Market Intelligence
Installed-base mapping for equipment manufacturers
Locate the equipment population, verify each assembly, and turn a building map into replacement planning, dealer coverage and a maintained manufacturer register.
Direct answer
Installed-base mapping locates every unit of a product class in the field, across all brands, and ties each unit to a building, dated evidence and a current status. Equipment manufacturers use that register to size replacement exposure, find dealer gaps and plan aftermarket support. Start from equipment presence, verify manufacturer identities through unit-linked records, and connect the resulting inventory to the owner, operator and buying role.
On this page
What does an installed-base map measure?Anvilfield estimatesHow should manufacturers define what belongs on the map?Which fields make the map usable?How do you find equipment and verify its manufacturer?What benchmarks keep the count honest?How do leading manufacturers measure territory fit?Worked example: a regional packaged-equipment manufacturerHow does the map guide replacement sales and channel coverage?How should manufacturers monitor changes?Common mistakesInstalled-base release checklistMethodologyOpen the related tool for the calculation, checklist, or packet.
FieldOS by AnvilfieldOffline-first FieldOS for job photos, proof packets, property memory, calculations, teams, billing, and owner-ready reports.Key takeaways
- Count buildings, equipment assemblies and components separately, with stable linked identifiers.
- Anvilfield estimates that 2,560,000 US commercial buildings used packaged cooling in the 2018 reference stock, based on weighted EIA records.
- Anvilfield's central 1,000-building district contains 1,299 packaged unit positions and 74 annual replacement units under the stated operating settings.
- Keep unresolved manufacturer identities in the physical inventory and use channel feedback to maintain the map.
What does an installed-base map measure?
Start with the physical equipment population, then connect it to the market decision. A manufacturer needs to know where its product category operates, which installations the channel already reaches, and where replacement or service work deserves investigation. A shipment file answers what left the factory. The map answers what is in the field and which evidence supports that answer.
Building-first prospecting starts with a building and its visible equipment, then finds the decision maker. Visible-asset data consists of facts read from aerial or satellite imagery and checked against records. Together they provide an equipment search frame that does not depend on a current contact database.
Fit-first lists filter buildings to the work a company can actually supply or service. Targeted market intelligence sizes and locates demand at the building level rather than the ZIP level. Asset monitoring detects new, removed or altered equipment by comparing dated observations. These concepts turn a static address file into a maintained view of the physical market.
Keep the map useful to people who disagree about the opportunity. A territory manager sees dealer gaps, a product manager sees equipment families, and an aftermarket manager sees parts support. They should use the same underlying unit register, with separate commercial views and a traceable reason for every change.
Building-first prospectingVisible-asset dataFit-first listsTargeted market intelligenceAsset monitoringAnvilfield estimates
Anvilfield estimates 2,560,000 US commercial buildings using packaged cooling in the 2018 stock, with a range of 2,350,000 to 2,780,000.
Anvilfield estimates 703,000 buildings using space-heating boilers in 2018, with a range of 618,000 to 788,000. Anvilfield estimates 202,000 buildings using central chillers, with a range of 166,000 to 237,000.
Anvilfield estimates 2,940,000 US commercial buildings with at least one of these equipment classes in 2018, with a range of 2,710,000 to 3,160,000.
Anvilfield estimates 506,000 packaged-cooling buildings above 25,000 square feet in 2018, with a range of 464,000 to 547,000. Anvilfield estimates 56.5 billion square feet of gross floor area in all packaged-cooling buildings, with a range of 52.7 billion to 60.3 billion square feet.
Use the national rows to understand equipment-bearing building stock. The district rows set the unit, verification and replacement workloads for a 1,000-building commercial district. Keep buildings and equipment assemblies in separate columns when assigning dealer coverage.
