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RESEARCH REPORTApril 2026

Florida HVAC AI Visibility Study

97% of HVAC companies appeared on just one AI platform. The worst fragmentation we've measured.

Last updated: April 2026

2,123

Businesses Analyzed

5

AI Platforms Tested

10

Florida Metros

746

AI Queries Tested

Study scope

746

AI queries tested

Across 5 HVAC specialties: HVAC contractor, AC repair, air conditioning installation, heating repair, duct cleaning

10

Florida metro areas

Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Naples, Sarasota, Tallahassee, St. Pete

5

AI platforms tested

Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews

15

Queries per city/specialty

3 query types per specialty across 5 platforms: best in city, need a provider, top rated with reviews

Key findings

Executive summary from the full report. No email required.

  • AI names HVAC businesses 73.6% of the time. Nearly three out of four queries returned specific local HVAC business names. AI is actively recommending HVAC contractors across Florida.
  • But 96.9% appear on just one platform. Of the 2,123 HVAC businesses named across all queries, almost none appeared on more than one AI tool. Worse fragmentation than both plumbing (95.4%) and dental (94.7%).
  • Zero HVAC companies made all five platforms. Not a single HVAC business appeared on Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. There is no dominant player in AI HVAC recommendations.
  • Google AI Overviews barely triggers for HVAC. Google AIO only generated AI responses for 12% of HVAC queries. When someone searches Google for an HVAC contractor, they almost never get an AI-generated answer.
  • Perplexity answers only half the time. Perplexity named specific HVAC businesses in just 57% of queries, far below Claude (99.3%), ChatGPT (100%), and Gemini (100%).
  • Independents dominate at 95.3%. Only 4.7% of AI recommendations went to franchise brands like Service Experts or One Hour Heating. Independent HVAC companies own the AI results.
  • Miami leads, St. Pete trails. A-Response Rates range from 82.2% in Miami to 68% in St. Pete. Larger metros with more HVAC businesses get better AI coverage.
  • Angi is the #1 source AI cites for HVAC. Angi was cited in 181 queries, followed by Yelp (169) and BBB (144). These directories are the primary data sources AI uses to recommend HVAC contractors.

Platform comparison

How often each AI platform named specific local dental practices (A-response rate).

ChatGPT100%

149/149 queries returned local practice names

Gemini100%

150/150 queries returned local practice names

Claude99.3%

147/148 queries returned local practice names

Perplexity57%

85/149 queries returned local practice names

Google AIO12%

18/150 queries returned local practice names

The bottom line

Every AI platform recommends completely different HVAC contractors. 96.9% of businesses only appear on a single platform. If you optimize for one AI tool, you are invisible on the other four. And Google AI Overviews barely shows up for HVAC searches at all.

Cite this research

Valero, A. (April 2026). Florida HVAC AI Visibility Study. Local Vitals. getlocalvitals.com/research/florida-hvac-ai-visibility

This research is published under CC BY-NC 4.0. You may cite and reference this data with attribution.

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The complete study with city-by-city breakdowns, specialty analysis, platform deep dives, DSO vs. independent data, and the full cross-platform fragmentation analysis.

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About this study

746 queries were run across Claude (with web search), ChatGPT (GPT-4o with search), Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews during April 2026. Queries covered 10 Florida metro areas and 5 HVAC specialties. Every response was coded by type (local business named, general advice, franchise only, platform referral, or not triggered). No sponsored placements or paid tools were used. Full methodology is included in the report.

Questions about the data or methodology: hello@getlocalvitals.com

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