Emails every HVAC company should send past customers

The HVAC emails that work are tied to the customer’s system and the time of year. A tune-up postcard says the same thing to everyone. An email that knows the customer has a two-year-old heat pump, or a furnace you replaced last spring, reads like it came from the company that did the work, because it did.

Here are eleven worth sending, starting with the ones tied to a specific job, then the seasonal ones, then plans, replacements, reviews and customers who’ve gone quiet. Each one has a sample subject line and message you can adapt. Send each customer one a month, picked by their system and the season. If someone qualifies for two in the same month, send the one about their own job first. The review request and the quote follow-ups are separate: they go out when the job or the estimate happens.

This assumes a market with real summers and real winters. In the Deep South the fall visit is often a second AC visit, up north the spring AC visit waits until it’s warm enough to test, and boiler homes don’t get the filter email at all. Time these to your weather, not the calendar.

1. The 90-day check-in

When: about 90 days after an install, once the system has run in real weather. Spring and summer installs get the cooling version, fall and winter installs get the heating version, and a fall AC-only install waits for the first hot week next year.

Subject: How’s the new system doing so far?

By now your new AC has worked through some hot days. Is every room cooling evenly? Is it turning on and off every few minutes, or making a noise you don’t like? If anything’s off, we’d rather hear about it now than on the hottest day of the year.

The ask: reply, or book a callback.

Why it works: it doesn’t sell anything, and it catches a small problem before it turns into a bad review. For the heating version, swap in cold nights, rooms warming evenly and the coldest night of the year. On a heat pump, add a line that steam coming off the outdoor unit on a cold day is its normal defrost cycle. That one sentence saves a panicked phone call.

2. The maintenance plan offer

When: a few months after an install, for customers who passed on a plan, before their first-season check is due.

Subject: Want us to keep track of the tune-ups for you?

When we put in your new system, we mentioned our maintenance plan. Here’s what it covers: [one or two] tune-ups a year, priority scheduling when everyone’s calling, and [the perk that matters on a new system, like keeping your extended labor warranty active or no trip charge]. It’s [price per month or year], and [if it renews automatically, say so here]. We’ll handle the reminders so you don’t have to remember.

The ask: join the plan.

Why it works: install day is a lot of decisions at once. A few months later, with the system running and its first season coming up, the plan is an easier yes, and if they join, the first-season check below becomes their included visit. If your plan renews automatically, say so up front. Some states require it, and it heads off the “I never agreed to that” call next year. Here are the rules to check.

3. The first-season check

When: before a new system’s first full season of work.

Subject: Your new furnace’s first winter is coming.

We put in your new furnace this spring, and this winter is its first real workout. Before it gets cold, we’ll run it through a full heating cycle, check the gas pressure and flame, make sure the venting and drain lines are clear, and test the safety controls. We’ll write down what we checked, too, so you have a record if you ever need the warranty.

The ask: book the check.

Why it works: it’s a check on equipment you installed, and it catches a setup problem before the first cold snap. If the visit came with the install or the plan, say “It’s already covered, so just pick a time.” If it didn’t, give the price.

4. The ductless one-year cleaning

When: about a year after a mini-split install, timed so it lands before the season it works hardest: summer for most, winter where it’s the main heat.

Subject: One year in. Time for your mini-split’s first cleaning.

It’s been a year since we put in your mini-split. Time for its first cleaning: we wash the filters, clean the coil and fan inside each indoor unit, flush the drains, rinse the outdoor unit and check the line connections for leaks. Book now and we’ll have it done before [summer or winter], when it works hardest.

The ask: book the cleaning.

Why it works: it turns a one-time install into a yearly visit. Only offer to hold this year’s price if your prices really do go up on a set date.

5. The spring and fall tune-up reminders

When: before cooling season and before heating season, timed to your weather, for customers who aren’t on a plan and haven’t had a visit in the last few months. Members get a “schedule your included visit” version instead.

Subject: Book your AC tune-up before the first heat wave.

ENERGY STAR recommends having a contractor check your cooling system every spring and your heating system every fall. Your last visit with us was [month and year]. Pick a time before the schedule fills up.

The ask: book a pre-season tune-up.

Why it works: the timing comes from ENERGY STAR, which recommends “annual pre-season check-ups” and says “it’s best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall” (ENERGY STAR). Quoting it makes your email read like a reminder instead of a pitch.

The cold months have their own emails, like carbon monoxide alarms and what’s stacked next to the furnace in January. The winter calendar’s heating inspection is the same visit as the fall reminder here, so send one or the other. Here’s the winter calendar.

6. The filter reminder

When: a few times a year during heavy heating or cooling season, or as a P.S. on whatever email the customer gets that month. Skip boiler and radiant-only homes, and give ductless customers a rinse-the-filters version.