Methodology: sources, model inputs and ranges| Quantity | Low | Central | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| US packaged-cooling buildings, 2018 | 2,350,000 | 2,560,000 | 2,780,000 |
| US boiler buildings, 2018 | 618,000 | 703,000 | 788,000 |
| US central-chiller buildings, 2018 | 166,000 | 202,000 | 237,000 |
| US buildings with any of these classes, 2018 | 2,710,000 | 2,940,000 | 3,160,000 |
| US packaged-cooling buildings over 25,000 sq ft, 2018 | 464,000 | 506,000 | 547,000 |
| Gross floor area in packaged-cooling buildings, 2018 | 52.7 billion sq ft | 56.5 billion sq ft | 60.3 billion sq ft |
| Packaged-cooling sites per 1,000 commercial buildings | 402 | 433 | 465 |
| Packaged unit positions in that district | 804 | 1,299 | 1,860 |
| Annual replacement units in that district | 40 | 74 | 124 |
| Manufacturer-verified unit records in that district | 482 | 779 | 1,116 |
| Unresolved-brand unit records in that district | 322 | 520 | 744 |
| Building-list acquisition budget for that district | $4,020 | $6,495 | $9,300 |
Anvilfield estimates. Scroll horizontally to compare the ranges. See Methodology for inputs and range definitions. How to cite this estimate: Anvilfield, Installed-base mapping for equipment manufacturers, 2026, https://anvilfield.com/field-guides/market-intelligence/installed-base-mapping-for-equipment-manufacturers/
How should manufacturers define what belongs on the map?
Write an inclusion statement that another analyst can apply without asking the sales director. Name the equipment class, operating geography, observation cutoff and counting unit. Distinguish operating installations from proposed projects, stored equipment and temporary rentals. Give excluded records a reason so the same site does not return in the next research cycle.
Define the product boundary around the assembly you sell. A generator set contains an engine, alternator and controls, often carrying different supplier identities. A cooling tower contains cells and fans. A packaged cooling assembly serves a different counting purpose from its compressors. Map components beneath the assembly instead of allowing each component to inflate the installed population.
Then define the market boundary. A factory, commercial building and agricultural installation belong to different building populations. An exterior-only search and a complete facility inventory also have different coverage. Interior boilers and chillers need records or an authorized survey alongside the imagery used to locate visible plant.
Set separate statuses for a candidate, an equipment class confirmed by review, and a manufacturer identity supported by records. A unit can be confirmed present while its brand stays unresolved. That is a useful inventory record, and it belongs in the territory denominator. Assigning a convenient brand destroys that distinction.
Which fields make the map usable?
Give the building a permanent site identifier and each physical assembly a permanent asset identifier. An address correction should update the site record without creating another installation. A replacement should close the outgoing asset and create a linked incoming asset, preserving the history of the equipment position.
Store location, equipment class, observed count, evidence date, review date, manufacturer status, source reference and reviewer. Add model, capacity and serial number only when the supporting record identifies the assembly. Preserve the original value when a later document corrects an earlier interpretation.
Connect the property owner, operator, maintenance provider and buying contact through separate relationships. The recorded property owner supplies a research starting point. The operator explains what is running. A service contractor supplies maintenance knowledge. The person approving a replacement purchase needs a confirmed purchasing role.
Keep the equipment register separate from opportunities in the customer relationship management system, or CRM. Link the records through the site identifier. A territory team should be able to refresh an observation without reopening a lost deal, replacing a known contact or erasing a previous service history.
How do you find equipment and verify its manufacturer?
Use a building frame to search every eligible location rather than only locations already familiar to the channel. Group observations by equipment class and retain the dated source view. Review screens, shadows, roof geometry and crowded mechanical areas before treating a rectangular object as a counted assembly.
The CDC identifies aerial and satellite imagery as a common way to locate cooling towers and describes visibility and registration limits. That supports a practical search method: combine imagery with records and site investigation. Apply the same evidence discipline when reviewing rooftop packages, generator enclosures and exposed tanks.
Resolve the coordinate to the actual building. Census Geocoder documentation explains that coordinates are interpolated from address ranges, including ranges where a structure does not exist. Check the footprint, parcel and equipment position before attaching an owner or assigning a dealer. An accurate street match still needs a correct building match.
