Trade guide
HVAC Business
One van. One tech. A phone that only rings when it's 97 degrees.
The numbers that matter
$85–$150 an hour. $89–$189 to show up. EPA 608 before you touch refrigerant.
Service labor pays the week. The maintenance agreement pays the winter, and it's the one thing most one-truck shops never get around to selling.
You are licensed twice, and they are not the same license
EPA Section 608 is federal. It is the card the supply house asks for before it sells you a jug of refrigerant, and you cannot legally handle refrigerant without it.
Type II covers most residential split systems. Universal covers everything and costs about the same to sit for.
Your state HVAC contractor license is a completely separate hurdle: documented field hours, an exam, proof of insurance, usually a surety bond.
How many hours, which exam, and whether the license comes from the state or your county all vary.
Check your state contractor licensing board before you take a paid job. Working unlicensed in a state that requires it means unpaid invoices you cannot enforce and fines that dwarf the ticket.
| Job | Time | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic / service call | 45–60 min | $89–$189 |
| Service labor, standard hours | hourly | $85–$150/hr |
| After-hours or emergency | hourly | $140–$285/hr |
| Capacitor replacement | 20–30 min | $185–$395 |
| Contactor replacement | 30–45 min | $210–$390 |
| Blower motor replacement | 2–3 hr | $650–$1,450 |
| Refrigerant leak search & recharge | 2–4 hr | $480–$1,600 |
| Seasonal tune-up | 50–75 min | $99–$189 |
| Condenser + coil changeout, 3 ton | 6–9 hr | $5,400–$9,800 |
| Maintenance plan, per system | monthly | $16–$29/mo |
The 20-minute capacitor — Mesa, AZ
A run capacitor costs One tech $21 at the supply house.
Swapping it takes 18 minutes once the panel is off.
They charge $248 — their $109 diagnostic plus a $139 flat repair price out of the book.
The customer who calls that expensive is pricing the part. What they actually bought was a truck stocked with the right part, a tech who knew which one it was in four minutes, and cold air by 2pm on a 111-degree Thursday.
One tech says one sentence and stops talking: "The repair is $139 on top of the diagnostic, and I can do it right now."
The money that shows up in January — Toledo, OH
One shop runs two trucks outside Toledo and sells a $19/month plan: two tune-ups a year, filters, priority scheduling, 15% off repairs.
340 people are on it.
That's $6,460 landing on the first of every month whether the phone rings or not, against 680 tune-up visits a year they schedule into their own slow weeks in October and April.
It also means 340 houses where they is already the guy when the 19-year-old condenser finally quits.
What you actually need before the first paid call
- EPA Section 608 certification. Type II at minimum, Universal if you want the option. Federal, one exam, no renewal.
- Your state or local HVAC contractor license. Requirements, field-hour minimums and exams vary by state and sometimes by county — your state contractor licensing board is the authority, not a forum.
- General liability insurance, and a bond if your license requires one.
- Recovery machine, recovery tank, micron gauge and a vacuum pump that actually pulls.
- A flat-rate price book so the number leaves your mouth the same way every time.
- A diagnostic fee you charge every single visit.
- A maintenance agreement to sell before you walk out of the first house.
- 25–30% of profit set aside for tax, including 15.3% self-employment tax.
The trap is the free second opinion. In July a customer calls for a quote on a system another shop already condemned, you drive 34 minutes each way, spend 40 minutes in a 140-degree attic, and hand her a number she takes back to the first company. That is two hours of the hottest week of the year for zero dollars. Charge the diagnostic, credit it toward the job if she buys, and say so on the phone: "It's $109 to come out and diagnose it, and I put that toward the repair if you go ahead."
Pricing across trades is in the what-to-charge guides, and the deposit language is in the estimate template.
Common questions
How much do HVAC companies charge per hour?
$85 to $150 an hour for residential service labor, higher after hours. Many shops price by the repair from a flat-rate book instead, so the customer hears one number before the work starts.
Do you need a license to start an HVAC business?
Almost always, and it's two separate things: federal EPA 608 to handle refrigerant, and a state or local HVAC contractor license that usually requires field hours, an exam, insurance and a bond. The rules vary by state and sometimes by county — check your state contractor licensing board.
What is EPA 608 certification?
The federal certification required under the Clean Air Act to handle refrigerant. Type I is small appliances, Type II is high-pressure including most residential splits, Type III is low-pressure, Universal is all three. One exam, no renewal, and the supply house will ask for the card.
How much should I charge for a diagnostic call?
$89 to $189 is typical. Free diagnostics attract the customer collecting quotes, not the one who wants it fixed.
Is an HVAC maintenance plan worth selling?
It's the steadiest money in the trade — $16 to $29 a month per system, billed whether the phone rings or not, and it puts you in the house twice a year before something breaks.
How much does it cost to start an HVAC business?
Roughly $12,000 to $35,000: van, recovery machine and tank, vacuum pump, gauges, nitrogen, torches, meters, insurance, license and bond fees, plus cash to float parts. The tools are the cheap part.
Count how many houses you were inside last month.
Now ask yourself how many of them you offered a plan to before you closed the van door.
Ranges here are compiled public ranges for residential HVAC service as of August 2026 — a starting point, not a quote or survey result.