Rheem appeared in 102 of 288 four-engine answers (35.4%). Carrier, Lennox, Trane, ARS/Rescue Rooter, Goodman and Daikin fall within overlapping intervals. Trane was named first most often (44 of 288). ServiceTitan's own site was cited in more answers than any other tracked entity's, and Google showed an AI Overview for 60 of 72 lookups.
RESEARCH · Published June 1, 2026 · Updated October 29, 2026
HVAC Index 2.0: Rheem Named in 35.4%, No Clear Leader
AI answers analyzed across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
of answers named Rheem, the most-named (102 of 288)
tracked brands named at least once (of 28)
of Google searches showed an AI Overview (60 of 72)
Version 2. This version replaces the first version of this study, first published June 1, 2026. It uses measured counts, so the two versions are not comparable. Version 2 asks 24 questions three times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity (288 answers) and adds Google AI Overviews. Every rate comes with its count and a 95% interval.
What does the data show?
102/288 (35.4%)
44/288 (15.3%)
33/285 (11.6%)
82.1%
60/72 (83.3%)
24/60 (40.0%)
22/72 vs 9/72
12/12 (100%)
31
42.3%
Appearance rate across 288 four-engine answers. The bar is the 95% confidence interval; overlapping bars cannot be told apart at this sample size.
Which brands do AI engines name most often?
| # | Name | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rheem | 102/288 | 35.4% | 30.1–41.1% |
| 2 | Carrier | 97/288 | 33.7% | 28.5–39.3% |
| 3 | Lennox | 92/288 | 31.9% | 26.8–37.5% |
| 4 | Trane | 91/288 | 31.6% | 26.5–37.2% |
| 5 | ARS/Rescue Rooter | 85/288 | 29.5% | 24.5–35.0% |
| 6 | Goodman | 76/288 | 26.4% | 21.6–31.8% |
| 7 | Daikin | 73/288 | 25.3% | 20.7–30.7% |
| 8 | Mr. Rooter | 68/288 | 23.6% | 19.1–28.8% |
| 9 | Roto-Rooter | 62/288 | 21.5% | 17.2–26.6% |
| 10 | ServiceTitan | 57/288 | 19.8% | 15.6–24.8% |
| 11 | Benjamin Franklin Plumbing | 56/288 | 19.4% | 15.3–24.4% |
| 12 | Housecall Pro | 53/288 | 18.4% | 14.4–23.3% |
| 13 | One Hour Heating & Air | 52/288 | 18.1% | 14.0–22.9% |
| 14 | Service Experts | 52/288 | 18.1% | 14.0–22.9% |
| 15 | Jobber | 49/288 | 17.0% | 13.1–21.8% |
How do the top 25 brands rank?
Own-domain citation is the share of 285 grounded answers that cited the entity's own domains (subdomains included). Citation share is of all 2,661 citations.
| # | Brand | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval | First mention | Own-domain citation | Citation share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rheem | 102/288 | 35.4% | 30.1–41.1% | 4.1 | 3.9% (11/285) | 0.5% |
| 2 | Carrier | 97/288 | 33.7% | 28.5–39.3% | 2.5 | 7% (20/285) | 0.8% |
| 3 | Lennox | 92/288 | 31.9% | 26.8–37.5% | 3.5 | 2.5% (7/285) | 0.3% |
| 4 | Trane | 91/288 | 31.6% | 26.5–37.2% | 2.2 | 2.1% (6/285) | 0.3% |
| 5 | ARS/Rescue Rooter | 85/288 | 29.5% | 24.5–35% | 3.8 | 4.9% (14/285) | 0.5% |
| 6 | Goodman | 76/288 | 26.4% | 21.6–31.8% | 5.4 | 1.4% (4/285) | 0.2% |
| 7 | Daikin | 73/288 | 25.3% | 20.7–30.7% | 4.9 | 0.4% (1/285) | 0% |
| 8 | Mr. Rooter | 68/288 | 23.6% | 19.1–28.8% | 2.3 | 2.5% (7/285) | 0.3% |
