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HVAC hourly rate calculator

Certifications, recovery equipment, seasonal swings, and the van all have to be paid for year round. Most HVAC pros price the busy months and lose ground in the slow ones. Find your real number.

Truck, insurance, tools, phone. Everything that bills you whether you work or not.

What goes into a HVAC pro's real rate

HVAC has a cost base that swings with the seasons but never really stops: the certifications, the recovery and charging equipment, the van, and the months when the phone goes quiet. If your rate only makes sense during peak season, the off months bury you. This calculator spreads your real costs across the year and shows the rate that holds up in January and July alike.

  • ✓EPA certification and recovery gear
  • ✓Gauges, vacuum pumps, specialty tools
  • ✓Van, fuel, and insurance
  • ✓The winter or summer slow season
  • ✓Unbilled quoting and drive time

QuoteMate does this on every job, not just once. Answer a few questions on the call and read out a price that protects your margin, with a peer benchmark showing what other HVAC pros near you charge.

HVAC rate questions

How much should a HVAC pro charge per hour?
There is no single right number. Your rate depends on your overhead, your billable hours, and the margin you want to keep. Most HVAC pros who price off their wage alone land below their true break-even once you add epa certification and recovery gear and gauges, vacuum pumps, specialty tools. The calculator above finds your real number in about a minute.
What should a HVAC pro's hourly rate cover?
Everything that costs you money whether you are on a job or not: epa certification and recovery gear, gauges, vacuum pumps, specialty tools, van, fuel, and insurance, the winter or summer slow season, unbilled quoting and drive time. If your rate only covers your wage and materials, those costs come straight out of your profit.
How do I know if I am undercharging as a HVAC pro?
Work out your true break-even — your wage plus overhead spread across your billable hours — and compare it to what you charge. If you are at or below break-even, every hour is costing you. The calculator above shows the gap and what you would earn at a proper margin.

HVAC rates by city

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