{"id":"hvac-decisions-2026-09","frozen_at":"2026-10-01T12:05:23.249Z","round":"2026-09","source":"Answered picks:2026-09 runs for HVAC markets, from the operator run export","scope":{"answers":1319,"markets":143,"states":30,"texas_answers":738,"questions":13,"by_assistant":{"instinct":774,"muse":210,"grokbot":317,"fo":18}},"queries":{"total":6285,"categories":["urgent","cost","reviews","best","license","bbb","named","finance","reddit"],"by_assistant":{"instinct":{"answers":774,"queries":1035,"median_per_answer":1,"categories":{"urgent":0.401,"cost":0.433,"reviews":0.11,"best":0.1,"license":0.064,"bbb":0.021,"named":0.003,"finance":0.064,"reddit":0}},"muse":{"answers":210,"queries":404,"median_per_answer":2,"categories":{"urgent":0.181,"cost":0.218,"reviews":0.48,"best":0.396,"license":0,"bbb":0.02,"named":0.037,"finance":0.094,"reddit":0}},"grokbot":{"answers":317,"queries":4803,"median_per_answer":13,"categories":{"urgent":0.11,"cost":0.074,"reviews":0.213,"best":0.103,"license":0.193,"bbb":0.298,"named":0.069,"finance":0.008,"reddit":0.04}},"fo":{"answers":18,"queries":43,"median_per_answer":2,"categories":{"urgent":0.256,"cost":0.209,"reviews":0.186,"best":0.093,"license":0,"bbb":0,"named":0,"finance":0.116,"reddit":0.116}}}},"one_question":{"question":"My AC stopped cooling. Find me an HVAC company in Dallas, TX that can come out today.","market":"dallas-tx-hvac","answers":[{"assistant":"instinct","run_id":"rrn_001a0e7514f19babe163d763a","searches":["Dallas TX AC repair same day service","Dallas HVAC company emergency AC repair today"],"sources":5,"picks":["Frosty's HVAC","Dallas Heating and Air Conditioning","LEX Air Conditioning"],"considered":2},{"assistant":"grokbot","run_id":"rrn_001a0e749cb9a35ba5b4153ab","searches":["same day AC repair Dallas TX","emergency AC repair Dallas TX 24/7","best AC repair Dallas reddit r/Dallas HVAC recommendation","emergency AC repair Dallas TX today","24/7 HVAC Dallas TX","Reliant Air Conditioning Dallas same day AC repair","Happel Mechanical Dallas AC repair","Reliant Heating Air Conditioning Dallas TX same day service","Cyclone Heating and Air East Dallas same day AC repair","r/Dallas AC stopped working who to call same day","TACLA34473E Reliant Air Conditioning TDLR","TACLA84983E Cyclone Heating Air TDLR","Happel Mechanical TACLA OR TACLB Dallas license","Reliant Air Conditioning Dallas TX (BBB.org search)","Cyclone Heating and Air Dallas TX (BBB.org search)","Happel Mechanical Dallas TX (BBB.org search)","Baker Brothers Plumbing Dallas TX (BBB.org search)","Milestone Electric AC Plumbing Dallas TX (BBB.org search)","Milestone Electric Dallas TX (BBB.org search)","Reliant Air (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Reliant Heating (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Reliant Air Conditioning (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Crofton (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","TACLA34473E (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","TACLA84983E (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Cyclone (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Happel Dallas (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Baker Brothers (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Dragon Air (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","Milestone Electric (Texas TACLA/TACLB license lookup)","r/Dallas search: HVAC OR AC repair"],"sources":44,"picks":["Reliant Air Conditioning","Cyclone Heating and Air","Happel Mechanical"],"considered":11},{"assistant":"muse","run_id":"rrn_001a0e84551c56f839cf7092a","searches":["same day AC repair service Dallas TX","best emergency air conditioning repair companies Dallas Texas reviews"],"sources":7,"picks":["Dallas