Heat pump work runs on the weather. The first cold snap in autumn and the first hot week in summer send the phones mad, and in between it can go quiet enough to make you wonder where everyone went. The installers who stay busy all year aren’t the ones with the biggest ad budget. They’re the ones who plan around the weather instead of waiting for it.
This guide is for owners of heat pump and HVAC businesses who want steadier, better work. It’s written in early November, with summer around the corner, but it applies all year.
Four kinds of heat pump customer
Before any marketing, know who you’re after, because each comes from a different place:
- Homeowners upgrading or replacing. Cold house, old unit, high power bill. Researched online, compared on price and brand, decided after a site visit.
- Landlords and property managers. Rentals must meet the healthy homes heating standard, so this is compliance work with deadlines and repeat business.
- New builds and renovations. The heat pump gets decided with the builder and designer, months before anyone moves in.
- Service and repairs. The units you and everyone else have already installed, which need cleaning, servicing and the odd fix.
Most installers chase the first group in the busy season and ignore the rest. The other three are what keep the vans moving when the weather’s mild.
Plan the year around the weather
The pattern is simple even if the exact dates move every year: heating demand peaks as autumn turns cold, cooling demand spikes with the first proper heat of summer, and the months in between are quieter. Use that:
- Ahead of each peak, lift your ad budget, refresh your Google Business Profile photos and posts, and email past customers (servicing before winter, cooling before summer).
- During the peak, make sure every call and enquiry gets answered, because people ring several installers and book whoever gets back first.
- In the quiet months, work the steady groups: property managers, builders and servicing. Offer shoulder-season installs to people who missed out last peak.
The installer who’s already in front of people when the weather turns gets the work. The one who starts advertising after the first cold snap is paying top dollar to compete for what’s left.
Win the site visit
Heat pump quotes get compared hard, often on price and brand alone. Your best chance to win is the site visit, and the part most customers don’t understand: sizing.
EECA’s Good Practice Guide to Heat Pump Installation calls correct sizing “critical to efficiency and performance”, and says the extra running costs of an undersized heat pump generally outweigh the cost of going up a size. So show your working:
- Size it out loud. Explain the room, the insulation, the coldest days where they live, and why you’re recommending that capacity. A customer who understands why your unit is bigger than the cheapest quote stops comparing on price.
- Talk about placement. Where the outdoor unit goes (neighbours, noise, access for servicing) and where the indoor unit will actually heat the room.
- Put it in the quote. One line on how you sized it, what’s included (brackets, pipework, the electrical work and its certificate, commissioning) and what isn’t.
Our quote template and guide covers the rest of what makes a quote win on more than price.
Make it easy to trust you
A heat pump install means a stranger drilling holes through someone’s wall. Make the checking easy:
- The electrical work and its certificate. Fixed wiring needs a Certificate of Compliance from a licensed electrician. Say who does yours and that the certificate comes with every install.
- Refrigerant handling. If your team holds refrigerant handling certification (for example through Refrigerant License New Zealand), say so.
- Brand programmes. If you’re an accredited dealer or installer for a manufacturer, explain what that means for the customer’s warranty.
- Reviews that name the job. “Ducted system in our new build in Rolleston” tells the next buyer more than five stars on their own.
Landlords and the healthy homes standard
Under the healthy homes heating standard, rentals need one or more fixed heaters that can directly heat the main living room, and a heat pump must have a thermostat. In most cases, the standard notes, that means a larger fixed heater like a heat pump, woodburner, pellet burner or flued gas heater.
Property managers look after dozens or hundreds of rentals. They want an installer who sizes to the standard, turns up when the tenant’s been told, and sends the paperwork the same day. Be that installer and one portfolio becomes steady work. Real estate agents preparing rentals for sale are worth the same conversation.
Builders and new builds: get in before the cladding
EECA’s guide is clear that the best time to put in heat pump pipework and cables in a new building is while it’s still under construction, planned early in the design stage so the penetrations go in before the cladding. That’s a marketing opportunity: builders and designers need an installer who’ll plan early and fit in with the other trades.
Introduce yourself to the builders, architects and designers in your area. Offer to look at plans early. Turn up when you say. A builder who rates you puts you on every house they build. (The building work guide shows how builders choose their subbies, from their side.)