Verify manufacturer and model through a readable nameplate tied to the unit, a current owner inventory or another traceable equipment record. Record which field each document supports. A permit for an installation does not prove that the equipment remains in service, and a cabinet shape does not establish a manufacturer.
Escalate disagreement to a review queue with the conflicting evidence attached. Keep unresolved identity fields blank until the record supports them. The existing mapping and aerial-identification guides explain the technical checks; this article uses the resulting register to plan manufacturer coverage.
Equipment identity and evidence ladderRooftop equipment survey limitsCooling tower, chiller or dry cooler identificationWhat benchmarks keep the count honest?
Use 1 permanent asset ID per physical assembly. Record 2 separate dates for every reviewed observation: when the equipment was observed and when the evidence was reviewed. A recent review does not make an older source view recent.
At the central density of 3 units per equipped building, 100 equipped buildings represent 300 unit positions. Carry both columns into dealer planning so a large equipment site does not receive the same effort as a single-unit stop.
Anvilfield's stable-stock case with a constant 17.5-year renewal interval turns over at 5.7% annually, or 1.4% per quarter. Use that ratio to prioritize refresh work and owner conversations, then replace the population average with installation dates and condition findings as those records arrive.
At 60% manufacturer verification, 40% of unit identities remain unresolved. Keep 100% of those unresolved units in the physical installed-base denominator. Report brand coverage alongside the inventory total so missing identification stays visible.
A random review of 30 independent sites has a 95.8% chance of finding at least one error when errors affect 10% of sites. Treat that as a screening rule for systematic problems; also review apparent empty sites to investigate missed equipment.
| Field rule | Working benchmark | Decision it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly identity | 1 asset ID per physical assembly | Prevents duplicate unit counts |
| Evidence freshness | 2 dates: observed and reviewed | Keeps source age separate from review effort |
| Site-to-unit conversion | 100 equipped sites x 3 = 300 units | Sizes the equipment workload |
| Annual replacement ratio | 5.0% to 6.7%; central 5.7% | Ranks stable-stock replacement exposure |
| Quarterly replacement exposure | 1.4% at central life | Sets the maintenance question for refresh planning |
| Unresolved identity | 40% at 60% verification | Keeps brand completeness visible |
| Random error screen | 30 sites; 95.8% detection at 10% error prevalence | Finds whether review needs deeper investigation |
| Standard building-list budget | $1,000 to $2,000 per 100 matched buildings | Budgets the starting list |
How do leading manufacturers measure territory fit?
Manufacturers, distributors and service companies can measure territory fit with building-level data such as PorchRocket's Ground Control, which filters commercial buildings by business type, roof age band, material, size and rooftop HVAC. The operating benefit is a defined building frame that the channel can work and reconcile against its existing accounts.
Select the building traits that change the product decision. A packaged-equipment manufacturer needs equipment presence and the building uses its dealers serve. A dock-equipment supplier needs a credible dock count and an operator. A tank supplier needs the vessel class and site context. Matching the search to the product boundary saves downstream review.
For equipment outside a standard building filter, manufacturers can use PorchRocket's Asset Search to find and monitor assets visible from above across the lower 48, with the owner of record returned for each find and pricing set by scope. Attach the reviewed result to the equipment register and complete manufacturer identification through the evidence process.
Write the delivery acceptance criteria before choosing a supplier or assembling an internal team. Require stable identifiers, dated observations, an equipment counting convention and explicit unresolved cases. Review both included locations and screened-out locations. The acceptance question is whether the file supports the next channel decision with traceable evidence.
Send the channel a bounded assignment: the site, equipment class, identity status and question to resolve. Capture the dealer response in the same register. A completed research call that rules out a site improves the market map even when it creates no opportunity.
