HVAC and Plumbing AI Visibility Index: Top 25 U.S. Brands

ServiceTitan leads the HVAC and plumbing AI citation index with an estimated 14.0% modeled share, ahead of Roto-Rooter at 11.5% and ARS/Rescue Rooter at 5.5%, in 5W's Q1 2026 model of ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. Roto-Rooter, ARS/Rescue Rooter and Mr. Rooter together hold 21.8%. The model estimates that about 87% of independent contractors have almost no citation share in their own metro.

Key takeaways

• ServiceTitan's IPO was on December 12, 2024, not January 22, 2025 as the first edition said. It priced at $71 and trades on Nasdaq as TTAN.
• The three consumer brands hold 21.8% of modeled share together, not the 19% the first edition reported.
• Neighborly, the franchisor of Mr. Rooter, Mr. Electric and Aire Serv, has been owned by KKR since the first quarter of 2025.
• Blackstone agreed on February 17, 2026 to buy Champions Group, an Irvine, California HVAC, plumbing and electrical platform, for a reported $2.5 billion.
• The federal 25C home energy credit ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025, so contractor pages that still promote it are out of date.

On this page

1. What changed since the first edition?
2. Which HVAC and plumbing brands win the most AI citations?
3. Why do a few brands capture most citations?
4. Who owns the big home service brands?
5. Why are independent contractors missing from AI answers?
6. How can an HVAC or plumbing contractor improve its AI visibility?
7. How was citation share modeled?
8. Frequently asked questions

What changed since the first edition?

Seven statements in the first edition were corrected or updated here. The citation shares are unchanged because they come from the Q1 2026 model.

Sources: Blackstone announcement, February 17, 2026; ServiceTitan IPO terms; C&T Acquisitions private equity HVAC guide, 2026; Trane on the 25C credit; first-edition PDF.

ServiceTitan holds the largest modeled share at an estimated 14.0%, and the top 15 brands together hold 65.8%. The shares are directional estimates from 5W's Q1 2026 model, not live query counts.

Source: 5W modeled citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, Q1 2026. About 34.2% is split across ranks 16 to 25, regional brands and the few independent contractors that appear.

What is the full top 25 ranking?

The full ranking lists each brand with its modeled share and the facts verified in October 2026. Ranks 16 to 25 each modeled below 1.7%.

Sources: 5W Q1 2026 modeled citation share; ownership from industry trackers (C&T Acquisitions, Dealseam, 2026) and company filings, not all confirmed with the companies.

Why do a few brands capture most citations?

A few brands capture most citations because they publish structured pages, hold clear ownership records and earn trade-press coverage that AI answers can quote. The first edition found six patterns, updated here.

1. Franchise networks dominate the consumer surface. Roto-Rooter, ARS/Rescue Rooter, Mr. Rooter, One Hour Heating & Air and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing publish consistent location and service pages across hundreds of markets.
2. ServiceTitan's IPO produced a burst of trade coverage. The IPO priced at $71 on December 12, 2024, and its comparison articles are cited on software questions.
3. Cross-trade franchise umbrellas reinforce each other. Neighborly's Mr. Rooter, Mr. Electric and Aire Serv can link to one another, which gives single-trade brands less to match.
4. Independents are invisible regardless of local reputation. The first edition found that review volume alone did not produce citations.
5. A few trade publications anchor the editorial surface, including ACHR News, Contracting Business, Plumbing & Mechanical and BDR's buyer's guides.
6. Private equity roll-ups often keep local names, so engines can keep citing the local brand and not the parent. Champions Group, for example, has bought Lex Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical in Texas, Bee's Plumbing and Heating in Seattle and McAfee Heating and Air Conditioning in Dayton, Ohio.

Who owns the big home service brands?

Ownership in home services is split among a public parent, private equity funds and franchisors. This table lists owners reported in 2026, and it excludes unconfirmed clinic or location counts.

Sources: Blackstone release, February 17, 2026; Dealseam plumbing roll-up tracker; C&T Acquisitions private equity guides (2026). These are tracker sources, and 5W has not confirmed each owner with the companies.

Why are independent contractors missing from AI answers?

Independent HVAC and plumbing contractors are missing because their public footprint is often a website, a Google Business Profile and a few reviews, while franchises publish structured pages in every market. In the first edition, 5W's model estimated that about 87% of independent contractors had effectively zero citation share in their own metro.

The first edition cited about 100,000 HVAC contractors and 130,000 plumbing contractors from IBISWorld, counts 5W has not re-verified for this update.

