AI appointment setter for HVAC companies: turn unsold replacement estimates into booked visits

Replacement quotes go cold after the repair. A technician patches the system and leaves a replacement quote. The house is warm again, so the decision slides until the next breakdown, usually in the busiest week of the season.

Prices and incentives moved. The refrigerant changeover and the end of the federal 25C credit on December 31, 2025 changed many quotes. Homeowners who paused need a fresh conversation, not a stale PDF.

Follow-up stops after one try. In peak season every tech and CSR is on live calls. Estimates from the last heat wave or cold snap rarely get a second or third follow-up.

Two things make old HVAC estimates worth revisiting:

• Refrigerant transition. EPA rules ended the manufacture and import of new residential AC and heat pump systems using high-GWP refrigerants such as R-410A from January 1, 2025, and contractors report sharply higher costs for replacement refrigerants (Applause). Quotes written in 2024 may not reflect today's equipment.
• Federal credits. The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C) ended on December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Instead). Homeowners who planned around it may need a new number and a new reason.

Neither is a reason to pressure anyone. Both are honest reasons to get back in touch: "pricing has changed since we quoted you; do you want an updated estimate?"

More than once, starting fast. Hatch, an AI follow-up vendor, analyzed 163,212 HVAC estimate follow-up campaigns that began two days after the estimate: the average response rate was 60%, and the best campaigns were text-led with short messages over about a week (Hatch, vendor study). The practical lesson matches what HVAC sales managers see: one call and a voicemail is not follow-up.

A workable pattern for unsold replacement estimates is a text within 48 hours, a specific follow-up at day 4 or 5, something useful at day 10 (financing, install availability, the refrigerant change) and a direct "keep this open?" at day 21. Read how many times to follow up on an estimate.

• Replacement estimates from repair calls: the homeowner knows the system is on borrowed time.
• Second-opinion requests: they already have one quote and want another.
• Lapsed maintenance plan members: an easy reason to book a tune-up, which often surfaces a replacement conversation.
• Indoor air quality and add-on quotes: smaller tickets that move quickly.

Setterly works each pool with its own first message and books the visit type you choose: comfort consultation, second opinion or tune-up.

1. You send your old leads. A CSV or CRM export of unsold replacement estimates, repair-or-replace decisions and lapsed maintenance plans, with what each homeowner asked about. We check source and consent with you first.
2. The AI texts each homeowner. The first message mentions their original request. When they reply, it answers questions, handles "not right now" and offers times.
3. Comfort consultations land in your calendar. With notes from the conversation, so your team knows what was said.

Messages come from a registered number in your business name, respect TCPA quiet hours and state rules, and every conversation is visible to you. See texting compliance.