Statistics Canada reported on July 8, 2025 that 68% of Canadian households had air conditioning or similar cooling equipment, such as heat pumps, up from 64% in 2021 (Statistics Canada). The figure comes from the Canadian Social Survey, collected between February 14 and April 6, 2025 in the 10 provinces. For HVAC companies, the useful part is not the national average but the gaps underneath it, because each gap is a group of homes still without cooling.
The headline numbers
Cooling is now in about two-thirds of homes, but the share swings widely by place and by household type. These are the figures Statistics Canada published:
| Group | Share with cooling, 2025 |
|---|---|
| All households | 68% |
| Ontario (highest province) | 83% |
| British Columbia (lowest province) | 45% |
| Homes built 2001 or later | 80% |
| Homes built before 1960 | 58% |
| Homeowners | 76% |
| Renters | 52% |
| Income over $150,000 | 82% |
| Income under $50,000 | 55% |
The agency also reported no difference in ownership by age group, and an average summer thermostat setting of 21.3°C among households with cooling.
Our analysis: four markets inside one number
The answer first: the data describes four distinct cooling markets, and each needs a different message.
- The replacement market. In Ontario, where 83% already have cooling, most demand is replacement and upgrade. Marketing should speak to ageing equipment, efficiency and heat pump conversion, not to "getting AC for the first time".
- The first-install market. In British Columbia, more than half of households reported no cooling. Many of those homes are on the mild coast, where buyers are newer to the idea. Clear explanations of ductless and heat pump options, with honest sizing, tend to do more than urgency.
- Older homes. Homes built before 1960 trail newer ones by 22 percentage points (58% against 80%, our subtraction). Older houses often lack ducts, so content on ductless systems and electrical capacity answers the real objection.
- Rental and lower-income homes. The renter gap (52% against 76%) means the decision-maker is often a landlord. Campaigns aimed at small landlords and building owners reach the person who can approve the job.
What we would change in a cooling campaign
Use the gap that matches your territory, and build the campaign around it.
- Pages. Write a separate page for each real situation: older home without ducts, condo or townhouse, replacement of an existing unit. Our content and SEO service builds these from homeowner questions.
- Timing. The survey cannot tell you when people buy, but your own call log can. Start cooling ads before the first hot week in your area, not after phones are already ringing, and keep the budget flexible. Our paid search page explains how we set that budget.
- Messages. Lead with comfort and running cost for first-time buyers, and with reliability and efficiency for replacements. The survey's thermostat finding, an average setting of 21.3°C, suggests many households run cooling colder than NRCan's suggested 22–25°C range, which is an honest efficiency message.
- Targeting. In British Columbia, target areas with older housing stock and ground-oriented homes. In Ontario, target neighbourhoods where equipment from the 2000s is reaching replacement age, using your own service history.
A worked example for a small market
Here is how we would turn the figures into a first test. Treat it as arithmetic you can redo with your own numbers.
Suppose your service area holds 10,000 owner-occupied homes and you work in British Columbia. If local ownership were close to the provincial 45%, about 5,500 of those homes would have no cooling. You will not reach all of them, and many will never want it. But if a cooling page and a modest ad budget brought in enquiries from even 1% of that group over a summer, that is about 55 conversations. Your own close rate and job value then tell you whether the test paid for itself. The key is to measure enquiries by source from day one, which is what our reporting service sets up.
Limits of this reading
This survey shows ownership, not purchase intent, and it excludes the territories.
Low ownership in a mild climate partly reflects low need, so do not read BC's 45% as 55% of homes waiting to buy. Treat it as a ceiling on first-install demand and test it with a small campaign before committing a season's budget. For province-specific context on fuel mix and programs, see our British Columbia and Ontario pages.
HVAC.Report is a marketing analysis service for HVAC companies. We do not sell, install or service cooling equipment; we help contractors who do. Call, text or email if you want this data mapped against your service area.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 68% include heat pumps?
Yes. Statistics Canada counted air conditioning or similar cooling equipment, and it names heat pumps as an example. So the figure is cooling capability, not only central air units.
Which province has the most room for new cooling installs?
On these figures, British Columbia, where 45% of households reported cooling, against 83% in Ontario. A low share is not automatic demand, but it is a larger pool of homes without any cooling equipment.
Should I market air conditioning to renters?
Usually through owners. Only 52% of renter households had cooling against 76% of owners, and renters rarely make the purchase. Landlords, strata councils and small building owners are the buyers to reach.
When was this data collected?
The Canadian Social Survey ran from February 14 to April 6, 2025, and Statistics Canada published the results on July 8, 2025. It covered people aged 15 and over in the 10 provinces.