What a HVAC service agreement is for
Maintenance agreements are the steadiest part of many HVAC businesses: they fill the slow weeks with tune-ups and put you first in line when the system fails. The agreement has to say exactly what a tune-up includes, what members get beyond it, what is not covered, and how the plan renews. Vague plans turn into arguments about whether a part should have been free.
What to put on a HVAC service agreement
- Visits per year and the season each one is for.
- The checklist for each visit: filters, coils, drains, electrical, safety checks.
- Member perks: priority scheduling, a repair discount, waived service call fee.
- What is not covered: parts, refrigerant, ductwork, equipment past repair.
- The price and how it is billed.
- How it renews and how to cancel.
A worked example
A homeowner with a heat pump and air handler wants two visits a year and to be first on the list in a heat wave. Our maintenance plan pricing calculator works out a price from your costs; add it on the lines.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring cooling tune-up | 1 | visit | Your price |
| Fall heating tune-up | 1 | visit | Your price |
| Standard filter replacement at each visit | 2 | each | Your price |
| Priority scheduling for repair calls | 1 | each | Your price |
Write the repair discount and the waived service call fee into the terms rather than as lines. This is a template, not legal advice: several states have rules on automatic renewal and on plans that promise repairs, so check your state's rules.
Line items HVAC companies use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Condenser or heat pump outdoor unit | each | Brand, model number, tonnage and efficiency rating, so the customer can look it up. |
| Furnace or air handler | each | Model number, fuel type and the BTU or blower size. |
| Evaporator coil | each | Matched to the outdoor unit; say so, since a mismatched coil hurts the rating. |
| Line set, new or flushed | ft | Say whether you are replacing the copper or reusing and flushing it. |
| Thermostat | each | Model, and whether it needs a common wire run. |
| Pad, stand or wall brackets | each | Where the outdoor unit sits. |
| Electrical disconnect and whip | each | New disconnect and conduit to the unit. |
| Condensate drain and pump | each | Include a safety float switch where the drain sits over a finished ceiling. |
| Ductwork modifications and transitions | hour | Plenum and transition work to fit the new equipment. |
| Refrigerant | lb | Charge beyond what the unit ships with, by the pound. |
| Permit and inspection | each | Mechanical permit, and electrical if the city requires a separate one. |
| Haul away old equipment | each | Includes recovering the old refrigerant. |
| Diagnostic or service call | each | The trip and the first stretch of diagnosis. |
| Repair labor | hour | Hourly labor on repairs, separate from parts. |
| Tune-up, cooling or heating | visit | The seasonal check, listed as one visit. |
Terms and deposit language for HVAC
- Deposit. On a system replacement, a deposit when the customer signs reserves the equipment and the install date. Repair calls are usually paid on completion with no deposit. Check your state's rules on deposits for home improvement work.
- Payment. Balance due when the system is running and the customer has seen it heat or cool. If the customer is financing, say that the lender pays you directly and when.
- Warranty. Separate the manufacturer's parts warranty, which often depends on online registration, from your own labor warranty. Say who registers the equipment and by when.
- Equipment prices can change between the estimate and the order; say how long the equipment price holds.
- If the old system turns out to have problems the new one cannot fix, such as undersized return ducts, those are quoted separately.
- Utility rebates and tax credits are the customer's to claim; say that you will provide the paperwork, not the money.
How to fill it in
- Fill in the customer and the start and end dates.
- List what each visit includes and how many visits a year.
- Add your price per line; the plan shows a yearly total, and a monthly figure if billed monthly.
- Fill in what is not covered and the renewal and cancellation terms.
- Check your state's rules, then print it for signatures.
Free tools for HVAC
- HVAC load calculator
- HVAC replacement cost calculator
- Duct size calculator
- Maintenance plan pricing calculator
- HVAC labor rate calculator
The same service agreement for other trades: appliance repair, auto detailing, carpet cleaning, chimney, house cleaning, commercial cleaning, concrete, drywall, electrical, fence, flooring, garage door, general contractor, gutter, handyman, irrigation, junk removal, landscaping, lawn care, locksmith, moving, painting, pest control, plumbing, pool service, pressure washing, remodeling, roofing, septic, snow removal, solar, tree service, waterproofing, window cleaning.
More for HVAC companies: how HVAC companies run on Koira.