Quality and reliability are the top two factors in HVAC contractors’ residential equipment purchasing decisions, but when it comes to considering whether to drop one primary brand for another, contractors are apparently looking for better deals.
Those were among the findings of a new survey by myCLEARopinion Insights Hub, a B2B research firm and part of BNP Media Inc., parent company of The ACHR NEWS. The survey, taken in May and June, looked at leading brands, the reasons behind purchasing decisions and brand-swapping, and contractors’ loyalty to equipment brands and wholesale distributors. The survey results were included in a myCLEARopinion unitary trends study that compared the results of five identical surveys, taken every other year between 2017 and this year, and found slipping loyalty toward brands and distributors over those eight years.
This year, when asked which of eight purchasing decision factors they would call “very important,” quality was listed by 79% of respondents, more than any other factor, followed by reliability at 76%, the survey found. Those were followed by durability (67%), availability (64%), and competitive pricing (61%); warranty, serviceability, and technical support all came in at under 60%.
However, when presented with four reasons that might prompt them to consider changing primary brands, 62% of respondents put better pricing ahead of superior equipment performance (43%), better warranty (42%), and better availability (39%). (Respondents could pick as many of the four reasons as they wanted.)
Residential Key Findings
Click chart to enlarge
DECISION DRIVERS: Each bar in the graph on the left shows the percentage of respondents to the 2025 survey who called the listed purchase decision factor “very important.” The graph on the right shows what percentage of respondents picked each of the four reasons for considering changing residential brands. The question they answered was, “What would make you consider switching your primary residential HVAC equipment brand? Please select all that apply.” (Courtesy of myCLEARopinion Insights Hub)
The findings made sense to Matt Bergstrom, president of Thornton & Grooms Heating, Cooling & Plumbing in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
All purchasing decision factors listed in the survey are important, Bergstrom said, but if a brand starts failing expectations, pricing becomes even more important.
“When one or more of the (items) on the list are not being met, price competitiveness rises on the list because, as a contractor, I see value decreasing,” he said.
At the same time, Bergstrom said that when a brand is “faltering” in one of its qualities, the importance of that quality is highlighted. That fits with the unitary study’s finding that product availability, as a reason for considering a brand switch, rose in importance in 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic disrupted worldwide supply chains, while favorable pricing rose in importance between 2023 and this year, a period in which inflation was more of an issue.
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Pricing was the most-mentioned reason for considering a switch in each of the five surveys, followed in most years by superior equipment performance. In 2021, however, at the height of the supply chain crisis, slightly more survey respondents mentioned product availability than equipment performance as a reason for considering a switch.
– Marco Radocaj
owner,
Balance HVAC
Pricing is “always a concern” when a brand switch is contemplated, said Marco Radocaj, the owner of Balance HVAC in Vero Beach, Florida. “I think pricing’s first and foremost on, like, 99% of contractors’ boards,” Radocaj said. “So I would definitely agree with that.”
But equipment performance is also “a really big deal,” Radocaj said. “At the end of the day, it needs to be able to perform for your specific customer and their specific house, the way that they use it,” he said.
Yet Radocaj also sees how changing circumstances, such as limited product availability, can alter how much weight contractors give to each of the reasons for considering a brand change.
Residential Reasons to Switch Primary Brand
Price has become more influential being a main driver to switching residential HVAC brands in 2025. Also on the rise, superior equipment performance and better warranty are highly influential. Though still important, influence of better availability continues to slightly decline following a high in 2021. Overall, more residential professionals are willing to switch brands this year, with only 8% saying nothing would make them switch.
Click chart to enlarge
SHIFTING REASONING: This chart illustrates how different reasons for considering a change in primary equipment brands shifted in importance among HVAC professionals over an eight-year period. The question, asked in surveys taken every other year since 2017, was, “What would make you consider switching your primary residential HVAC equipment brand? Please select all that apply.” (Courtesy of myCLEARopinion Insights Hub)
“You really don’t want to leave somebody without cooling in July” in Florida, he said. “So being able to not just get the equipment when it’s new, but get the replacement parts when it breaks — it’s very important.”
Thornton & Grooms switched primary HVAC brands about 10 years ago, but neither pricing nor product quality were the chief reason.
“We changed because of support issues with our distributor,” Bergstrom said, explaining that Thornton & Grooms had dealt with four or five different territory managers in 10 years. “It just made for inconsistent support at the distributor and manufacturer level.”
Now, he said, dealing with the same territory manager for the last 10 years has been a big plus. “It allows for consistency and someone to advocate for us with corporate,” Bergstrom said. “We’ve built a trusted relationship that allows each of us to speak our mind and come to fair resolutions.”
Scott Merritt, the founder and former owner of Fire & Ice Heating and Air Conditioning in Columbus, Ohio, said the company changed primary equipment brands several times during his time there.
“Manufacturers take you for granted,” Merritt said, citing a lack of manufacturer support. Lower pricing from another major brand was also a factor, Merritt said.
The survey also looked at issues around warranties, with 57% of this year’s respondents reporting that they “strongly agree” or “agree” that extended OEM warranties have helped their business close sales, while 48% said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that they prefer a traditional OEM warranty. In addition:
- Some 24% of respondents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that they have changed primary suppliers because of a warranty program.
- Some 17% said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that they prefer independent warranty companies over an extended OEM warranty.
- Warranties ranked sixth in importance this year when it came to selecting a brand, as 59% of survey respondents said the warranty was a “very important” factor.
Purchase the full study from myCLEARopinion Insights Hub.
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