Start here
Pick the problem you're dealing with right now. Each one has a free tool to run your own numbers and a guide to read. No email, no sign-up.
I need to price jobs right
Start from what an hour of your time really costs, then build prices that cover it with margin to spare.
- HVAC Break-Even Hourly Rate Calculator
Tool Find the hourly rate you have to charge just to cover your costs. - HVAC Flat-Rate Price Calculator
Tool Turn labor, parts, and target margin into a flat-rate price. - HVAC Markup vs Margin Calculator
Tool Convert between markup and margin so you stop underpricing parts. - HVAC Install / Replacement Job Pricing Calculator
Tool Price an install or replacement job from equipment, labor, overhead, and target net profit. - HVAC Flat-Rate vs Time & Materials, Markup vs Margin (2026)
Guide When flat rate beats time and materials, and why markup is not margin. - How to Set Your HVAC Service Call / Diagnostic Fee (2026)
Guide How to set a service call or diagnostic fee you can defend.
I want to raise prices and close more estimates
A small price change or a better-presented option sheet often moves profit more than more leads do.
- HVAC Price Increase Calculator (How Many Jobs Can I Lose?)
Tool See how many jobs you could lose after a price increase and still come out ahead. - HVAC Good / Better / Best Proposal Builder (Printable)
Tool Build a printable three-option proposal to hand the homeowner. - HVAC SEER2 Energy Savings Calculator
Tool Show a homeowner the yearly and lifetime cooling savings of a new SEER2 system and the payback on a higher-efficiency option. - HVAC Sales Funnel & Close Rate Calculator
Tool Walk your funnel from call to sold job and see where estimates leak. - How to Raise HVAC Prices Without Losing Customers (2026)
Guide How to roll out a price increase without losing good customers. - HVAC Good-Better-Best Pricing: Build 3 Honest Options (2026)
Guide How to build three honest options instead of one take-it-or-leave-it price. - HVAC Unsold Estimates: A Follow-Up Playbook (2026)
Guide A day-0 to day-90 follow-up cadence so open estimates stop dying quietly.
I am busy but not sure jobs make money
Busy is not the same as profitable. Cost out real jobs, real labor, and real trucks before you guess.
- HVAC Job Profit Calculator
Tool Check what a single job actually made after labor, parts, and overhead. - HVAC Labor Burden Calculator (Cost per Tech Hour)
Tool Find the true cost of a tech hour once taxes, benefits, and paid time off are in. - HVAC Service Truck Cost Calculator (Per Hour & Per Job)
Tool Work out what each truck costs you per hour and per job. - HVAC Job Costing: How to Know If a Job Made Money
Guide A simple way to job-cost so you know which work pays. - HVAC P&L & Chart of Accounts: How to Read Yours (2026)
Guide Set up your P&L and chart of accounts so gross margin tells the truth. - How to Reduce HVAC Callbacks and Rework (2026)
Guide Cut callbacks and rework that quietly eat your margin. - HVAC Labor Warranties: How to Write Your Policy (2026)
Guide Write a labor warranty policy and price its cost into installs. - HVAC Load Calculations (Manual J) for Shop Owners (2026)
Guide Size systems with a real load calc (Manual J) instead of rules of thumb.
I need more calls and leads
Know what each lead source really costs you per booked customer before you spend more on it.
- HVAC Marketing ROI & Cost-per-Customer Calculator
Tool See cost per lead, cost per customer, and return for each marketing channel. - HVAC Cost per Lead 2026: What You Can Afford to Pay
Guide What published research says a lead should cost, by channel. - Google Local Services Ads for HVAC: 2026 Guide
Guide How Google Local Services Ads work for HVAC and how to set them up well. - How to Get More HVAC Google Reviews (2026 Playbook)
Guide A repeatable way to ask for and earn more Google reviews. - HVAC Marketing Ideas for Small Shops (2026)
Guide Twenty marketing ideas, from free to paid, and how to measure each one. - HVAC Google Business Profile & Local SEO Guide (2026)
Guide Set up your Google Business Profile right and stay clear of suspensions.
I am missing calls or the schedule is a mess
Calls you already paid for are the cheapest leads you will ever get. Answer them, book them, and route them well.
- HVAC Missed Call & Booking Rate Revenue Calculator
Tool Put a dollar figure on missed calls and a low booking rate. - HVAC Technician Capacity Calculator (How Many Techs Do I Need?)
Tool Check how many techs your call volume actually needs. - HVAC Call Booking Rate: A CSR Playbook (2026)
Guide A CSR playbook for booking more of the calls that come in. - HVAC Dispatch & Scheduling: A Practical Playbook
Guide Practical dispatch and scheduling habits that keep the board running. - HVAC Field Service Software Compared (2026)
Guide How the main field service software options compare.
I want recurring revenue (maintenance agreements)
Agreements smooth out the seasons and keep customers coming back to you instead of the next ad they see.
- HVAC Service Agreement (Maintenance Plan) Pricing & Revenue Calculator
Tool Price a plan, check margin per member, and project your agreement base. - HVAC Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Calculator
Tool See what a customer is worth over years, not just one ticket. - HVAC Commercial Maintenance Contract Pricing Calculator
Tool Price a commercial PM contract from the units on site, visits, labor, and drive time. - HVAC Maintenance Agreements: How to Price, Sell & Keep Them
Guide How to price, sell, and keep maintenance agreements. - How to Get Into Commercial HVAC Service (2026)
Guide Move into light-commercial service and PM contracts. - HVAC Maintenance Agreement Template (Free) + How to Price It
Guide A free maintenance agreement template you can adapt.
