Texas is the biggest cooling market we plan to work in, and it is four markets, not one. Dallas-Fort Worth has a real winter. Houston has the longest run of warm nights. Austin has the hottest summers and the youngest homes. San Antonio has the most owners and the most electric heat. This page covers what they share and how the territories work.
Why do Texas HVAC contractors need a different marketing plan?
Because Texas air conditioning is not seasonal in the way most states' is. All four big metros average 106 to 123 days a year at 90°F or more. The EIA's 2020 housing survey found 83% of Texas homes use central air, against 67% nationally. Replacement demand is steady, and the ad plan has to follow the calendar month by month.
| NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals and ACS 2024 | DFW | Houston | Austin | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooling degree days a year | 2,824 | 3,288 | 3,290 | 3,148 |
| Days at 90°F or more | 106.2 | 111.3 | 122.8 | 122.4 |
| Days at 100°F or more | 20.3 | 7.0 | 28.7 | 17.7 |
| Nights at 32°F or below | 29.2 | 10.1 | 11.9 | 14.0 |
| Owner-occupied share of homes | 60.0% | 60.8% | 56.9% | 63.1% |
| Median year built | 1996 | 1997 | 2005 | 1996 |
| Homes heated by electricity | 59.9% | 52.6% | 57.2% | 71.4% |
Climate figures are for the main NOAA station in each metro (DFW Airport, Houston Intercontinental, Austin Camp Mabry, San Antonio International). Housing figures are metro-wide, from the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey.
How long is the cooling season in Texas?
Roughly May through September, with shoulders on each side. In all four metros, NOAA normals show at least 16 days at 90°F or hotter in each month from June to September, and 7 to 12 in May. That five-month window is when a failed system becomes an emergency and homeowners search Google first.
The shoulders matter as much for a replacement contractor. April and October still bring hot days, and November to March is when you sell heat pumps, furnace plus AC changeouts and maintenance agreements. We call that Off-Peak Fill. It keeps install crews busy when the phones go quiet.
How does the Texas electricity market affect HVAC ads?
It decides whether there is a rebate to mention. ERCOT says it runs the grid for more than 27 million Texas customers, about 90% of the state's load, and handles retail switching for 8 million premises in competitive choice areas. In those areas, homeowners buy from a retail provider. In Austin and San Antonio, a city-owned utility sells the power.
That split shows up in the ads:
| Metro | Who delivers the power | HVAC incentive we verified |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | Oncor (wires only; homeowners buy from a retail electric provider) | None verified. Oncor runs Take A Load Off Texas efficiency programs, but we could not confirm current HVAC amounts |
| Houston | CenterPoint Energy (wires only; retail choice) | Replacement incentives that start at $200, through a participating contractor |
| Austin | Austin Energy, a department of the City of Austin | Rebates of $600 to $950 through a participating contractor |
| San Antonio | CPS Energy, community-owned | Rebates of $90 to $310 per cooling ton |
A rebate is only in your ads if you qualify to offer it. Houston and Austin both require a participating contractor. Programs change, so we recheck the utility's page before any ad goes live and link it from the landing page. We never put an electric bill figure in an ad. A bill depends on the plan, the house and the system.
What license does an HVAC contractor need in Texas?
A TDLR Air Conditioning and Refrigeration contractor license. TDLR says contractors who install, repair or maintain air conditioning, refrigeration or heating systems must hold one, and ACR companies must employ a licensed contractor at each permanent location. A Class B license covers cooling systems of 25 tons and under.
That covers every residential job we advertise. Class A has no size limit. TDLR's FAQ also says a ductless mini-split is not a self-contained unit, so installing one for the public needs a license too. For marketing, your license number goes on every landing page, and CPS Energy will only pay its rebates on equipment installed by a Texas-licensed HVAC contractor.
Where do heat pumps fit in Texas HVAC marketing?
