An owner KPI scorecard is one page of numbers, split into furnace, boiler and heat pump columns, that tells you how the business did last month and last quarter. It is built from your own job, invoice and phone records, and each number has a written definition. That last part matters most: a KPI that is counted differently every quarter is worse than no KPI at all.
What goes on the scorecard
The scorecard covers demand, conversion, delivery and recurring revenue, each split by equipment line where it makes sense. Here is a typical first version.
| Area | KPI | Split by line? |
|---|---|---|
| Demand | New enquiries (calls, texts, emails) | Yes |
| Demand | Calls missed in and after business hours | No |
| Conversion | Quotes issued, quotes won, win rate | Yes |
| Conversion | Days from first contact to signed quote | Yes |
| Delivery | Installs completed | Yes |
| Delivery | Average invoiced ticket | Yes |
| Delivery | Gross margin per install (if your books allow) | Yes |
| Recurring | Active maintenance agreements, quarter end | Yes |
| Marketing | Spend per booked install | Yes |
Owners often ask for a single "company win rate". We resist it. A 40% company figure can hide a furnace win rate near 60% and a heat pump rate near 20%, and those call for opposite actions.
Who the scorecard is for
It suits owner-operated heating companies with somewhere between a handful and a few dozen staff. That covers most of the market: by our calculation from Statistics Canada's Canadian Business Counts, June 2026, 57.6% of the 16,754 employer locations in plumbing, heating and air-conditioning had one to four employees. Firms that size rarely have an analyst, so the owner has to read the numbers personally. The scorecard is designed for that reader.
How we build it
The build runs in four steps.
- Inventory. We list where each number lives: field service software, accounting, phone logs, ad accounts.
- Definitions. We write a one-line definition for every KPI, including edge cases. For example: a job counts as a heat pump install if a heat pump is the main new heating equipment, even if a furnace is kept as backup.
- First fill. We fill the last four quarters, where the records allow, so you start with a trend instead of a single point.
- Monthly rhythm. We agree who updates it and when, ideally in under an hour a month.
The timeline depends on your records, and it is set out in your written proposal.
How results are measured
The scorecard measures itself by whether it changes decisions. After two quarters, we ask three questions: Did a number on it prompt a change? Did the definitions hold? Did the owner read it without being reminded? If the answer to any is no, we change the scorecard, not the owner.
Common scorecard mistakes
- Counting enquiries without counting misses. A busy January with 30% of calls missed is not a good month.
- Mixing service calls into install numbers. Repair visits inflate job counts and drag the average ticket down.
- Changing a definition quietly. If a definition must change, note the date and restate the earlier quarters.
- Inventing a target from an "industry average". Set targets from your own trend instead.
- Tracking spend without tracking the line it produced. An ad budget that can't be tied to furnace or heat pump installs can't be steered.
Where it connects
The scorecard feeds the Quarterly owner review and supplies the ticket values used in the growth plan. On the marketing side, it gives our HVAC.Agency team a clear target for each campaign. To see how the same discipline played out in practice, read our results from our HVAC work.
We are a business and marketing service, not a heating contractor, so none of this touches the technical side of your jobs. Call, text or email to talk through what your records look like today; plan prices are on the pricing page, and stand-alone scorecard work is quoted in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Which software do you need access to?
Whatever holds your jobs, invoices and calls, usually a field service system, an accounting package and a phone system. Read-only exports are enough for the first version.
Will you compare my numbers to other heating companies?
No. We have not found a reliable public benchmark for Canadian heating KPIs such as close rate or average ticket, so we compare you with your own past quarters. Market context comes from public data, which is a different thing.
How many KPIs is the right number?
Usually ten to fourteen. Fewer and you miss the line-by-line picture; more and nobody reads it. We would rather drop a number than keep one nobody acts on.
What if my records are messy?
Most are. The first month is often spent agreeing on definitions, such as what counts as a heat pump job when a furnace is replaced at the same time. That work is the point, not a delay.