| 9 | Roto-Rooter | 62/288 | 21.5% | 17.2–26.6% | 2.3 | 2.1% (6/285) | 0.2% |
| 10 | ServiceTitan | 57/288 | 19.8% | 15.6–24.8% | 2.4 | 11.6% (33/285) | 1.4% |
| 11 | Benjamin Franklin Plumbing | 56/288 | 19.4% | 15.3–24.4% | 2.8 | 2.5% (7/285) | 0.3% |
| 12 | Housecall Pro | 53/288 | 18.4% | 14.4–23.3% | 2.8 | 10.5% (30/285) | 1.1% |
| 13 | One Hour Heating & Air | 52/288 | 18.1% | 14–22.9% | 2.5 | 2.1% (6/285) | 0.2% |
| 14 | Service Experts | 52/288 | 18.1% | 14–22.9% | 3.7 | 4.2% (12/285) | 0.5% |
| 15 | Jobber | 49/288 | 17% | 13.1–21.8% | 2.8 | 6.3% (18/285) | 0.7% |
| 16 | Angi | 36/288 | 12.5% | 9.2–16.8% | 3.8 | 2.5% (7/285) | 0.3% |
| 17 | FieldEdge | 36/288 | 12.5% | 9.2–16.8% | 3.3 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 18 | Service Fusion | 33/288 | 11.5% | 8.3–15.7% | 4.8 | 1.1% (3/285) | 0.1% |
| 19 | Workiz | 31/288 | 10.8% | 7.7–14.9% | 4.3 | 0.4% (1/285) | 0% |
| 20 | Aire Serv | 30/288 | 10.4% | 7.4–14.5% | 2.1 | 1.8% (5/285) | 0.2% |
| 21 | HomeAdvisor | 27/288 | 9.4% | 6.5–13.3% | 3.8 | 2.5% (7/285) | 0.3% |
| 22 | Rinnai | 23/288 | 8% | 5.4–11.7% | 2 | 0.4% (1/285) | 0% |
| 23 | Navien | 22/288 | 7.6% | 5.1–11.3% | 2.8 | 0.4% (1/285) | 0% |
| 24 | A. O. Smith | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% | 2.5 | 3.2% (9/285) | 0.6% |
| 25 | Yelp | 20/288 | 6.9% | 4.5–10.5% | 4 | 1.1% (3/285) | 0.3% |
How do the top eight brands compare?
| # | Name | Appearance rate | Answers and interval | Other measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rheem | 35.4% | 102/288 answers · 95% CI 30.1–41.1% | first-mention position: 4.1; owned-domain citation (11/285): 3.9%; citation share: 0.5% |
| 2 | Carrier | 33.7% | 97/288 answers · 95% CI 28.5–39.3% | first-mention position: 2.5; owned-domain citation (20/285): 7%; citation share: 0.8% |
| 3 | Lennox | 31.9% | 92/288 answers · 95% CI 26.8–37.5% | first-mention position: 3.5; owned-domain citation (7/285): 2.5%; citation share: 0.3% |
| 4 | Trane | 31.6% | 91/288 answers · 95% CI 26.5–37.2% | first-mention position: 2.2; owned-domain citation (6/285): 2.1%; citation share: 0.3% |
| 5 | ARS/Rescue Rooter | 29.5% | 85/288 answers · 95% CI 24.5–35% | first-mention position: 3.8; owned-domain citation (14/285): 4.9%; citation share: 0.5% |
| 6 | Goodman | 26.4% | 76/288 answers · 95% CI 21.6–31.8% | first-mention position: 5.4; owned-domain citation (4/285): 1.4%; citation share: 0.2% |
| 7 | Daikin | 25.3% | 73/288 answers · 95% CI 20.7–30.7% | first-mention position: 4.9; owned-domain citation (1/285): 0.4%; citation share: 0% |
| 8 | Mr. Rooter | 23.6% | 68/288 answers · 95% CI 19.1–28.8% | first-mention position: 2.3; owned-domain citation (7/285): 2.5%; citation share: 0.3% |
All 288 answers came back, with no empty or errored responses. ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity grounded all 72 of their answers in web sources, while Claude grounded 69 of 72. ChatGPT gave the highest rate for Rheem, 30 of 72 (41.7%), against 20 of 72 (27.8%) for Perplexity. Perplexity stood out for Service Experts, 22 of 72 (30.6%), against 9 of 72 for both Claude and Gemini.
