HVAC ad costs and search demand in Richmond, VA

What an ad click costs here (what competitors pay Google per click) and how much demand there is, job by job. Each figure is measured by one named search term, and the term is printed beside it. No signup to look.

Your nearest measured market looks like Columbus, OH →(a guess from your connection's location)

Click cost and demand retrieved September 24, 2026 · input costs to August 2026. How we source this

No summary comparison here: fewer than three jobs in Richmond, VA have 100+ searches a month and a click cost we show. Each job's own figure, and why any is held, is in the table.

When the phone rings

Historical search demand by job in Richmond, VA. Each month is shown against this job's own average year, where 100 is average: a reading of 180 would mean that month runs 80% above the job's own average month. This is what has happened, not a forecast, and each card says how much history it rests on.

Water heater installationDirectional

Demand peaks in October at 425 against an average year of 100, and bottoms out in April at 50. Based on 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026, but the volumes are small, so treat the shape as directional.

JanDec

n = 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

AC repairStrong pattern

Demand crosses its average in April, peaks in July at 239 against an average year of 100, and bottoms out in November at 24. Based on 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

JanDec

n = 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

Furnace repairStrong pattern

Demand crosses its average in November, peaks in January at 233 against an average year of 100, and bottoms out in September at 31. Based on 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

JanDec

n = 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

Central AC installationDirectional

Demand crosses its average in March, peaks in May at 195 against an average year of 100, and bottoms out in December at 42. Based on 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026, but the volumes are small, so treat the shape as directional.

JanDec

n = 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

Heat pump installationDirectional

Demand crosses its average in December, peaks in January at 171 against an average year of 100, and bottoms out in October at 60. Based on 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026, but the volumes are small, so treat the shape as directional.

JanDec

n = 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026.

Furnace replacementDirectional

Demand crosses its average in July, peaks in October at 134 against an average year of 100, and bottoms out in June at 53. Based on 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026, but the volumes are small, so treat the shape as directional.

JanDec

n = 47 months, October 2022 to August 2026, 4 of them reading zero.

Job	Ad click cost (Google CPC)	Monthly demand
Central AC installationmeasured as “ac installation”	n/aheld: no reliable figure	30/mo
Furnace replacementmeasured as “furnace replacement”	n/aheld: no reliable figure	10/mo
Heat pump installationmeasured as “heat pump installation”	n/aheld: no reliable figure	50/mo
AC repairmeasured as “ac repair”	$61.38+32% vs US	390/mo
Furnace repairmeasured as “furnace repair”	$40.72+43% vs US	170/mo
Water heater installationmeasured as “water heater installation”	$19.00low volume-36% vs US	30/mo
Air duct cleaningmeasured as “air duct cleaning”	$13.56low volume-44% vs US	90/mo

How to read this: Every figure in a row is measured by the one search term printed under the job name, so demand, click cost and history all describe the same thing. Ad click cost is the average Google Ads cost-per-click for that term in this area, what competitors pay Google for one click, shown against the US average. It is not your cost per booked lead: divide by your own conversion rate for that (a $20 click at a 15% conversion is about a $133 lead). Demand is monthly searches for that term; the small line shows the last 12 months. A click cost shown as held: out of line was under 15% or over 4 times its country's national figure for that term; held: no reliable figure means the provider returned none, or one under fifty cents. Neither is shown. A click cost marked low volume rests on fewer than 100 searches a month and can swing a lot from one pull to the next: treat it as a signal, not a price. We do not publish job price ranges: we have no source for them that we can show you. Source: DataForSEO (Google Ads search volume). Retrieved September 24, 2026. How we source this →

Local technician pay

What HVAC techs earn in Richmond, VA Metro Area, from US Department of Labor wage data (2025).

$28.43/hr median

Typical range $18.40 to $37.80 (10th to 90th percentile)

-3%

vs US median ($29.33/hr)

$59,130

annual median

Pay here is close to the US median. The annual figure is the published annual median, not the hourly rate times 2,080. Source: US Department of Labor (CareerOneStop, OEWS).

Input cost watch

Wholesale price trends for the materials and fuel that hit HVAC margins, from US producer price data (national, not specific to Richmond, VA). Latest: August 2026.

Copper & brass mill shapes

BLS series WPU102502

▲ +20.9% yr+3.5% mo

Steel mill products

BLS series WPU1017

▲ +23.4% yr+1.7% mo

AC & refrigeration equipment

BLS series WPU1148

▲ +4.1% yr+0.3% mo

Nonferrous metals

BLS series WPU102

▲ +33% yr+1.1% mo

Diesel fuel

BLS series WPU057303

▲ +77.8% yr+17.7% mo

Up (red) means your input costs are rising, a cue to revisit pricing. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index (PPI). Values are index levels; the signal is the change. BLS marks the most recent months preliminary and revises them for up to four months.

What can you afford to pay per click?

Your numbers, not ours. Fill in all four and this works out the most you can pay for a lead and, from that, the most you can pay for a click in Richmond, VA. Nothing is assumed on your behalf. It runs in your browser: what you type is not sent to us or saved.

Average revenue per job$Lead-to-job close rate%Marketing budget (% of revenue)%Clicks it takes to get one lead

Most you can profitably pay per lead:

n/a

Which is, per click:

n/a

Enter all four numbers to see a result.

A rough guide, not advice. Max per lead = average job revenue x close rate x marketing budget percent. Max per click = that, divided by the clicks it takes you to get a lead. If you do not know your clicks-per-lead, we cannot work it out for you and will not guess: it is the number that decides the answer.

Get Richmond, VA's numbers in your inbox

The HVAC Bench Dispatch: one email a month with click costs, demand, wages and input costs for your area, sent on the first of each month. Free, unsubscribe any time.