The year-one plan answers the question owners ask once they have decided to enter: what do we do each month for the next twelve? It sets volume targets from your crew capacity, schedules the work that has to happen before demand arrives, and builds in checkpoints so you can push harder or slow down on evidence. It is a business plan, not an installation schedule.
What the plan contains
The plan has five parts, each kept short enough to use.
- Targets. Installs per month by offer, margin per install, and the share of jobs that include a rebate program.
- Build list. The web pages, Google Business Profile updates, quote templates and staff training that must exist before demand peaks.
- Demand calendar. When to advertise, when to email past customers who gave consent, and when to stay quiet because the crew is full.
- Staffing levels. How many installs each crew can take on per month, and when to add a helper or subcontract electrical work.
- Checkpoints. Four quarterly reviews with a pre-agreed response if numbers are above or below target.
A sample quarter-by-quarter outline
Every company is different, but a typical first year starting in the autumn looks like this:
| Quarter | Focus | Typical outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 (autumn) | Build and register | Offer pages, quote template, program registrations, training plan |
| Q2 (winter) | Soft launch | Quotes to existing customers, first installs, callback tracking |
| Q3 (spring) | Shoulder-season push | Search ads in target towns, review requests, program-led messaging |
| Q4 (summer) | Cooling and conversions | Air-conditioning replacements quoted as heat pumps, year-two decisions |
Your plan uses your actual towns, offers and programs, with dates.
Why timing matters more for heat pumps
Heat-pump demand is pulled by programs and seasons at the same time. A rebate launch can bring a wave of calls in a month when your crew is already full of furnace work. The plan maps both calendars so you can prepare. For example, as of October 2026 the federal National Heat Pump Rebate Program had been announced, with up to $10,000 for households below median income and $2,000 for other eligible homeowners on electric cold-climate air source heat pumps, but the launch and installer details were not yet published. A good plan prepares pages and staff for that moment without promising dates nobody has confirmed.
How results are measured
We keep the dashboard to a handful of numbers:
- heat-pump installs per month, against target
- gross margin per install
- quote-to-job close rate
- cost per booked heat-pump job from advertising
- callbacks within 90 days of install
- response time on existing furnace and boiler customers
The last one matters. A new line that degrades your core service is not growth.
Proof that planned launches work
In our HVAC work, BCWide.ca reached 3× leads in 90 days and CanroHeat.ca achieved 250% lead growth. Those were HVAC marketing results, not heat-pump launches specifically, but they show what a disciplined plan with clear targets can do. See the results page for what transfers.
Who this is for
The plan suits owners who have made the go decision and want a schedule they can hand to a manager, a partner or a lender. It also helps companies that tried heat pumps without a plan, saw uneven demand, and want to restart with clear targets. If you have not yet decided whether to enter, start with the go/no-go assessment instead; a plan built on an untested decision rarely survives the first quarter.
Mistakes to avoid
- Advertising before the build list is done. Paying for clicks that land on a generic page wastes money.
- Planning volume without the crew. Targets must come from capacity, not ambition.
- Skipping checkpoints. A quarterly review takes an hour and saves a season.
- Ignoring consent rules for past-customer messages. Commercial emails and texts in Canada need consent under CASL.
The plan works best after the market assessment and equipment-line decisions. For the decision that comes before the plan, read the go/no-go guide, see pricing, or call, text or email us.
Frequently asked questions
When is the right month to start the plan?
Any month works, but the plan should start at least one season before your target busy period. Starting in autumn gives you winter to build pages and register for programs before shoulder-season demand.
Does the plan include advertising?
It sets when and where to advertise, and what each campaign should achieve. Running the campaigns can be done by your team or through an HVAC.Agency-family marketing plan.
What if our targets are missed?
The plan includes quarterly checkpoints with a pre-agreed response: adjust the offer, narrow the area, fix quoting, or pause. Missing a target is information, not failure.
Do you promise a number of installs?
No. We set targets from your capacity and market, and we measure against them. No honest consultant can promise a result that depends on weather, programs and your crew.