Northstar Heating & Cooling Co. (the “Company”) is a 30-year-old heating, ventilation and air-conditioning services business serving a fast-growing Minnesota community. The Company operates as an authorized Carrier dealer with a protected territory, generating $701,729 in gross revenue and $96,701 in seller's discretionary earnings in its most recent disclosed fiscal year, on a stable mix of approximately 80% residential and 20% light-commercial work.
The owner, after three decades of building the business, is retiring — a clean, well-telegraphed reason for sale that comes with a commitment to an orderly transition.
The transaction is offered at $175,000 — approximately 1.8× SDE — including $15,000 of inventory, $30,000 of fixtures and equipment, and the service fleet, with zero liabilities to assume.
Three decades of operating history and local brand equity in a growing market — longevity that cannot be replicated by a new entrant at any price
Authorized Carrier dealership with protected territory — franchise-like supply and brand advantages without franchise economics
Recurring revenue base through established maintenance programs — the revenue quality acquirers in this sector explicitly pay premiums for
A staffed, functioning field team (3 FT technicians) amid a national shortage of ~110,000 unfilled HVAC technician positions — the team itself is a scarce asset
Sector tailwind: private-equity add-on acquisitions in HVAC services rose 88% year-over-year through June 2025; an established, clean book is exactly the profile consolidators buy
Attractive entry multiple (~1.8× SDE) versus the working-capital-light, asset-included structure
Founded approximately 30 years ago, the Company has grown from a single-operator heating contractor into a full-service residential and light-commercial HVAC firm. It is an authorized Carrier dealer holding a protected territory — a status earned through sustained volume and service standards, and one that materially constrains direct same-brand competition within its service area.
The Company operates from an 800 sq. ft. office with an attached 1,500+ sq. ft. shop on a flexible month-to-month lease, keeping fixed occupancy costs low and giving an acquirer full relocation or consolidation flexibility.
The owner is retiring after 30 years and is, in the listing broker's words, highly motivated to complete an orderly sale and transition.
Revenue derives from three complementary streams typical of a mature HVAC services firm: (1) replacement and installation of heating and cooling systems — the largest-ticket work, anchored by the Carrier dealership; (2) repair and emergency service, which builds household relationships and feeds installation demand; and (3) recurring maintenance programs, which smooth seasonality, retain customers between replacement cycles, and create the contracted revenue base that acquirers value most highly.
The approximately 80/20 residential-to-commercial mix concentrates the business in the most resilient segment of the market: industry analyses attribute roughly 70% of US HVAC industry revenue to residential demand, driven by non-discretionary replacement cycles, retrofits, and energy-efficiency upgrades.
The US HVAC services market was valued at approximately $17.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $19.0 billion in 2026 and $25.4 billion by 2031 — a 5.9% compound annual growth rate (Mordor Intelligence, US HVAC Services Market report).
Demand is structurally non-discretionary: equipment ages out on a 10–20 year cycle regardless of economic conditions, and policy incentives for energy-efficient replacement continue to subsidize upgrade demand (Grand View Research; GM Insights).
The labor side of the industry is the acquirer's problem and the seller's asset: an estimated 110,000 HVAC technician positions stand unfilled nationally, with roughly 23,000 technicians exiting the trade annually — a deficit that makes a staffed, trained, locally-rooted field team one of the scarcest assets in the industry (industry workforce analyses, 2025).
Consolidation is reshaping the sector. Private-equity add-on acquisitions targeting HVAC service providers rose 88% year-over-year through June 2025 (S&P Global Market Intelligence); PE participation in HVAC M&A grew from 8% of deals in 2023 to 23% in 2024, and analysts describe residential HVAC services as midway through its consolidation cycle (PKF O'Connor Davies; Capstone Partners). More than 27 PE-backed platforms are actively acquiring — led by Apex Service Partners with 100+ acquisitions — which both validates the asset class and deepens the eventual exit market for a buyer of this Company.
Locally, the Company's service area sits in a growing Minnesota community, where housing growth feeds both new-installation demand and, more importantly, the future replacement base.
The customer base reflects 30 years of accumulated household relationships in a defined service territory, weighted approximately 80% residential. Residential HVAC demand is granular — no single customer concentration risk — and recurring by nature: replacement cycles, seasonal tune-ups, and maintenance agreements bring customers back across decades.
The maintenance-program base deserves specific diligence attention from a buyer: contracted maintenance customers convert to replacement purchases at materially higher rates and provide counter-seasonal cash flow. (Program size and renewal rates to be verified in diligence from the seller's records.)
The ~20% commercial mix — light-commercial service and installation — provides weekday base-load work and is the segment the current owner identifies as the most immediate growth lever.
The Company runs with a lean, complete operating unit: three full-time field technicians and one full-time receptionist/administrator who handles scheduling, dispatch and customer communication. The owner's role and hours — and therefore the practical scope of the transition — should be confirmed in diligence; the SDE presentation below treats the owner as a single working principal, per standard recast convention.
Included in the sale are the service vehicles, tools and equipment ($30,000 FF&E at disclosed value) and $15,000 of parts and equipment inventory — meaning the buyer acquires a turnkey operating unit, not a license to go shopping.
Facilities are an 800 sq. ft. office and 1,500+ sq. ft. shop on a month-to-month lease: minimal commitment, full flexibility.
Commercial expansion (owner-identified). The current 20% commercial mix is the explicit under-exploited lever named by the seller: dedicated commercial maintenance contracts diversify the client base and raise contracted revenue.
Maintenance-program scaling. Systematically converting the 30-year service history into agreement customers raises recurring revenue — the single highest-multiple-impact improvement available to a new owner.
Pricing and service-mix modernization. Mature owner-operated firms commonly run below-market pricing and under-utilized financing/IAQ (indoor air quality) attach rates; both are standard first-year value levers for professional acquirers.
Digital presence. A 30-year reputation with a modernized booking and review funnel typically expands the service radius without adding marketing headcount.
Roll-up positioning. Given current consolidation activity (Section 4), an owner who institutionalizes the maintenance base and commercial mix builds toward the exact profile PE platforms acquire at premium multiples.
At approximately 1.8× SDE with inventory, equipment and fleet included and zero assumed liabilities, the offering sits toward the accessible end of typical Main-Street HVAC valuations, reflecting the owner's retirement timeline and motivation. A buyer financing reasonable leverage against this structure retains meaningful post-debt-service owner earnings while holding the scarce assets — territory, team, and 30-year customer base — whose replacement cost substantially exceeds the asking price.
| Gross Revenue (most recent FY) | $701,729 |
| Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) | $96,701 |
| SDE Margin | 13.8% (derived: SDE ÷ revenue) |
| Asking Price | $175,000 |
| Implied Multiple | ~1.8× SDE (derived) |
| Inventory (included in price) | $15,000 |
| FF&E (included in price) | $30,000 |
| Liabilities to Assume | $0 |
The seller is retiring and seeks a complete sale of the business and included assets. The disclosed structure includes inventory, FF&E and vehicles, with zero liabilities transferring.
Anticipated process: (1) execution of a non-disclosure agreement; (2) release of the confidential financial package (P&L, tax returns, add-back schedule, maintenance-program detail); (3) management discussion with the owner; (4) offer and negotiation; (5) diligence and closing, with a transition/training period to be negotiated — customary in owner-led service businesses of this profile.
Inquiries regarding this sample document: hello@mooragemail.com.
Figures describing the Company are exactly as disclosed in the source broker listing; no financial figures were originated or estimated by the preparer, except ratios explicitly marked “derived.” Market and industry statements are drawn from the public sources below and are independently checkable.