Commercial building filtersCustom equipment search and scopeWorked example: a regional packaged-equipment manufacturer
A regional packaged-equipment manufacturer opens a district containing 1,000 commercial buildings. Its territory manager starts with the building frame, removes existing-account duplicates and asks the dealer network to reconcile equipment identities. The district follows the national reference building mix used in the estimate table.
Anvilfield estimates 433 packaged-cooling sites per 1,000 commercial buildings in the reference district, with a range of 402 to 465. The manager uses the site register to organize equipment-count verification.
Anvilfield estimates 1,299 packaged unit positions in that district, with a range of 804 to 1,860. The unit workload changes substantially across that range even though the commercial-building boundary stays fixed.
Anvilfield estimates 74 annual packaged-equipment replacement units in the district, with a range of 40 to 124. The territory manager ranks owner conversations by verified installation dates and condition before opening replacement opportunities.
Anvilfield estimates 779 manufacturer-identified unit records centrally, with a range of 482 to 1,116. Anvilfield estimates 520 unresolved-brand unit records centrally, with a range of 322 to 744. The manager assigns the unresolved records to the dealer network and preserves each verified manufacturer identity.
Anvilfield estimates a $6,495 central building-list acquisition budget for the district, with a range of $4,020 to $9,300. Confirm that the purchased list covers the required building profile, then budget unit verification separately.
The useful handoff is a reconciled set of buildings and unit positions, with a manufacturer-verification backlog and an owner conversation queue. The manager compares dealer coverage against that physical map, assigns the unresolved records, and uses completed field findings to replace the starting density with observed unit counts.
How does the map guide replacement sales and channel coverage?
Separate physical presence, product fit, channel reach and buying timing. A visible unit establishes a place to investigate. A verified product family establishes a support or replacement lane. A qualified installer establishes delivery coverage. An owner discussion establishes whether a current purchase belongs in the forecast.
For replacement planning, group verified equipment by installation period, operating duty and service history. Use the service-life ratio to rank research effort while collecting the actual age and condition evidence. A unit near the average life needs a conversation and evaluation; the product record still controls the scope of a replacement recommendation.
For channel planning, compare verified equipment clusters with dealer capability, travel commitments and unresolved assignments. A dense equipment cluster with no capable installer deserves a different action from a well-covered cluster with incomplete manufacturer identification. The former calls for channel development; the latter calls for research completion.
Use the technical guides to translate a mapped category into the work the channel can perform. Rooftop startup, cooling-tower operation, chiller selection and boiler commissioning each introduce different skills and records. The sales map becomes useful when those requirements travel with the territory assignment.
Rank RTU repair and replacement surveysRooftop unit installation and startupCooling tower types and operationChiller types and selectionBoiler startup and commissioningService territory density and deliveryHow should manufacturers monitor changes?
Use change events to reopen a specific question. A new assembly prompts an installation and channel check. A removed assembly prompts status reconciliation. A changed enclosure or roof position prompts identity review. Preserve the previous observation so a reviewer can understand what changed and when the evidence became available.
Teams maintaining a live equipment map can use PorchRocket's Asset Search for custom monitoring of new, removed or altered visible assets, with a dated view, parcel and owner of record on each reviewed find. The team then checks the operating status and sends the resulting change to the dealer responsible for that equipment class.
Choose the refresh cadence according to the decision and available source coverage. Replacement-sensitive equipment and active construction areas deserve closer attention than a mature site with a recently verified owner inventory. Track the age of the observation separately from the date an alert arrived.
Feed outcomes back into the map. A new observation should close or revise the relevant equipment state while retaining the earlier evidence. A dealer correction should record its source and reviewer. A rejected candidate should retain the rejection reason. This prevents the next update from recreating equipment the team has already resolved.
Equipment monitoring and reviewed evidenceCommon mistakes
Do not add equipment-class building totals together to estimate unique sites. A building with boilers and packaged cooling appears in both class totals. Use the deduplicated union when planning building coverage, and retain the class records when planning equipment support.
