San Antonio is the cleanest replacement market of the big four in Texas. More homes are owner-occupied than in DFW, Houston or Austin, most of them heat with electricity, and one community-owned utility publishes a per-ton rebate with clear rules. Here is how we would set up HVAC marketing in San Antonio.
Why is HVAC marketing in San Antonio different?
Because the offer can be specific. CPS Energy, which serves more than 996,000 electric customers in San Antonio and parts of seven nearby counties, pays HVAC rebates per cooling ton. Add 63.1% owner occupancy and 71.4% electric heat, and a heat pump replacement ad has a real number and a large audience of owners who can sign.
| San Antonio figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Days at 90°F or more, San Antonio International | 122.4 | NOAA normals |
| Days at 100°F or more | 17.7 | NOAA normals |
| Cooling and heating degree days a year | 3,148 and 1,438 | NOAA normals |
| Owner-occupied share, metro | 63.1% | Census ACS 2024 |
| Homes heated by electricity, metro | 71.4% | Census ACS 2024 |
| Single-family permits, 2025 | 8,651 | Census Building Permits Survey |
San Antonio also permits far fewer new homes than DFW (39,790) or Houston (46,219). Less new construction means the market leans more on replacing what is already there.
What housing do San Antonio contractors work in?
Older, owner-occupied and mostly electric. Census data for 2024 shows 634,894 owner-occupied homes across the metro, and 29% of them were built before 1980. In Bexar County the median home was built in 1992. Values are the lowest of the big four, at a $304,800 metro median, so financing matters in the ad.
| Census ACS 2024 | Owner-occupied share | Median year built | Median home value | Heated by electricity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio metro | 63.1% | 1996 | $304,800 | 71.4% |
| Bexar County | 58.4% | 1992 | $284,400 | 68.9% |
| Comal County | 75.5% | 2008 | $445,000 | 74.7% |
| Guadalupe County | 76.6% | 2005 | $319,800 | 84.3% |
With a system replacement a large share of a $285,000 home, a monthly payment option, if you offer one, sits next to the CPS rebate on the landing page. Comal County is the opposite end: newer, pricier homes around New Braunfels and a higher share of owners.
Where is San Antonio growing?
Northeast toward New Braunfels and Seguin, and northwest toward Boerne. Census estimates put the metro at 2,813,140 people in 2025, up 10.0% since 2020. Comal County grew 29.6%. Seguin (+39.3%), New Braunfels (+35.5%), Boerne (+34.6%) and Cibolo (+20.9%) grew fastest among the cities, while San Antonio itself grew 8.0%.
For ad targeting, that splits the metro in two. Older Bexar County homes are the core replacement audience. In the growth corridor, newer homes add owners for maintenance agreements and future replacements.
How does CPS Energy change HVAC marketing in San Antonio?
It puts a checkable number in the headline. CPS Energy is community-owned and pays rebates per cooling ton on central AC, central heat pumps and ductless mini-splits. Early replacement pays $115 to $310 a ton. Replace on burnout pays $90 to $275 a ton. Both scale with SEER2.
The rules matter for the ad and for your comfort advisor:
- Equipment must be installed by a Texas-licensed HVAC contractor.
- A permit number is required for projects inside San Antonio city limits.
- It must be a one-for-one replacement, verified by the AHRI certificate.
- For early replacement, the old system must be working and under 25 years old (central systems) or under 20 (heat pumps).
That last rule feeds straight into the qualifier. The "current system and age" answer tells your comfort advisor which rebate path applies before the visit. Ads only show the rebate where the address is served by CPS Energy.
How would we run Meta and Google in San Antonio?
Google-heavy from May to September, Meta-heavy the rest of the year, with the CPS rebate in both. San Antonio averages 19.7 days at 90°F or more in September, and the NWS lists the city's record high, 111°F, on September 5, 2000. Late-season demand is real here.
What changes in San Antonio:
- Heat pumps first. Creative leads with heat pump replacement plus the per-ton rebate, with AC plus furnace offers for gas homes.
- Area bands. North (Live Oak, Selma, Universal City, Windcrest), northeast (Converse, Schertz, Cibolo, New Braunfels, Seguin), northwest (Helotes, Leon Valley, Boerne), inner (Alamo Heights).
- Winter heating. The NWS recorded 9°F on February 15, 2021, and nine straight freeze days from February 12 to 20. Winter Meta ads answer the heat pump cold-weather question directly.
What does the San Antonio season calendar look like?
| Month | Days at 90°F or more (NOAA normal) | Ad split | Offer focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| January and February | 0.0, 0.2 | Meta $2,500 / Google $1,500 | Heat pump conversions, early-replacement rebate |
| March and April | 0.5, 3.2 | Meta-heavy | Replace before summer, financing |
| May | 11.8 | Google $2,500 / Meta $1,500 | Heat pump and central AC replacement |
| June to August | 24.0, 28.5, 28.8 | Google-heavy | Replacement, fast install dates |
| September | 19.7 | Google-heavy | Replacement, late-season install slots |
| October | 5.6 | Meta-heavy | Replace before next summer |
| November and December | 0.1, 0.0 | Meta-heavy | Heating, maintenance agreements |
Worked example: a San Antonio September at minimum spend (planning assumptions, not results)
Peak split: Google $2,500 + Meta $1,500 = $4,000 ad spend
$4,000 ÷ $100 to $130 assumed blended cost per lead = about 35 leads
35 × 60% pass the qualifier = about 21. 21 × 60% book = about 12 to 13 booked estimates
12.5 × 30% close = about 3 to 4 jobs sold
About $320 ad cost per booked estimate. About $520 all-in with the $2,500 fee
CPS rebate on a 4-ton heat pump at 17.1 to 19.9 SEER2: 4 × $250 = $1,000 (early replacement) or 4 × $225 = $900 (on burnout)
Break-even jobs = ($2,500 + $4,000) ÷ your gross profit per replacement
The funnel numbers are planning assumptions, not San Antonio results. The rebate figures come from CPS Energy's published table, which we recheck before any ad goes live.
Is the San Antonio territory available?
Yes. San Antonio is open, with one contractor per service line. We are based in Sydney, work Central Time hours, and have no Texas office, staff or clients. See the Texas overview, our pricing, or book a strategy call.
More on marketing heat pumps is in heat pump installation leads, and the other Texas territories are Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin.
Sources
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, annual/seasonal, San Antonio Intl AP (USW00012921), NOAA NCEI
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, monthly, San Antonio Intl AP (USW00012921), NOAA NCEI
- San Antonio Area temperature rankings, NWS Austin/San Antonio
- February 2021 Historical Winter Storm Event, NWS Austin/San Antonio
- Vintage 2025 population estimates, metro and county totals, US Census Bureau
- Vintage 2025 population estimates, cities and towns, US Census Bureau
- American Community Survey 2024 1-year, tables B25003, B25035, B25036, B25040 and B25077, US Census Bureau
- Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual by CBSA, US Census Bureau
- HVAC Rebates Specifications, CPS Energy
- About us, CPS Energy