Heating and Air Conditioning","Dallas Plumbing & AC","Heat and Air Gurus"],"considered":4},{"assistant":"fo","run_id":"rrn_001a0ed79cd9be78b4ade2786","searches":["same day AC repair 24 hour HVAC company Dallas TX (places search, open now, rating 4.5+)","same-day emergency AC repair, air conditioning not cooling, Dallas TX (provider index, no coverage)"],"sources":8,"picks":["Rescue Air and Plumbing","One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas","Tiger Air and Heating"],"considered":3}]},"outcomes":{"picks":3885,"passed":5591,"site_blocked_share":0.017,"not_opened_share":0.042,"directory_pick_share":{"instinct":0.011,"muse":0.141,"grokbot":0.102,"fo":0.056}},"frostys":{"name":"Frosty's HVAC","home":"Farmers Branch, TX","answers_seen":404,"markets":[{"market":"carrollton-tx-hvac","picked":17,"seen":17,"rate":1},{"market":"irving-tx-hvac","picked":19,"seen":24,"rate":0.792},{"market":"farmers-branch-tx-hvac","picked":16,"seen":21,"rate":0.762},{"market":"dallas-tx-hvac","picked":22,"seen":30,"rate":0.733},{"market":"dallas-tx-75225-hvac","picked":14,"seen":20,"rate":0.7},{"market":"lewisville-tx-hvac","picked":12,"seen":20,"rate":0.6},{"market":"frisco-tx-hvac","picked":12,"seen":21,"rate":0.571},{"market":"arlington-tx-hvac","picked":9,"seen":21,"rate":0.429},{"market":"richardson-tx-hvac","picked":8,"seen":19,"rate":0.421},{"market":"fort-worth-tx-hvac","picked":9,"seen":22,"rate":0.409},{"market":"plano-tx-hvac","picked":7,"seen":18,"rate":0.389},{"market":"denton-tx-hvac","picked":8,"seen":22,"rate":0.364}],"pick":{"assistant":"instinct","market":"frisco-tx-hvac","stage":"picked","text":"Same-day business-hour dispatch to Frisco is routine, with a published flat-rate price list ($85 diagnostic waived on repair, most repairs $350-$1,500) and license TACLA126718E."},"pass":{"assistant":"grokbot","market":"fort-worth-tx-hvac","stage":"passed","text":"Transparent pricing ($85 diagnostic waived with repair, license TACLA126718E, 4.9 stars from 143 reviews), but it is based in Farmers Branch about 45 minutes away and says non-members usually book 1–2 days out."}},"voices":[{"theme":"Reads Reddit as evidence","assistant":"grokbot","market":"austin-tx-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e749b21da3ce68ed75ae","business":"Radiant Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical","text":"Radiant has a BBB A rather than A+, 24 complaints in 3 years, and was the company r/Austin users most agreed to avoid because of upselling."},{"theme":"Finds the ownership change","assistant":"grokbot","market":"orlando-fl-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e74b83a86bfa06a6a4bd","business":"Belle Air Inc","text":"Popular on Reddit, but the BBB page says it is NOT accredited and lists an alternate name 'Florida Coastal HVAC Acquisition, Inc'. DBPR shows new licensing under that acquisition entity from July 2026, which suggests a recent ownership change."},{"theme":"Counts complaints, not stars","assistant":"grokbot","market":"phoenix-az-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e74b97b5b08760f19c08","business":"Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing","text":"It states good warranty terms and is BBB A+ accredited, but it publishes no prices and BBB shows 20 closed complaints in 3 years and a 1.5 out of 5 review average."},{"theme":"Judges by the name alone","assistant":"muse","market":"mansfield-tx-76063-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e96e6e1b5df4de8d85e7","business":"Century HVAC Distributing","text":"Lower rating at 4.5 stars with only 26 reviews, and its name suggests it is a parts distributor rather than a residential repair service."