Servicing is your repeat work
EECA’s guide recommends an annual servicing agreement with your installer and servicing by a qualified person every 12 months. Plenty of owners never get round to it, often because nobody asks.
So ask. Offer a service at handover. Keep every install on file with the date, model and address. Send a short email before winter (and before summer for cooling) to customers who said yes to hearing from you. A serviced customer calls you, not a stranger, when it’s time for a new unit or a second one.
Get found when they’re searching
- Google Business Profile. Right categories, your service area, every system type you install, real install photos, and hours that match when someone answers. Our checklist.
- A page per job type. High-wall units, ducted systems, multi-room systems, servicing, hot water heat pumps if you do them. People research these, so pages that explain what’s involved, how you size them and what affects the price will rank and convert.
- Brand and model pages. Some buyers search a brand plus “heat pump” plus their town. If you install a brand, have a page that says so.
Google Ads by season
Ads catch the searches happening right now, and heat pump searches rise and fall with the temperature. Set your budget by season rather than flat all year, and keep installs and servicing in separate campaigns so you can push each one when it matters. What clicks cost in NZ is in our Google Ads cost guide.
Watch for two leaks. Job seekers: searches like “heat pump installer jobs” or “HVAC apprenticeship” will happily eat your budget, so add jobs, apprenticeship, salary and course as negatives from day one (we saw the same trap in our own ad account). And calls you can’t see: Google’s call-forwarding numbers aren’t available in New Zealand, so ad calls show up as clicks. Third-party call tracking fixes it, and we set it up for clients who want it. If the clicks come and the phone doesn’t ring, work through these checks.
Facebook and Instagram for planned buyers
Nobody scrolls Instagram hunting for a heat pump, but plenty of people who’ve been meaning to get one will act on a well-timed ad: a cold-weather reminder in autumn, a cooling one before summer, a landlord-focused one before tenancy changes. It works best for planned installs, not repairs. Facebook ads for tradies covers what works and what it costs.
Answer the phone in the peak, and chase every quote
In the peak weeks you’ll be on a ladder at one house while three more ring. Each of them will book whoever gets back first. Who answers the phone when you’re on the tools compares the options, including an AI receptionist that takes the calls you miss through a divert on your own number and takes the whole job down for your call back.
Then follow up every quote until it’s a yes or a no. Heat pump buyers often sit on two or three quotes, and the installer who checks in politely is often the one who gets the job. Do you actually follow up your leads? shows how to check.
Which channels work, and how fast
| Channel | Best for | How fast | You own it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past customers and servicing | Service, upgrades, second units | Weeks | Yes |
| Property managers and landlords | Compliance installs | Months | Yes |
| Builders and designers | New builds | Months | Yes |
| Google Business Profile and reviews | Local installs | 1 to 3 months | Yes |
| Job-type pages on your website | Planned installs | 3 to 6 months | Yes |
| Google Ads | Peak-season installs and repairs | Days | Yes, if the account is in your name |
| Facebook and Instagram | Planned installs before each peak | Weeks | Yes |
| Lead marketplaces | Filling gaps | Days | No |
Heat pump leads: FAQ
How do I get more heat pump customers?
Plan around the weather: be in front of people before each peak, not after it. Then work the steady groups that most installers ignore: property managers, builders and the customers you’ve already installed for, who should be on an annual service.
When should heat pump installers advertise?
Before the demand, not during it. Lift budgets and refresh your profile ahead of the cold in autumn and ahead of the heat in early summer, and keep a smaller, steady budget running for servicing and planned installs in between.
Should I put heat pump prices on my website?
A rough guide by job type helps people trust you, but heat pumps are sized to the room and the house, so a fixed price before a site visit can backfire. Explain what affects the price and why sizing matters, and let the site visit do the rest.
Are landlords worth targeting?
Yes. Rentals must meet the healthy homes heating standard, property managers handle lots of properties, and an installer who makes compliance easy gets repeat work and referrals.
Is it worth buying heat pump leads?
Sometimes, to fill gaps. Judge any paid lead source on cost per won job, not cost per lead, and ask whether the lead is shared. Our lead generation guide compares rented and owned leads.
Want this mapped onto your area, your season and the heat pump work you want more of? Get a free leads audit: 20 minutes with Ryan or Matt, your actual numbers, no obligation. For more on how we work with installers, see heat pump lead generation.