HVAC labor rate calculator
What you charge per hour has to cover the hours nobody pays for: the drive, the quote, the trip to the supply house. Put in your own numbers.
The first two fields are what the work has to bring in over a year: what you pay yourself and what the business costs to run. The last three are the hours a customer pays for. Divide one by the other and you have the rate that covers your year; the profit field adds to it. "Without profit" shows the rate at which the year comes out even.
Without profit: $ —
This is an example to calculate from. You set your own price.
HVAC job price calculator
$89 + 1 × $110
This is an example to calculate from. You set your own price.
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How to price HVAC jobs
An HVAC price has three parts: the diagnostic, the time and the parts. Decide each one once and write it down. The diagnostic is the visit and finding the fault. The time is your labor rate, or a flat price that already has the time in it. The parts are what you paid plus whatever you add for stocking them on the truck and standing behind them. The two calculators above do that arithmetic; the price list below is where the answers go.
HVAC price list
These are the starting prices OnsiteBoard gives a new HVAC account. Change any of them for your area.
| Service | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic: AC, heat pump or furnace | $89 |
| Cooling tune-up | $129 |
| Capacitor replacement | $185 |
| Contactor replacement | $175 |
| Refrigerant R-410A | $95 / lb |
| Refrigerant R-454B | $125 / lb |
| Condensate drain line clearing | $150 |
| Thermostat install | $175 |
| Condenser fan motor replacement | $450 |
| Blower motor replacement | $550 |
| Evaporator coil cleaning | $250 |
| Filter replacement | $45 |
| Heating tune-up | $129 |
| Furnace igniter replacement | $195 |
| Flame sensor cleaning | $120 |
| After-hours service call | $149 |
| HVAC labor | $110 / hr |
HVAC flat rate pricing or by the hour
A flat price tells the customer the number before you open the panel, and it pays you for getting faster. It suits the repairs you do every week: a capacitor, a contactor, a drain line, a tune-up. An hourly rate suits the calls where the fault is not clear until you have traced it. Many HVAC techs use both: flat prices for the list, a labor rate for everything that is not on it. Say on the estimate which one the customer is looking at.
An HVAC price book for the repairs you do every week
A price book is a list of your common repairs, each with one price. To build it, take a repair, write down the time it usually takes you, multiply by your labor rate, add the part with your markup, and round to a number you are happy to say out loud. Do that for fifteen or twenty repairs and most calls can be quoted in the driveway. Look at the list again when your part prices change, and when a repair keeps taking longer than its price allows.
The diagnostic
A diagnostic is a set amount for coming out and finding the fault. It keeps a short visit from costing you the drive. Some techs charge it on every visit; some take it off the bill when the customer goes ahead with the repair. Either is fine as long as the customer hears it on the phone and sees it as its own line on the estimate and the invoice.
Parts and what you charge by the pound
Show each part on its own line with its own price, so nothing hides inside labor. Things you charge by a unit get a rate and a quantity: so many pounds at so much a pound. The customer sees how much went into the system, and you keep a written record of it with the job.
HVAC price questions
Should I charge flat rate or by the hour?
What is a diagnostic fee?
Do I mark up parts?
How many of my hours does a customer pay for?
What is an HVAC price book?
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
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