More than most contractors expect. Census data shows 60.5% of occupied Texas homes heat with electricity, which covers heat pumps and strip heat. Every electric-heat home with an aging system is a heat pump conversation. San Antonio, at 71.4%, is the strongest. DFW and Houston have more gas furnaces, so AC plus furnace changeouts carry more weight there.
February 2021 is still on homeowners' minds. NOAA reported that every county in Texas was under a Winter Storm Warning in mid-February 2021, and the month brought the coldest air to much of the state since December 1989. We do not run fear ads about it. We do make sure the landing page answers the cold-weather heat pump question plainly, because homeowners ask it.
How do territories work across DFW, Houston, Austin and San Antonio?
Each metro is one territory, with one HVAC contractor per service line. All four are open. You pick the cities and neighborhoods your trucks already cover, and ads only run there. If a lead comes from outside your service area, the qualifier catches it before it reaches your calendar.
| Territory | Starts with | Status | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas, Fort Worth, Collin, Denton and Tarrant County cities | Open | HVAC marketing in Dallas |
| Greater Houston | Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery County cities | Open | HVAC marketing in Houston |
| Austin | Travis, Williamson and Hays County cities | Open | HVAC marketing in Austin |
| San Antonio | Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe County cities | Open | HVAC marketing in San Antonio |
A contractor who covers two metros can hold both, with ad spend of $6,000 or more a month, scoped on the call. The full season-by-season plan is in our Texas HVAC marketing playbook.
What does a Texas month look like at minimum spend?
At $4,000 in ad spend, our planning numbers point to about 12 to 13 booked estimates and 3 to 4 jobs sold a month. A booked estimate is a qualified homeowner booked for an in-home estimate on your calendar, at a set time. These are planning assumptions. Your real numbers replace them in the first month.
Worked example: a Texas July at minimum spend (planning assumptions, not results)
Peak-season 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 six-question qualifier = about 21 qualified
21 × 60% book = about 12 to 13 booked estimates
12.5 × 30% close rate = about 3 to 4 jobs sold
Ad cost per booked estimate: about $320. All-in with the $2,500 fee ($6,500): about $520
Break-even jobs = ($2,500 fee + $4,000 ad spend) ÷ your gross profit per replacement
Illustrative only: if your average changeout brings $3,500 in gross profit, about 2 jobs a month covers everything
The system behind those numbers is the HVAC Profit Machine: replacement-first ads, a landing page on your domain, the six-question qualifier, a text and call inside 60 seconds, and estimate follow-up on days 1, 3 and 7. Pricing is on our pricing page.
Who would you be working with?
Sam runs audits, strategy and media buying. Alan runs onboarding, the CRM and client operations. We are based in Sydney, work Central Time business hours for Texas, and have no US office, staff or clients yet. There are no Texas results on this site because we do not have any. You can read more about us or book a strategy call.
Sources
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, annual/seasonal, Dallas-Fort Worth AP (USW00003927), NOAA NCEI
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, annual/seasonal, Houston Intercontinental AP (USW00012960), NOAA NCEI
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, annual/seasonal, Austin Camp Mabry (USW00013958), NOAA NCEI
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, annual/seasonal, San Antonio Intl AP (USW00012921), NOAA NCEI
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, monthly, Dallas-Fort Worth AP (USW00003927), NOAA NCEI
- American Community Survey 2024 1-year, tables B25003, B25035 and B25040, US Census Bureau
- Highlights for air conditioning in U.S. homes by state, 2020 RECS, US Energy Information Administration
- About ERCOT, Electric Reliability Council of Texas
- Understanding the Oncor part of your electric bill, Oncor
- Electric utility service, CenterPoint Energy
- About Austin Energy, Austin Energy
- About us, CPS Energy
- Heating and cooling incentives, CenterPoint Energy
- Air conditioner and heat pump rebates, Austin Energy
- HVAC Rebates Specifications, CPS Energy
- Take A Load Off Texas, Oncor
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Apply for an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License, TDLR
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration FAQ, TDLR
- Record-breaking deep freeze engulfed much of Texas, NOAA