ChatGPT
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Do the four engines name the same brands?
Claude
72 asked · 72 returned · 69 grounded
Gemini
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Perplexity
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Google AI Overviews were captured through 72 U.S. desktop searches and scored only where an overview appeared, so five-engine figures use 288 + 60 = 348 answers.
What do Google AI Overviews show?
Trigger rate: 60 of 72 searches
Google showed an AI Overview for 60 of 72 lookups (83.3%, CI 73.1–90.2%). Twelve lookups had no overview and none failed. "Who repairs heat pumps?" produced no overview in any of its 3 lookups. Within the 60 overviews, Carrier and Lennox each appeared in 12 (20%), Rheem and Angi in 11 (18.3%), Housecall Pro in 10 (16.7%), and Trane and ServiceTitan in 9 each (15%). A. O. Smith appeared in 0 of 60. YouTube was the most-cited overview source, appearing in 24 of 60 overviews (40%). Modernize.com appeared in 10 of 60 (16.7%) and Reddit in 8 of 60 (13.3%).
| Five-engine rank | Name | Five-engine rate | Four-engine rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rheem | 32.5% | 1 |
| 2 | Carrier | 31.3% | 2 |
| 3 | Lennox | 29.9% | 3 |
| 4 | Trane | 28.7% | 4 |
| 5 | ARS/Rescue Rooter | 25.0% | 5 |
| 6 | Goodman | 23.9% | 6 |
| 7 | Daikin | 21.8% | 7 |
| 8 | Mr. Rooter | 21.3% | 8 |
Which brand does each question surface first?
Six questions from the set. Each tile uses that question's own four-engine answers as the denominator.
| Question | Leader | Next | AI Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q01 · 12 answers | One Hour Heating & Air 91.7% | Service Experts 91.7%; ARS/Rescue Rooter 91.7% | AI Overview shown on 1 of 3 searches |
| Q02 · 12 answers | Mr. Rooter 100.0% | Benjamin Franklin Plumbing 100.0%; ARS/Rescue Rooter 100.0% | AI Overview shown on 2 of 3 searches |
| Q03 · 12 answers | Roto-Rooter 100.0% | Mr. Rooter 100.0%; Benjamin Franklin Plumbing 58.3% | AI Overview shown on 2 of 3 searches |
| Q04 · 12 answers | Carrier 100.0% | Trane 100.0%; Lennox 100.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q05 · 12 answers | Carrier 100.0% | Trane 100.0%; Lennox 100.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q06 · 12 answers | Carrier 100.0% | Trane 100.0%; Lennox 100.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
The four engines cited 2,661 sources in total. Of 2,661 four-engine citations, company and brand sites supplied 1,125 (42.3%), review and comparison publishers 617 (23.2%), directories and rankings 382 (14.4%), community and social sites 113 (4.2%), reference sites 59 (2.2%), official and government sites 23 (0.9%) and institutions and trade bodies 15 (0.6%).
Four AI engines · share of 285 grounded answers
Which domains do AI engines cite most?
Google AI Overviews · share of 60 overviews
Which types of sources get cited?
Share of all citations by the type of site cited. Source types were reclassified on October 29, 2026. 'Company / brand sites' now covers only the official sites of companies, brands and schools; publishers, directories, trade bodies and other sites have their own types, and sites that could not be placed are 'Other / unclassified'.
| Source type | Four AI engines (of 2,661 citations) | Google AI Overviews (of 174 citations) |
|---|---|---|
| Company / brand sites | 1,125 (42.3%) | 91 (52.3%) |
| Review / comparison publishers | 617 (23.2%) | 11 (6.3%) |
| Directories / rankings | 382 (14.4%) | 23 (13.2%) |
| General news / business press | 150 (5.6%) | 3 (1.7%) |
| Trade / specialist press | 125 (4.7%) | 0 (0%) |
| Community / social | 113 (4.2%) | 44 (25.3%) |
| Reference | 59 (2.2%) | 0 (0%) |
| Research / data providers | 37 (1.4%) | 0 (0%) |
| Official / government | 23 (0.9%) | 0 (0%) |
| Institutions / trade bodies | 15 (0.6%) | 1 (0.6%) |
| Other / unclassified | 12 (0.5%) | 1 (0.6%) |
| Health publishers | 2 (0.1%) | 0 (0%) |
| General news / sports media | 1 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
How can an HVAC or plumbing brand improve its AI visibility?
