Methodology

How pages are checked

Last reviewed: May 12, 2026

How we collect data

Each city and service page is built around information homeowners can actually use before calling a contractor. We start with the local service context, then add company records from compliant sources: public business profiles, Google Places API New, contractor websites where allowed, BBB public profiles where available, optional licensing sources, review metadata, and source freshness checks.

Provider rankings

Current company lists are not sold as paid rankings. When a page does not have enough local evidence for a true ranked order, it is presented as a practical comparison list based on public business-profile usefulness, such as review volume, visible rating, operating status, and source availability. License checks may be added when available, but they are not required before a public business profile can appear.

Consent and recording

The current public directory does not depend on one-by-one contractor call campaigns. If we add a future call-recording feature, recording laws differ by state. We operate in two-party-consent states only with explicit written consent. In one-party-consent states we still capture consent status before storing a recording. The application has a code-level consent gate that blocks recording URLs when consent is missing or legally insufficient.

Two-party-consent states treated as written-consent-required for recording: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington.

Google data

Google Maps business data, ratings, and up to five Google reviews are sourced only through Google Places API New for HVAC Record. We do not scrape Google Maps HTML. Google review rows are displayed with attribution, not reordered, and refreshed inside the required cache window.

Sources we do not use

We do not scrape Yelp ratings, Google Reviews HTML, or platforms that prohibit the use case. Banned scraping paths include generic map/review scrapers aimed at those platforms.

Update cadence

Google Places data is refreshed bi-weekly. Public pages may show the latest Google review date and the latest source refresh date so readers can judge how current the provider data is.

Conflicts of interest

Display advertising may appear on the site. Paid featured placements are not part of the current company ordering. If paid listings launch later, they will be clearly disclosed separately from editorial or source-based notes.