A growth plan answers one question for each equipment line you sell: grow it, hold it, or let it shrink. It does that with three inputs side by side: what each line earns you, what your team can deliver, and what public data says about the homes in your area. The output is a few pages of decisions, each with a marketing approach and a KPI to watch.
Why one plan for three lines
Furnaces, boilers and heat pumps compete for the same installers, the same phone lines and the same marketing budget. Planning them separately leads to a company that tries to grow all three at once and ends up short-staffed in all three.
The market is also moving at different speeds in different places. In Statistics Canada's heating-system table, the share of Nova Scotia households relying on a heat pump rose from 6% (a use-with-caution estimate) in 2013 to 25% in 2023. Over the same decade, Saskatchewan's furnace share barely moved, from 80% to 79%. An owner in Halifax and an owner in Regina need very different plans.
What the plan covers
- Line economics. Average invoiced ticket, gross margin and installer hours per job for each line, from your scorecard.
- Market direction. The ten-year trend for each system type in your province, plus the fuel inside furnaces and boilers.
- Capacity. How many installs per line your current crew can complete in peak and off-peak months.
- Programs. Rebates that affect demand, as of the date of the plan, with their status.
- Roles. A grow, hold or shrink call for each line, with the reasoning written down.
- Marketing. For each line, the channel mix, the service pages and the campaigns that support its role.
A worked example
Suppose last year looked like this. Swap in your own figures.
| Line | Installs | Avg ticket | Revenue | Installer hours per job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furnaces | 120 | $7,000 | $840,000 | 8 |
| Boilers | 25 | $11,000 | $275,000 | 16 |
| Heat pumps | 40 | $12,000 | $480,000 | 12 |
Total installer hours were 960 + 400 + 480 = 1,840. If the plan moves 20 furnace jobs to heat pumps, hours rise by 80 (20 jobs × 4 extra hours) and revenue rises by $100,000. Whether that is a good trade depends on margin per hour, which only your books can tell you. The plan makes that comparison explicit before you spend money advertising it.
How the marketing follows
Once each line has a role, the marketing is easier to set:
- Grow: dedicated service pages, paid search on that line's terms, and review requests after every install of that type.
- Hold: keep pages current, keep the Google Business Profile accurate, and lean on maintenance agreements.
- Shrink: stop paid spend on the line, but keep a page so existing customers can still find you.
For deeper heat pump lead generation, our sister site HeatPump.Marketing goes further; for hydronic and combi work, see Boiler.Marketing.
Programs as scenarios, not promises
Federal and provincial programs can shift demand quickly. The federal government announced a National Heat Pump Rebate Program on 2026-10-08, with up to $10,000 for households below median income and $2,000 for other eligible homeowners. As of October 2026 it had not opened. We plan for it as a scenario with and without the rebate, and you confirm details with the administrator before advertising it.
Timeline, measurement and mistakes
A plan usually takes several weeks, depending on the state of your records; the timeline is in your written proposal. Success is measured line by line on the scorecard: installs, ticket and spend per booked install for each line, reviewed at the quarterly review.
Common mistakes:
- Growing a line before the crew can install it well.
- Advertising a rebate that hasn't launched.
- Judging a line by revenue instead of margin per installer hour.
- Dropping all marketing for a line you are shrinking, which strands your existing customers.
We plan and market; we are not a contractor and never install equipment. To start, call, text or email with last year's installs by line. See pricing for plan costs.
Frequently asked questions
Should every heating company move toward heat pumps?
Not at the same speed. In 2023, heat pumps were the main system for 36% of PEI households but were too few to report reliably in Alberta. Your plan should follow your market, your crew's skills and your margins, not a national headline.
Can you tell me which equipment to install?
No. Equipment selection, sizing and code questions belong to your licensed technicians. We work on which lines to grow commercially and how to market them.
How does the new federal heat pump rebate affect the plan?
It may raise heat pump demand once it opens, but as of October 2026 the program had been announced and not launched. We plan for it as a scenario and tell you to confirm details with the administrator before advertising it.
What if I want to stay a boiler specialist?
That can be a strong position. The plan then focuses on defending the niche: who still owns hydronic systems near you, how they search, and how to be the obvious call.