While many UK trades are having a strong year, one sector is pulling ahead: heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Tracking industry trends is useful for any growing business, particularly when the data shows where demand and revenue are moving. Tradify recently released its UK Top-Earning Trades Report, which analysed more than 3,000 UK trade businesses between June 2025 and May 2026. The findings offer a clear look at the current financial landscape, crowning HVAC as the highest-earning trade sector over the past twelve months.
Leading the Pack in Annual Revenue
When reviewing the data, the financial gap between HVAC and other successful trades is striking. HVAC businesses saw a 17% increase in average invoiced revenue, reaching £428,538. To appreciate this, we need to look at how it compares to the runner-up. Property maintenance, taking second place, brought in £345,357 on average. Electrical and AV trades followed in third place with £282,843.
Further down the ladder, landscaping and lawns generated £258,714 on average, while plumbing and gas saw £255,667 and carpentry and renovations reached £254,452. All are showing solid 16% to 25% year-on-year growth, but HVAC is clearly operating at the top of the market.
There are a few likely reasons behind that gap.
HVAC work often involves specialist compliance requirements, planned maintenance contracts and commercial environments where reliability, comfort and energy performance are business-critical. That combination can support higher project values and more resilient revenue streams.
For an active HVAC business owner, this 17% growth signals a booming market with incredibly high demand. However, it is crucial to remember these figures represent average invoiced revenue rather than pure profit. Labour, materials, overheads, taxes, and vehicle costs must all be carefully deducted before you can understand what you are actually taking home.
How Team Size Impacts the Bottom Line
Growth is not just about taking on a higher volume of work, but rather securing higher value contracts as your capacity expands. Scaling up your team naturally brings higher revenue, and HVAC businesses multiply their earnings at an astonishing rate. Sole traders in the HVAC industry are earning an average of £184,566. Yet medium-sized companies of five to twelve staff are bringing in a staggering £1,225,248.
The most fascinating insight for business owners lies in the average revenue per job. As an HVAC business scales from a single operator to a medium-sized team, the average invoice value nearly triples from £1,086 to £3,214.
Expanding your workforce allows you to successfully bid for significantly larger, more lucrative commercial projects.
Operational Excellence Across the Board
Achieving top-tier revenue requires working intelligently behind the scenes, rather than simply putting in longer hours on site. The research highlights a significant shift towards smarter working habits. It notes that 92% of administrative tasks for HVAC professionals are now completed during the standard working week.
By handling paperwork in real time between Monday and Friday, modern business owners are successfully protecting their personal time and avoiding the traditional weekend backlog.
Furthermore, HVAC businesses are maintaining an excellent 85% quote win rate. In practice, this proves that quicker responses, professional estimates, and timely follow-ups translate directly into won jobs. The businesses securing the best contracts are the ones matching their technical expertise with flawless customer communication.
What This Means for HVAC Businesses
The strongest HVAC businesses aren’t just benefiting from a buoyant market. They’re positioning themselves around the issues customers care about most. Rising energy costs, demand for more efficient buildings, indoor air quality, decarbonisation and the growth of complex commercial spaces are all making HVAC expertise more valuable. For customers, the decision is rarely about equipment alone. It’s about confidence, compliance, comfort and long-term performance.
For HVAC firms, that makes clear communication important. Explaining complex work in plain English, supporting claims with case studies and showing the practical impact of energy performance, reliability or compliance can help customers make more informed decisions. Technical capability remains central, but evidence and clarity make it easier for customers to understand the value behind the work.
Practical ways to build on this momentum include:
- Reviewing pricing and project margins to ensure complex HVAC work is being valued properly.
- Improving quote response times, follow-ups and customer communications to protect conversion rates.
- Using case studies, testimonials and sector-specific content to support higher-value commercial opportunities.
The key takeaways
The latest trade data shows that HVAC isn’t only outperforming other UK trades in average revenue, but also showing strong scalability, efficient administration and high quote conversion.
- HVAC is currently the highest-earning UK trade sector, with average invoiced revenue well ahead of other leading trades.
- Medium-sized HVAC businesses show especially strong scalability, demonstrating the value of efficient systems, skilled teams and higher-value project work.
- Operational performance matters: fast quoting, professional communication and strong follow-up processes can directly influence revenue growth.
- Clear marketing, strong positioning and evidence-led messaging can help HVAC firms convert market momentum into long-term commercial success.
For growing HVAC businesses, the opportunity is clear: higher-value work is available. However, the strongest results are likely to come from pairing technical expertise with efficient operations and clear, evidence-led communication.
