HVAC Repair Price Calculator · comparison

Good, Better, Best vs. quoting one HVAC repair price

The way many small shops quote an HVAC repair is one price for the repair the technician found. Short answer: one price is the Good option on its own, and it leaves money on the table whenever a customer would have chosen more. The calculator prices all three and shows the difference on your numbers.

Everything below is arithmetic on invented numbers. Not business, tax, legal or licensing advice. No warranty.

The same call, two ways

Both columns share the same $113.00 true cost per billable hour, the same $265.00 diagnostic fee and the same 20 percent of calls that end at the fee. The three-option column assumes 50, 35 and 15 percent of approvals choose Good, Better and Best.

What if the mix is worse than you hoped

With a mix of 70, 25 and 5 percent an average call earns $387.66 on a $1,121.80 ticket, still $137.84 more than the single price. With no Best at all and the split 65, 35, 0 it earns $322.61. Each 5 points of approvals on Best adds $85.85 a call, and every 10 points of calls that decline costs about $60.58 of profit.

What it costs you to offer three

• Time: you price and explain three options on every approved call; the calculator builds the whole price book as CSV so it is done once.
• Risk: the Best option is the largest cheque you write for equipment, and the callback reserve is built in at 3 percent.
• A customer who wants the cheap fix is still offered it, at the same price as before.

Common questions

Is quoting one repair price cheaper for the customer?

Only on the day. On the defaults the single Good repair tickets $649.00 on an average call, against $1,832.20 with three options, but the customer who needed the Best option is no better off for never having been offered it. Offering options does not raise any one price: Good stays at $745.00.

When is a single repair price still the right quote?

When there is only one sensible fix, such as a failed capacitor on a young system. The calculator still prices it, and a Better option with the part that fails next is usually the first one worth adding.

What if no customer ever picks Best?

Then an average call earns $322.61 at a 65, 35, 0 split against $249.82 for Good alone, so Better is doing the work. Best matters when even a few customers choose it: each 5 points of approvals on Best adds $85.85 a call.

Is this advice?

No. It is arithmetic on invented numbers; check every figure against your own records. Not business, tax, legal or licensing advice. No warranty.