Cash is tight or the slow season is coming
Plan the lean months before they arrive, and give customers ways to say yes to bigger jobs.
- HVAC Slow-Season Cash Reserve Calculator
Tool Work out how much cash to set aside to get through the slow months. - HVAC Financing Payment Calculator (Good / Better / Best)
Tool Show monthly payments for good, better, and best options. - HVAC Cash Flow: How to Get Paid Faster (2026)
Guide Collect faster with deposits, field payments, and a 13-week cash forecast. - HVAC Parts & Truck Stock Inventory Turnover Calculator
Tool See how fast parts and truck stock turn, what it costs to carry, and the cash you free by stocking leaner. - HVAC Accounts Receivable & DSO Calculator
Tool See how many days of billing sit in unpaid invoices and the cash you would free by collecting faster. - How to Fill the HVAC Slow Season: A Playbook
Guide Ways to keep techs busy and cash coming in during the shoulder season. - HVAC Tax Credits & Rebates in 2026: What Changed
Guide What changed with heat pump tax credits and rebates in 2026.
I need to hire and keep techs
Know what a hire costs, what it pays back, and what keeps good techs from leaving.
- Should I Hire Another HVAC Tech? Payback Calculator
Tool See how long another tech takes to pay for themselves. - HVAC Technician Turnover Cost Calculator
Tool Add up what it really costs when a tech walks out. - HVAC Tech Pay Plan Calculator (Hourly vs Commission vs Hybrid)
Tool Compare hourly, commission, and hybrid pay for the same week of work. - How to Hire and Keep HVAC Technicians in 2026
Guide Where to find techs and what keeps them around. - HVAC Technician Interview Questions + Scorecard
Guide Interview questions, red flags, and a 1-5 scorecard for tech hires. - New HVAC Tech Onboarding: A 90-Day Plan (2026)
Guide A 90-day plan to get a new tech from ride-alongs to running solo. - HVAC Apprenticeship Program: Grow Your Own Techs (2026)
Guide Grow your own techs with a registered apprenticeship: how to register, wage steps, and funding. - HVAC Tech Commission & Spiff Pay Plans (2026)
Guide How commission and spiff pay plans work, and where they go wrong. - HVAC Technician Pay by State (2026): BLS Wage Data
Guide Government wage data for HVAC techs, state by state.
I am starting or growing a shop
Going from tech to owner, or from owner to a shop worth selling, takes a plan and honest numbers.
- HVAC Business Valuation Calculator (SDE × Multiple)
Tool Estimate what your shop could be worth using earnings times a multiple. - How to Start an HVAC Business: Tech-to-Owner Playbook (2026)
Guide A tech-to-owner playbook for starting your own HVAC business. - HVAC Business Startup Cost & First-Year Cash Calculator
Tool Add up startup and monthly costs, see your first-year cash month by month, and how much cash to start with. - From HVAC Tech to Shop Owner: Runway, Timing, and Your First 90 Days
Guide A step-by-step path from tech to shop owner. - HVAC Business Plan Template (Free, Fill-in-the-Blank)
Guide A free fill-in-the-blank HVAC business plan. - HVAC Company Org Chart: When to Hire a CSR, Dispatcher, Office Manager & Service Manager (2026)
Guide Which seats your shop needs at each stage and when to hire a CSR, dispatcher, or office manager. - HVAC SOPs: How to Build an Operations Manual (With Templates) (2026)
Guide Build an operations manual: the first SOPs to write and a one-page template. - How to Sell an HVAC Business: Exit Planning Guide (2026)
Guide Get your shop ready to sell: clean books, buyer types, deal terms, and a due-diligence checklist. - How Much Do HVAC Business Owners Make? (2026 Data)
Guide What published data says about HVAC owner pay.
I want to set goals and track the right numbers
Pick a revenue target, work backward to what it takes, and watch a short list of numbers every month.
- HVAC Revenue Goal Calculator
Tool Work backward from a revenue goal to the calls and jobs it takes. - The HVAC KPIs Every Shop Owner Should Track (2026)
Guide The KPIs worth tracking and a simple monthly scorecard. - HVAC Tech Turnover Cost 2026: Raise or Replace?
Guide What it costs when a tech quits, and when a raise is cheaper.
Rules and compliance (licensing, insurance, safety, taxes, refrigerant)
The boring stuff that can shut you down or cost you a fortune if it is missed.
- HVAC Contractor License Requirements by State (2026)
Guide HVAC contractor license requirements, state by state. - HVAC Contractor Insurance: What Coverage You Need (2026)
Guide What insurance coverage an HVAC contractor needs. - HVAC Refrigerant Transition: R-410A to A2L (2026 Guide)
Guide What the move from R-410A to A2L refrigerants means for your shop. - HVAC Refrigerant Rules: Leak Repair & Records (2026)
Guide EPA refrigerant rules: 608 cards, leak repair, recovery, and the records to keep. - HVAC On-Call & Overtime Pay: What the Law Requires
Guide What the law requires for on-call and overtime pay. - HVAC Safety Program: The OSHA Rules That Hit Your Shop (2026)
Guide The OSHA rules that hit HVAC work, plus a one-page safety program to copy. - HVAC Business Taxes in 2026: A Plain-English Guide for Shop Owners
Guide Federal taxes for HVAC owners: quarterly estimates, S corp, 1099s, truck deductions, and a tax calendar.
Want the full lists? See all tools and all guides.