What Is the Average SBA Loan to Buy an HVAC Business?
From FY2020 through FY2025, the average SBA 7(a) loan used to acquire a plumbing or HVAC business was $1,138,681, and the median was $735,000, across 707 change-of-ownership loans nationally. SBA data classifies plumbing and HVAC contractors under a single industry code (NAICS 238220), so these figures cover both trades together. A loan amount is a financing proxy, not a purchase price: 7(a) acquisition loans typically fund most, but not all, of a deal's total project cost.
| Plumbing / HVAC acquisitions, FY2020–2025 | |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 707 |
| Dollars approved | $805.0M |
| Average loan | $1,138,681 |
| Median loan | $735,000 |
How that compares to other trades
| Trade | Loans | Average loan | Median loan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing / HVAC | 707 | $1,138,681 | $735,000 |
| Electrical | 300 | $1,322,826 | $801,250 |
| Roofing | 147 | $1,403,822 | $957,000 |
| Landscaping | 588 | $847,763 | $500,000 |
| Janitorial / cleaning | 312 | $616,296 | $400,000 |
Plumbing/HVAC is the highest-volume construction trade in the SBA acquisition file — more financed changes of ownership than electrical and roofing combined — with deal sizes in the middle of the trades range: above the landscaping and janitorial entry tier, below the electrical and roofing premium. The full 15-trade table is in What Trades Businesses Sell For.
Financing cost matters as much as loan size: in FY2025, trades acquisition loans averaged 9.65% variable / 8.19% fixed at approval, on terms averaging just over 11 years. Current figures are maintained on the rates page.
What this means if you own an HVAC business
These figures describe what buyers borrowed — the demand side of the market you would sell into. They are not a valuation method: what a specific business is worth depends on its earnings, how much of its revenue recurs, and how dependent it is on the owner, which is covered in what an HVAC business is worth.
Source and definitions: Lodestar Research analysis of the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020–2025 approvals; acquisitions = change-of-ownership loans). Full definitions and limitations: methodology. Part of Who's Buying the Trades.
Cite as: Lodestar Research analysis of SBA 7(a) FOIA data, 2026.
Lodestar Research publishes market analysis for general information. Nothing on this page is a valuation of any specific business, legal, tax, or lending advice, or an offer to buy or sell securities.
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