Do not multiply gross building area by a sizing ratio and call the result observed capacity. Mixed systems, unconditioned space and tenant arrangements change what the equipment serves. Keep measured equipment, reported equipment and planning conversions distinguishable in the register.
Do not calculate market share only among identified brands and apply the result to unresolved units. Missing nameplates often cluster by equipment age, access difficulty and account history. Report the observed brands, the unresolved population and the evidence coverage together.
Do not promote a property owner to a buyer or a replacement ratio to a purchase order. Resolve the operating responsibility and buying process before assigning an opportunity stage. These distinctions keep the map useful to the manufacturer, distributor and installer reviewing the same site.
Installed-base release checklist
Release the map when another reviewer can reproduce a territory count and follow a unit from observation to channel action. Assign ownership of the next refresh at the same time as ownership of the current delivery.
Want this checklist to run itself on every job — with photo proof and a signed record crews can hand the customer? That's FieldOS.
Methodology
Anvilfield research uses the 2018 CBECS public-use file as its national reference stock. The calculation includes 6,436 records, applies FINALWT, and selects PKGCL=1, BOILER=1 or CHILLR=1 as defined by the codebook. The union counts each building once. The size filter uses SQFT>25,000; gross area sums whole-building SQFT where packaged cooling is reported.
National low and high values are approximate 95% sampling intervals: the weighted estimate plus or minus 1.96 standard errors. Variance is the sum of squared differences between the full estimate and each of 151 replicate-weight estimates, with factor 1. Public-use masking means results differ from unmasked published tables. The reference stock is retained without a growth adjustment to 2026; it supplies a national building mix rather than address-level prospects.
District model inputs: 1,000 commercial buildings with the reference packaged-cooling incidence; round sites to whole buildings before multiplying. Low, central and high cases use 2, 3 and 4 units per equipped site. Replacement divides those unit totals by 20, 17.5 and 15 years respectively. The endpoints come from the 15 to 20-year range in DOE's 2013 Rooftop Unit Campaign presentation, applied to the packaged-cooling district; the midpoint is Anvilfield's planning setting. Stable stock and staggered retirement exclude growth, conversions, backlog and sales capture. Applying the rooftop service-life range to the full packaged-cooling cohort is an Anvilfield modeling choice; the cohort also includes equipment beside buildings. The source supplies no unit density, brand-verification yield or district replacement count.
Verification uses 60% of unit records receive a supported manufacturer identity, rounded to whole units; unresolved records are the remainder. District bounds combine incidence uncertainty and operating settings. Benchmark settings use 100 equipped sites, 4 quarters per year, 2 evidence dates and 1 ID per assembly. The audit calculation is 1 - (1 - 0.1)^30, using independent random sites. It measures error detection rather than inventory accuracy.
For a standard visible-building starting frame, PorchRocket's Ground Control lists cost $10 to $20 per building and arrive within 48 hours after payment; the district budget uses the $15 midpoint. That budget covers matched building-list acquisition, with field verification, outreach, tax and custom search scoped separately. Public inputs and source years are listed below. The $15 midpoint is a calculation setting, not a quoted pricing tier.
S1: EIA CBECS public microdataS2: EIA variable and response codebookS3: EIA public-use microdata user's guideDOE Rooftop Unit Campaign, April 2013, page 2S5: Census Geocoder documentationS6: CDC Identifying Cooling TowersS7: PorchRocket Ground ControlS8: PorchRocket Asset Search| Input | Source year | Value or evidence used |
|---|---|---|
| S1. EIA public microdata | 2018; revised 2022 | 6,436 records; weighted equipment presence, building size and area |
| S2. EIA codebook | 2018; revised 2022 | PKGCL, BOILER, CHILLR, SQFT and FINALWT definitions |
| S3. EIA microdata guide | 2023 | 151 replicate weights; jackknife factor 1; masking and sampling method |
| S4. DOE Rooftop Unit Campaign presentation | 2013 | 15 to 20-year typical RTU life; applied as an Anvilfield renewal setting |
| S5. Census Geocoder documentation | 2026 | Interpolated coordinates and possible addresses without structures |
| S6. CDC cooling-tower identification | 2026 | Imagery search, obstructed equipment and incomplete registration records |
| S7. Ground Control live offer | 2026 live offer | $10 to $20 per building; within 48 hours; building filters |
| S8. Asset Search live offer | 2026 live offer | Visible-asset search and monitoring, owner of record and scope-based quote |
FAQ
What is installed-base mapping for an equipment manufacturer?