},{"theme":"Fact-checks the page","assistant":"grokbot","market":"mckinney-tx-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e87e26b12a9f23ca1bb1","business":"Baker Brothers Plumbing, Air & Electric","text":"It has a McKinney branch, free estimates and license TACLB00052136E, but it is a large multi-trade DFW company with no published brand, pricing or warranty, and it wrongly suggests federal tax credits may still apply."},{"theme":"A blocked site is a missing business","assistant":"grokbot","market":"clearwater-fl-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e87cc19ca592d8ae3313","business":"Poulin Cooling A/C and Refrigeration","text":"It has an active Clearwater license and 5.0 stars from 376 reviews on ProsGrade, but its site blocked me and I found no BBB profile, so there was too little reputation data to rank it."},{"theme":"A toll-free number is a red flag","assistant":"grokbot","market":"detroit-mi-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e844378edcce0c2f1041","business":"Fireside Heating & Air Co.","text":"It posts clear Detroit AC pricing, but the page contradicts itself on how long it has been in business, gives no street address, and uses a toll-free number, which suggests a lead-generation site."},{"theme":"Miles count, and so does franchise","assistant":"muse","market":"seymour-tn-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0f147f12186f7e96dd6ec","business":"Aire Serv of Sevierville","text":"Locally owned with a done-right promise, but 5.7 miles out and a franchise rather than a Seymour shop."},{"theme":"Praises you, then passes","assistant":"instinct","market":"farmers-branch-tx-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e8f0f18b17cb27d74562","business":"Frosty's HVAC","text":"Its public DFW pricing is useful for comparison, but the matching Farmers Branch BBB profile lists two unanswered service complaints, so I prefer the city-specific alternatives and would verify diagnosis and scope independently."},{"theme":"Reads the service page literally","assistant":"grokbot","market":"arlington-tx-hvac","run_id":"rrn_001a0e87e17a1647173730958","business":"Minuteman Heating & Air","text":"It has an Arlington office, an active TDLR license TACLB00027460E from 2007 and a BBB A+ accredited profile, but its AC repair page only mentions emergency service without claiming same-day or 24/7, and BBB shows just 7 reviews."}],"pairs":[{"run_id":"rrn_001a0e7514f19babe163d763a","assistant":"instinct","market":"dallas-tx-hvac","question":"My AC stopped cooling. Find me an HVAC company in Dallas, TX that can come out today.","picked":{"url":"https://www.frostyshvac.com/ac-repair-dallas-tx","why":"Its Dallas AC repair page posts an $85 diagnostic waived with repair, flat-rate pricing, same-day service, a license number, and dated recent Dallas repair stories, though actual same-day availability was not confirmed.","name":"Frosty's HVAC","shot":"e12da31bb7c8d2bc.jpg"},"passed":{"url":"https://www.totalair.com/air-conditioning/emergency/","name":"Total Air & Heat","why_not":"Its Dallas-Plano emergency page confirms 24/7 emergency AC repair and 60 years in business, but it posts no diagnostic fee or repair pricing.","shot":"8121d9106121f6dd.jpg"}},{"run_id":"rrn_001a0e87c6fe6152d7efa66e0","assistant":"grokbot","market":"frisco-tx-hvac","question":"Who is the best AC repair company in Frisco, TX?","picked":{"url":"https://airrepairpros.com/","why":"Frisco-based since 1998 with HVAC license TACLB019076C, a 4.9 rating from thousands of reviews on its site and Frisco directories, and BBB accreditation since 2005.","name":"Air Repair Pros AC, Heating & Plumbing","shot":"793dcfc3f5d37454.jpg"},"passed":{"url":"https://www.onehourheatandair.com/frisco","name":"One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning of Frisco","why_not":"Strong Frisco presence and ~4.8★ with hundreds of reviews, but ranked below Air Repair Pros and Legend on RatingsNearMe and ServiceAgent.","shot":"8089ed15b444c008.jpg"}},{"run_id":"rrn_001a0eda230d63318ab07656a","assistant":"fo","market":"dallas-tx-hvac","question":"I need a new AC unit installed in Dallas, TX. Who should I get quotes from, and roughly what will it cost?","picked":{"name":"Rescue Air and Plumbing","url":"https://www.rescueairtx.com/","why":"9639 Greenville Ave, Dallas 75243, (972) 201-3253, 4.8 across 4,067 ratings, listed open 24 hours; the largest reviewed operation found, so the likeliest to schedule an install survey quickly.","shot":"c18ed16b8c36a8de.jpg"},"passed":{"name":"One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas","url":"https://www.onehourairdallas.com/","why_not":"4.9 across 1,238 ratings and 24 hours, but based in Carrollton 75006 with a very-expensive price flag.","shot":"43f5593ed5e5307f.jpg"}},{"run_id":"rrn_001a0e8f0ea2119019fb557d6","assistant":"muse","market":"plano-tx-hvac","question":"Who is the best AC repair company in Plano, TX?","picked":{"url":"https://www.totalair.com/air-conditioning/repair/","why":"Plano-based company with 4.9 stars from 1,171 reviews in the 2026 Plano HVAC directory, 24/7 hours on its own site, and a 2026 Pulse of the City News award for customer satisfaction.","name":"Total Air & Heat Co.","shot":"c22e4113e78eab6a.jpg"},"passed":{"url":"https://jupitairhvac.com/plano/best-hvac-companies/","name":"Jupitair HVAC","why_not":"Named its own site 'Editor's Pick' in a self-published Plano ranking, so it was excluded as a biased source.","shot":"f0cc3a318395d9b7.jpg"}},{"run_id":"rrn_001a0e75164ee353497182f04","assistant":"instinct","market":"houston-tx-hvac","question":"My AC stopped cooling. Find me an HVAC company in Houston, TX that can come out today.","picked":{"url":"https://75degreeac.com/services/emergency-ac-repair/","why":"Its Houston emergency-repair page posts a 2-4 hour typical arrival window with same-day service when booked before 8 PM, a flat $89 diagnostic fee with no after-hours uplift, and a published repair price table, though actual current availability is unverified.","name":"75 Degree AC","shot":"3156e2eb68f0c0d9.jpg"},"passed":{"url":"https://calllukes.com/air-conditioning/ac-repair/","name":"Luke's Plumbing & Air Conditioning","why_not":"It advertises same-day and 24/7 emergency AC repair in Houston, but the page posts no diagnostic fee and no license number to compare against the picks.","shot":"1cb6925efacaa8f7.jpg"}}],"pick_reasons":{"picks":3885,"coded":3825,"shares":{"price":0.364,"local":0.638,"warranty":0.122,"reviews":0.321,"site":0.094,"experience":0.23,"license":0.324,"service_match":0.308,"availability":0.51,"bbb":0.183,"financing":0.164,"other":0.005},"by_assistant":{"instinct":{"coded":2204,"shares":{"price":0.41,"local":0.549,"warranty":0.121,"reviews":0.08,"site":0.127,"availability":0.507,"service_match":0.385,"experience":0.095,"license":0.148,"financing":0.131,"bbb":0.014,"other":0.003}},"muse":{"coded":616,"shares":{"experience":0.364,"license":0.248,"reviews":0.63,"service_match":0.206,"price":0.32,"local":0.737,"availability":0.427,"bbb":0.063,"warranty":0.089,"site":0.076,"financing":0.289,"other":0.01}},"grokbot":{"coded":951,"shares":{"local":0.772,"license":0.795,"availability":0.576,"price":0.299,"bbb":0.661,"reviews":0.669,"warranty":0.149,"service_match":0.193,"financing":0.156,"experience":0.457,"site":0.032,"other":0.007}},"fo":{"coded":54,"shares":{"local":0.759,"availability":0.444,"reviews":0.5,"service_match":0.333,"experience":0.167,"financing":0.204,"license":0.056,"price":0.167,"warranty":0.019,"site":0.056}}}}}