These steps follow from the measured results above. They describe what the engines cited in this study and are not a guarantee of results.
| Step | What this study measured |
|---|---|
| Put your facts on your own domain. | ServiceTitan's own domains were cited in 11.6% of grounded answers, Housecall Pro's in 10.5% and Carrier's in 7.0%. |
| Keep your facts accurate on the sites engines cite. | The most-cited sites other than the tracked names' own were modernize.com (in 23.5% of grounded answers), consumeraffairs.com (20.0%), bobvila.com (18.9%), thisoldhouse.com (18.6%) and youtube.com (15.1%). Review and comparison publishers supplied 23.2% of citations and directories and rankings 14.4%. |
| Check each engine separately. | Perplexity named Service Experts in 30.6% of answers against 12.5% on Claude. ChatGPT named ARS/Rescue Rooter in 38.9% of answers against 20.8% on Claude. |
| Do not ignore video and community sites. | Community and social sites supplied 25.3% of Google AI Overview citations against 4.2% in the four chat engines. youtube.com was cited in 40.0% of overviews, reddit.com in 13.3% and lennox.com in 6.7%. |
| Re-run the same questions every month. | Compare counts and intervals, not ranks. The 24 questions are in the appendix. |
Frequently asked questions
Which HVAC or plumbing brand do AI engines mention most?
Rheem had the highest four-engine mention count, 102 of 288 answers (35.4%, CI 30.1–41.1%). Carrier, Lennox, Trane, ARS/Rescue Rooter, Goodman and Daikin have overlapping intervals, so the data cannot separate these seven.
Which brand is named first most often?
Trane was the first tracked name in 44 of 288 answers. One Hour Heating & Air followed at 31 of 288 and ServiceTitan at 26 of 288.
How often does Google show an AI Overview for these questions?
An overview appeared for 60 of 72 lookups (83.3%, CI 73.1–90.2%). Carrier and Lennox were each named in 12 of those 60 overviews (20%).
Which field service software do the engines name?
ServiceTitan was named first in all 12 answers on the best HVAC field service software. Housecall Pro was named first in all 12 on the small plumbing business comparison, and Jobber in all 12 on a one-truck plumber app. FieldEdge appeared in all 12 answers about dispatch software for a large HVAC company.
What sources do the engines cite?
Of 2,661 four-engine citations, company and brand sites supplied 1,125 (42.3%), review and comparison publishers 617 (23.2%) and directories and rankings 382 (14.4%). The most-cited domain was modernize.com, which appeared in 67 of 285 grounded answers (23.5%). In AI Overviews, YouTube was cited in 24 of 60 overviews (40%).
Do the engines agree with each other?
On some brands, no. Perplexity named Service Experts in 22 of 72 answers (30.6%), while Claude and Gemini named it in 9 of 72 each (12.5%). ChatGPT named ARS/Rescue Rooter in 28 of 72 (38.9%) and Claude in 15 of 72 (20.8%).
Which source types do AI engines cite most?
Company and brand sites supplied 1,125 of 2,661 four-engine citations (42.3%). Review and comparison publishers followed with 617 (23.2%), then directories and rankings with 382 (14.4%) and general news and business press with 150 (5.6%).
Which sources do Google AI Overviews cite?
youtube.com was cited in 24 of 60 overviews (40%), modernize.com in 10 (16.7%) and reddit.com in 8 (13.3%). Community and social sites supplied 44 of 174 AI Overview citations (25.3%), against 4.2% in the four chat engines.
Which brand is cited from its own website most often?
ServiceTitan, whose own domains were cited in 33 of 285 grounded answers (11.6%). Housecall Pro followed at 30 (10.5%), then Carrier at 20 (7.0%) and Jobber at 18 (6.3%). No equipment maker came close to the two software brands.