Subject: Quick filter check?

ENERGY STAR suggests checking your air filter once a month. Your system takes a [filter size from your records]. If it looks dirty, it’s time. Reply and we’ll [drop some off, have them ready for pickup, or bring them to your next visit] for [price, or “free for members”].

The ask: reply for filters.

Why it works: it’s useful even to a customer who doesn’t need you this month, and that’s what keeps your name in front of them. The monthly check is straight from ENERGY STAR’s maintenance checklist. It only works if you know their filter size, which is a good reason for techs to log it.

7. The maintenance plan renewal

When: well before the plan ends, with a reminder close to the date.

Subject: Your maintenance plan renews next month. Here’s what it did this year.

This year your plan covered [the visits they actually had] and [anything you caught early]. It renews on [date] at [price, and last year’s price if it’s going up]. If you’d like to change it or cancel, reply here, call us at [number], or use [cancel link].

If they haven’t used a visit, add:

You still have your [season] tune-up on this year’s plan. Want to get it on the calendar?

The ask: book any visit they haven’t used, or tell us what to change. If the plan doesn’t renew on its own, add a link to renew.

Why it works: it shows what the plan did before it asks for another year. Only list what they actually used. A member who skipped their visits is the one wondering what they paid for, so get that visit booked first. Here’s what to send, when, and the rules to check, and what else we know about retention.

8. Replacement planning

When: once a system passes the age ENERGY STAR flags, sent in spring or fall when you have install openings. Skip anyone you did a big repair for in the last few months.

Subject: Your AC is 11 years old. No rush, but let’s make a plan.

Our records show your air conditioner was installed in [year]. ENERGY STAR suggests talking to a contractor about replacement once a heat pump or AC is more than 10 years old, especially if repairs are adding up or some rooms won’t stay comfortable. Nothing has to happen today. When you’re ready, we’ll walk you through repair versus replace, and we’ll tell you if yours has plenty of life left.

The ask: book a replacement consult, or reply with questions.

Why it works: sent in spring or fall, it reaches the customer before a breakdown in July forces the decision. ENERGY STAR lists a heat pump or air conditioner more than 10 years old, or a furnace or boiler more than 15, among the signs it may be time to replace (ENERGY STAR).

9. The replacement quote they didn’t sign

When: a few days after a replacement estimate goes unsold on a system that’s still running, then spaced out over the next few weeks. If the system is down, the salesperson calls the same day.

Subject: Still thinking about the new system?

No pressure from us. If you’re still weighing it, here’s something that might help: [financing, install timing, or how the options we quoted compare]. Reply with any questions and we’ll answer them straight. And if you went with someone else, just tell us and we’ll stop following up.

The ask: reply, or book a second visit.

Why it works: a replacement quote is a big ticket that’s already half sold, and a short, honest follow-up keeps it alive. Send it from the salesperson who sat at the kitchen table, not from the company. Here’s what to say when they tell you they want to think about it, and the five-email sequence we use.

10. The review request

When: within a day of the job being finished, to every customer. If a part is on order or a return trip is scheduled, wait until the work is done.

Subject: How did we do?

Thanks for having us out. Would you leave a quick, honest review of how [tech name] did? It takes about a minute, and it helps your neighbors find someone they can trust.

The ask: one tap to your review page.

Why it works: the job and the tech’s name are both fresh, and it goes out without anyone at the office remembering to ask. Everyone gets the same ask, whether the job went great or not. Google’s review policy prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews (Google), and the FTC’s guide for businesses says “Don’t ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones” (FTC). Don’t attach a discount to the review either, because Google prohibits incentives for reviews. One polite follow-up is plenty.

11. The 18-month check-in

When: after 18 months without a job, for customers who aren’t on a plan. A member that quiet is owed visits, and that’s a different email.

Subject: It’s been a while. Is the system treating you right?

We haven’t been out since [last job]. If your [system on file] is running fine, great. If something’s been running longer than it used to or making a new noise, we’d be glad to take a look. And if it’s just due for a tune-up, returning customers get [your offer].

The ask: book a tune-up, or a service call if something’s wrong.

Why it works: a customer who’s gone quiet usually hasn’t left. They just haven’t needed you, and this gives them a reason to call. Fill in [last job] in plain words, like “replaced your furnace igniter in March,” not the job type from your software. Here’s how to bring them back.

Why these work

None of these is clever. Each one is tied to something real: the system in the house, how long it’s been, and the season. That’s the difference between a tune-up postcard and an email from the company that did the work.

It’s also why the data matters more than the writing. Every email above depends on knowing who has which system and when you were last there. Most of that is already sitting in ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro, as long as your techs log the equipment on every visit. Here’s how we run it for HVAC shops, so each customer gets the email that fits their system.