It is a location-based register of a product class already operating in the field, across all brands. The manufacturer connects each equipment assembly to its site, dated evidence, identity status and channel responsibility, then uses that register to investigate service, replacement and coverage opportunities.
Can aerial imagery identify an equipment manufacturer?
Imagery supports equipment location, visible count and a reviewed class assignment. Manufacturer identity needs a readable unit-linked nameplate, owner inventory or another traceable equipment record. Preserve the assembly with an unresolved brand when that evidence is unavailable.
Should a manufacturer count buildings or individual units?
Keep both. Buildings define account coverage and access points; physical assemblies define the equipment population and support workload. Link components beneath the assembly, and deduplicate the site when it carries several product classes.
How do you estimate replacement demand from the installed base?
For a stable, staggered stock, divide installed units by service life. Anvilfield's central district calculation divides 1,299 positions by 17.5 years to produce 74 annual replacement units. Verified installation dates, condition and owner plans sharpen the account-level research.
Does the national reference stock describe the current year?
The national rows describe 2018 commercial-building equipment use from EIA's public microdata, analyzed by Anvilfield in 2026. The Methodology section retains that reference year and supplies the district planning settings. Refresh the operating territory with dated building observations and equipment records.
How should unresolved equipment brands affect market-share reporting?
Keep unresolved units in the physical installed-base denominator and publish manufacturer-verification coverage alongside any observed brand counts. Do not allocate unidentified units among brands according to the identified subset. Equipment with missing evidence remains a research assignment.
How do you handle interior equipment?
Add owner equipment schedules, current maintenance records and authorized facility surveys to the building frame. Interior boilers, chillers and switchgear need a records and survey route. Mark how each assembly was identified and keep the observation date attached.
When should an installed-base record become a sales opportunity?
Move the site into an opportunity stage after confirming product fit, the responsible buying role and an actual purchasing or evaluation need. A physical installation supports research. An owner discussion and verified scope support a current commercial opportunity.
People also ask
Sources checked
- S1. EIA CBECS public microdata Source year: 2018; revised 2022. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. Saved public-use data supply the weighted equipment-building counts and gross area; they are not an address-level inventory.
- S2. EIA variable and response codebook Source year: 2018; revised 2022. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. Saved codebook verifies the equipment indicators, size variable and survey weights.
- S3. EIA public-use microdata user's guide Source year: 2023. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. January 2023 guide, pages 1 and 2, supplies weighting and replicate-variance methods; masking prevents exact matching to unmasked tables.
- S4. DOE: Rooftop Unit Campaign April 4, 2013, page 2; typical RTU life of 15 to 20 years. Used for the endpoints of the Anvilfield renewal model.
- S5. Census Geocoder documentation Source year: 2026. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. Page revised May 19, 2026, explains interpolated coordinates and address ranges that include nonexistent structures.
- S6. CDC Identifying Cooling Towers Source year: 2026. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. Updated October 19, 2026. Supports imagery search and visibility and registration limits, without supplying commercial demand counts.
- S7. PorchRocket Ground Control Source year: 2026 live offer. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. Live commercial offer verifies building filters, $10 to $20 per building and delivery within 48 hours after payment.
- S8. PorchRocket Asset Search Source year: 2026 live offer. Opened with curl for the November 5, 2026 editorial review, HTTP 200. Live offer verifies custom visible-asset finding and monitoring, owner of record, dated evidence and scope-based pricing.