Does Google show an AI Overview for every HVAC question?
No. An overview appeared for 60 of 72 lookups (83.3%), and 12 lookups showed none. "Who repairs heat pumps?" produced no overview in any of its 3 lookups.
How many questions and engines did this study measure?
24 questions were each asked 3 times on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, giving 288 answers, plus 72 U.S. Google searches, 60 of which showed an AI Overview. All answers were measured on October 26, 2026, in English.
How was this study measured?
24 questions × 3 runs each × 4 AI engines = 288 answers + 72 Google searches · 60 AI Overviews
24 questions, each asked 3 times on each engine, measured October 26, 2026. Market: United States, English. The destination site was not mentioned to any engine. Entities count as named when they appear in the answer text or the extracted entity list; products, imprints and research arms roll up to their parent.
| Engine | Model IDs called | Asked | Returned | Grounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5-mini | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Claude | claude-sonnet-5-5 | 72 | 72 | 69 |
| Gemini | gemini-3.7-flash | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Perplexity | sonar-pro | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Google AI Overviews | DataForSEO Google SERP (live, advanced) | 72 | 60 shown | 60 |
Own-domain citations count a domain plus all its subdomains, with the same rule in every table.
Definitions
- Appearance rate: answers naming the entity ÷ answers returned, with Wilson 95% intervals.
- First mention: average order in which the entity first appears (1 = first).
- Own-domain citation: grounded answers citing the entity's domains ÷ grounded answers.
- Citation share: citations to the entity's domains ÷ all citations.
Limits
- Measured on one day, October 26, 2026. Answers came from each engine's API (model IDs above); the consumer apps can answer differently.
- Each engine answered 72 prompts covering 24 questions, which gives 12 answers per question across the four engines. Intervals are wide at this sample size.
- Names are counted when they appear in an answer's text, so longer forms such as legal company names (for example "Meta Platforms, Inc." or "Ralph Lauren Corporation") count toward the brand.
- Name extraction also picked up phrases that are not brands, such as 'Short answer' (19) and 'Bottom line' (15).
- Google AI Overviews are scored only on the 60 lookups where an overview appeared, not on all 72.
- One question, "ServiceTitan vs Housecall Pro: which is better for a small plumbing business?", names two software brands, so their counts include up to 12 answers to it. The equipment-maker results are the same without it.
- Intervals treat each answer as independent, so they understate uncertainty for the 24 repeated questions.
Which 24 questions did we ask?
Questions marked "Core question" are the original study questions, asked word for word. The others are added neutral questions.
| # | Question | Group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Who should I call when my air conditioner stops working? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 02 | What are the best national plumbing companies? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 03 | Who is the best company for drain cleaning? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 04 | How much does it cost to replace a furnace? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 05 | Should I replace my AC with a heat pump? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 06 | What is the best brand of central air conditioner? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 07 | How do I find a reliable HVAC contractor? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 08 | What is the best tankless water heater? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 09 | What is the best field service software for an HVAC company? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 10 | ServiceTitan vs Housecall Pro: which is better for a small plumbing business? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 11 | What is the best scheduling and invoicing app for a one-truck plumber? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 12 | What are the best HVAC franchise opportunities? | HVAC and Plumbing | Core question |
| 13 | How often should a furnace be serviced? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 14 | How much does a plumber charge per hour? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 15 | What should I do when my water heater is leaking? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 16 | Who repairs heat pumps? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 17 | What is the best whole-house water filtration system? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 18 | What is the best smart thermostat? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 19 | Which companies offer HVAC maintenance plans? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 20 | How do I choose a plumber for a sewer line replacement? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 21 | What is the best furnace brand? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 22 | What are the best apps for finding a local plumber? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 23 | What is the best dispatch software for a large HVAC company? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
| 24 | What are the best plumbing franchise opportunities? | HVAC and Plumbing | Added question |
About 5W
5W is an independent PR, creative and AI Visibility agency founded in 2003, and we get you in the chatbox. All of our work is done in house, including media relations, site building and content. Learn more about our GEO practice and our AI PR and digital marketing practice, or write to info@5wpr.com.
More 5W research: the Home Services & Improvement Index.
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