The Index measures who the AI engines actually name, trade by trade: 502 measured answers across 5 UK verticals this quarter, three engines, repeated runs. Each vertical below links to its full published reading. The pattern so far: each engine's answers keep returning to a short list of names, in 2 of 5 verticals the three engines crown the same leader, while many businesses in each trade never appear in these sampled answers at all.
The Index, Q3 2026
| Vertical | Answers | Combined leader | Leader's avg share | Distinct entities | Engine agreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boiler replacement | 102 | BOXT | 51% | 112 | same leader on all engines |
| EV charger installation | 108 | Smart Home Charge | 34% | 121 | engines disagree on the leader |
| Garden rooms | 96 | Green Retreats | 60% | 113 | same leader on all engines |
| Heat pump installation | 94 | Octopus Energy | 28% | 145 | engines disagree on the leader |
| Loft conversions (London) | 102 | LCCL Construction | 34% | 112 | engines disagree on the leader |
Combined leader = the name with the highest share of answers summed across the three engines, which can differ from any single engine's leader; the per-engine boards below show both. Leader's avg share = that name's share of each engine's answers, averaged across the three engines. Distinct entities counts every name the engines produced, including products and certification bodies, not companies alone.
Boiler replacement
102 measured answers, 2026-07-24. The combined leader, computed from the full classified name set: BOXT (44% on ChatGPT · Search, 60% on Google · AI Overview, 50% on Perplexity), an average 51% of each engine's answers. 112 distinct entities appeared across the three engines, including products and certification bodies the engines volunteer alongside companies, and board names changed 8 times between repeated runs. All three engines crown the same leader.
ChatGPT · Search: BOXT (44%), British Gas (36%), Heatable (33%)
Google · AI Overview: BOXT (60%), British Gas (50%), Heatable (30%)
Perplexity: BOXT (50%), British Gas (39%), Heatable (25%)
Full reading, with every board and the method.
EV charger installation
108 measured answers, 2026-07-21. The combined leader, computed from the full classified name set: Smart Home Charge (31% on ChatGPT · Search, 50% on Google · AI Overview, 22% on Perplexity), an average 34% of each engine's answers. 121 distinct entities appeared across the three engines, including products and certification bodies the engines volunteer alongside companies, and board names changed 9 times between repeated runs. The engines do not agree on who leads.
ChatGPT · Search: Ohme (36%), Smart Home Charge (31%), Hypervolt (28%)
Google · AI Overview: Smart Home Charge (50%), Octopus Energy (36%), British Gas (25%)
Perplexity: Pod Point (25%), Smart Home Charge (22%), myenergi (19%)
Full reading, with every board and the method.
Garden rooms
96 measured answers, 2026-07-21. The combined leader, computed from the full classified name set: Green Retreats (50% on ChatGPT · Search, 75% on Google · AI Overview, 56% on Perplexity), an average 60% of each engine's answers. 113 distinct entities appeared across the three engines, including products and certification bodies the engines volunteer alongside companies, and board names changed 7 times between repeated runs. All three engines crown the same leader.
ChatGPT · Search: Green Retreats (50%), Booths Garden Studios (25%), Crown Pavilions (22%)
Google · AI Overview: Green Retreats (75%), Dunster House (38%), Noah Garden Rooms (25%)
Perplexity: Green Retreats (56%), Noah Garden Rooms (31%), My Outhouse (25%)
Full reading, with every board and the method.
Heat pump installation
94 measured answers, 2026-07-24. The combined leader, computed from the full classified name set: Octopus Energy (16% on ChatGPT · Search, 36% on Google · AI Overview, 31% on Perplexity), an average 28% of each engine's answers. 145 distinct entities appeared across the three engines, including products and certification bodies the engines volunteer alongside companies, and board names changed 7 times between repeated runs. The engines do not agree on who leads.
ChatGPT · Search: Bristol Renewable Heat Ltd (32%), Heat Geek (24%), Energy Saving Trust (24%)
Google · AI Overview: Octopus Energy (36%), Vaillant (36%), Heat Geek (27%)
Perplexity: Octopus Energy (31%), British Gas (28%), Dwellow (25%)
Full reading, with every board and the method.
Loft conversions (London)
102 measured answers, 2026-07-21. The combined leader, computed from the full classified name set: LCCL Construction (14% on ChatGPT · Search, 40% on Google · AI Overview, 47% on Perplexity), an average 34% of each engine's answers. 112 distinct entities appeared across the three engines, including products and certification bodies the engines volunteer alongside companies, and board names changed 9 times between repeated runs. The engines do not agree on who leads.
ChatGPT · Search: Simply Loft (33%), Absolute Lofts (22%), The Loft Converter (19%)
Google · AI Overview: Simply Loft (50%), LCCL Construction (40%), The Loft Converter (20%)
Perplexity: The Loft Room (47%), LCCL Construction (47%), CS Lofts (33%)
Full reading, with every board and the method.
Method, reuse, and what's next
Top-board values are visible in the linked readings. Combined leader shares and distinct-entity counts are computed from the full classified source data behind those readings, which includes names outside each displayed top four, so a combined leader's per-engine share can come from below a board's cut-off. The measurements themselves: real customer questions, asked repeatedly across ChatGPT search, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, every answer classified and the classifier itself tested against its own noise floor. The method is public: how we measure. The Index is CC BY 4.0: reuse any number with a link to this page; the headline numbers also live on the statistics page. New verticals join as their readings publish, and the next edition lands next quarter; if there is a UK trade you want measured, tell us.
Updated July 2026