate.
| Cost / lead | Close rate | Cost / booked job | As % of a $9,000 install |
|---|---|---|---|
| $55 | 20% | $275 | 3.1% |
| $55 | 35% | $157 | 1.7% |
| $143 | 20% | $715 | 7.9% |
| $143 | 35% | $409 | 4.5% |
| $234 | 20% | $1,170 | 13.0% |
| $234 | 35% | $669 | 7.4% |
Two things fall out of that table. First, your close rate moves the economics more than the lead price does — going from 20% to 35% cuts acquisition cost per job nearly in half at every price point. Second, shared leads get expensive fast in high-cost markets: at Austin rates and a 20% close, you're spending 13% of the job on acquisition before you've paid for equipment or labor.
Worth noting that shared leads structurally cap your close rate. If the same inquiry went to three contractors, you're one of three quotes and 33% is a ceiling, not a target.
The flat-fee comparison. A $1,500 monthly subscription costs about the same as ten purchased Dallas leads — which, at a 25% close rate, is roughly two or three booked jobs. The difference is that the subscription doesn't stop at ten: it covers every zip code in the metro, every week, and nobody else in your territory has it. Here's how replacement intelligence compares with marketplaces and agencies.
Common Questions
How much does an HVAC lead cost?
Between roughly $55 and $234 per lead in 2026, depending on vendor and market. 99 Calls publishes a flat $54.99 for exclusive leads. Service Direct's published Q1 2023 averages run from about $55 in Missouri to $234 in Austin, with $112 nationally, $150 across Texas and $143 in Dallas.
Why are HVAC leads more expensive in some cities?
Lead price tracks local advertising competition and search volume. Metros with many contractors bidding on the same replacement keywords push cost per lead up. Service Direct's own published Q1 2023 figures show Austin at roughly $234 against a national average near $112.
What is a good cost per booked HVAC job?
Most contractors target acquisition cost under about 5% of job value. On a $9,000 install that is $450 per booked job, which at a 25% close rate means paying no more than roughly $110 per lead.
Are exclusive HVAC leads worth paying more for?
Usually yes, because shared leads cap your close rate. If an inquiry goes to three contractors you are one of three quotes, so a third is your ceiling. An exclusive lead at twice the price can still produce a lower cost per booked job.
Stop Paying
Per Lead
Flat monthly rate, every residential zip in your market ranked by replacement demand, refreshed every Monday. Seats are capped by market size — more room in major metros, less in smaller ones.
See Pricing →