This section covers Top-Rated recognition and the Phoenix finder. It also shows how to check and hire an HVAC contractor.
The criteria page explains how a company qualifies as Top-Rated in a metro. It needs a Google rating of 4.8 stars or higher, and that same listing needs a review count at or above the metro's review bar. It also needs an active state license and must serve that metro. The Phoenix review bar is 475 reviews, set in October 2026 from 384 companies. The bars for Seattle–Tacoma, Austin, Jacksonville and Columbus are not set yet. The awards disclosure says no company can pay for recognition. It also says Top-Rated lists do not rank companies. Per the awards disclosure, recognition opens in 2027 and no company has been recognized yet. The same disclosure says the Top-Rated seals shown on the site so far are samples.
The Phoenix finder lists Phoenix-area HVAC companies as checked in October 2026. Each had a Google rating of 4.5 stars or higher and at least 20 reviews. Each also had an active Arizona contractor license in an air conditioning or heating class. Companies within about 15 miles of your ZIP code that meet the rating and review bar come first. The rest follow by distance. The awards disclosure says recognition is not an inspection of a company's work or a guarantee of any job.
Joel Keith publishes The HVAC Standard and also runs a marketing agency. Some companies featured here work with the agency. The awards disclosure explains that those companies are held to the same bar as every other company.