How can an HVAC or plumbing contractor improve its AI visibility?

An HVAC or plumbing contractor improves its AI visibility by answering the exact questions homeowners ask, in the moment they ask them, with facts an engine can check. These ten steps use real situations contractors face.

1. Complete the Google Business Profile with the right categories, such as HVAC contractor, plumber or emergency plumber, plus service areas, hours and whether you take after-hours calls. Google AI Overviews and Gemini draw local results from this data.
2. Write an emergency page for each situation, such as no heat in winter, no cooling in a heat wave, a burst pipe or a sewage backup. State your response time, the cities you serve and what a homeowner can safely do first, such as locating the main water shutoff. A homeowner asking at night needs a direct answer.
3. Show your credentials on every service page: state license number, insurance, and that technicians who handle refrigerants hold EPA Section 608 certification. Engines can quote a license number and homeowners can check it.
4. Publish price ranges for common jobs, such as a water heater replacement, an air conditioner replacement and a sewer line repair. Label them as examples, list what moves the price and say what the estimate includes.
5. Update every incentive page. The federal 25C credit ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025, so say that 2026 installs do not qualify, that 2025 installs can be claimed on a 2025 return, and list any state or utility rebates with their dates.
6. Answer the replacement-or-repair question with a decision page: system age, repair cost relative to replacement, refrigerant type and warranty status. Homeowners ask "should I replace my furnace this year", and a page with a clear rule of thumb is quotable.
7. Publish a plain ownership statement. Homeowners increasingly ask whether a contractor is owned by private equity or a franchise. If a local brand was acquired by a platform such as Champions Group or belongs to a franchise system, say so, and keep the local name and phone number accurate on every profile.
8. Add Plumber or HVACBusiness schema.org markup with address, service area, hours and phone, and give each city you serve its own page with the permit and inspection facts for that city.
9. Earn coverage in the outlets engines cite, such as ACHR News, Contracting Business, Plumbing & Mechanical and your state contractors association, and reply to every review with specifics about the job.
10. Test monthly. Ask five engines 20 prompts per metro, such as "emergency plumber near [neighborhood]" and "AC repair open now in [city]", record which brands and sources appear, and compare month to month.

For help running a category audit, see 5W's GEO optimization practice. Related studies include the Local Services AI Visibility Crisis, the Pool and Spa AI Visibility Index and the Car Wash AI Visibility Index.

What does 5W's founder say about home services and AI search?

"HVAC and plumbing is the most acute version of the citation-consolidation crisis we've modeled. The franchise networks under Neighborly and Authority Brands are winning through consistent franchise marketing content and entity signals that AI engines weight far more heavily than local reviews. The contractors who recognize the structure now and build their location data, credentials and press footprint will compete. The ones who wait will find the surface has hardened around franchises and software platforms with much larger marketing budgets."

Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman of 5W.

How was citation share modeled?

Citation shares in this index are modeled estimates built by the 5W Research Team for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews in Q1 2026. 5W does not log live query runs, so the shares are directional benchmarks, not deterministic counts.

About 5W

5W is an independent PR, creative and GEO agency founded in 2003, with no outside shareholders. It does its work in house, including media relations, site building and content. The AI Visibility Index series ranks the top 25 brands in a single consumer category by modeled AI citation share. More at www.5wpr.com and in the AI Visibility Index series.

Frequently asked questions

How were the HVAC and plumbing citation shares calculated?

The figures are modeled estimates from 5W's Q1 2026 model of five AI engines. 5W does not log live query runs, so the shares are directional benchmarks.

When did ServiceTitan go public?

ServiceTitan went public on December 12, 2024. It priced its IPO at $71 per share and trades on Nasdaq as TTAN.

Who owns Mr. Rooter?

Mr. Rooter is a Neighborly brand. KKR owns Neighborly, having acquired it from Harvest Partners in the first quarter of 2025.

Is the federal heat pump tax credit still available?

Not for new installs. The 25C credit ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, though 2025 installs can be claimed on a 2025 tax return using IRS Form 5695.

What is Champions Group?

Champions Group is an Irvine, California platform for HVAC, plumbing and electrical services. Blackstone agreed on February 17, 2026 to acquire it from Odyssey Investment Partners.

How can my contracting company get included in the next ranking?

Complete your location and credential pages, publish emergency and pricing pages, and earn coverage in trade and local press. Contact info@5wpr.com for engagement details.