HVAC Buyers Are Choosing Heat Pumps, Smart Tech, and IAQ — The 2025 American Home Comfort Study Explained

HVAC buyers are increasingly favouring heat pumps, smart technology, and indoor air quality features, according to the 2025 American Home Comfort Study. The findings, from Decision Analyst's survey of nearly 21,000 screened respondents (2,500 completing the full survey in Q1 2025), provide the most comprehensive recent picture of how the residential HVAC buying decision is changing — and what contractors need to understand to position themselves effectively with the next generation of homeowner customers.

The headline finding: smart thermostat adoption has reached 44% of households, HVAC buyers are skewing younger with under-45 homeowners preferring smart connected systems, and energy efficiency has moved from a 'nice bonus' to a core purchasing criterion. Crystal Williams, founder of Lemon Seed Marketing, framed the contractor implication precisely: 'Energy efficiency used to be a nice bonus. Now it's becoming part of the buying decision. But here's where contractors miss the mark: most companies market efficiency with technical specs and SEER ratings. Customers don't buy numbers. They buy outcomes.'

The Key Data Points Contractors Need to Know

• Smart thermostat adoption at 44%: Nearly half of US households already have a smart thermostat — meaning the majority of HVAC replacement customers have been living with connected temperature control for years. Their expectations for the new system's intelligence and connectivity are shaped by that experience

• Buyers skewing younger: Homeowners under 45 show stronger preference for smart, connected systems — the demographic cohort that will dominate HVAC replacement purchases for the next two decades is more technology-forward than the boomer cohort it is replacing

• Heat pump preference growing: The study confirms that heat pump consideration has been growing among residential buyers, driven by energy cost concerns, environmental awareness, and the growing availability of cold-climate capable products that have expanded the geographic range where heat pumps are a practical choice

• Energy efficiency as core criterion: The shift from efficiency-as-bonus to efficiency-as-baseline reflects sustained elevated energy costs — consumers who have been paying higher electricity and gas bills since 2021 have internalised the value of efficiency in a way that the pre-2021 cost environment did not produce

• IAQ interest elevated: Post-pandemic IAQ awareness continues to influence purchase decisions — buyers are more likely than pre-pandemic to ask about filtration, ventilation, and humidity control when discussing HVAC replacement

The 2025 American Home Comfort Study (2,500 respondents, Decision Analyst, Q1 2025) documents a structural shift in the residential HVAC buying decision: smart thermostat adoption at 44%, younger buyers preferring connected systems, energy efficiency now a core criterion rather than a bonus, and growing heat pump and IAQ consideration — requiring contractors to shift from spec-based to outcome-based marketing and sales conversations.

The Contractor Marketing Implication

The study's most actionable finding for contractors is the energy efficiency marketing gap Williams identifies. Contractors who describe efficiency in SEER2 ratings and technical specifications are speaking in a language that homeowners who have lived with smart thermostats and paid attention to their utility bills increasingly do not need to decode — they want to know what the outcome means in dollars, comfort, and reliability.

The contractors who are gaining share with younger, tech-forward buyers in 2026 are making three specific shifts:

• Outcome language: 'This system will save you approximately $80 per month on your electricity bill, maintain temperature within 0.5 degrees of setpoint, and run at night without waking anyone in the house' versus 'This is a 21 SEER2 variable-speed system'

• Connected system positioning: Framing the smart thermostat, equipment monitoring, and service connectivity as standard rather than upgrade — because under-45 buyers expect connectivity and may view its absence as a reason to look at competitors

• IAQ as part of the conversation: Asking about air quality, filtration, and ventilation before the customer asks — because the data shows buyers are thinking about it, and the contractor who surfaces the conversation first is more likely to earn the IAQ add-on

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 2025 American Home Comfort Study?

The 2025 American Home Comfort Study is a comprehensive residential HVAC consumer research report by Decision Analyst, based on nearly 21,000 screened respondents with 2,500 completing the full survey in Q1 2025. It documents HVAC buying preferences, technology adoption, and purchasing behaviours across US residential consumers. Key findings published June 6, 2026 by ACHR News include smart thermostat adoption at 44%, younger buyers preferring connected systems, and energy efficiency now a core purchasing criterion.