An HVAC maintenance agreement is similar to any other maintenance agreement. It includes a list of maintenance services that the HVAC company will perform within the specified time period. These agreements are also referred to as maintenance contracts or maintenance plans.
These maintenance agreements are typically made between an HVAC company and homeowners or businesses. In most cases, the maintenance agreement is simply a verbal or written understanding between the HVAC company and the customer. The customer pays for the maintenance agreement or maintenance plan and the HVAC company performs the services that are included in the agreement. Some of these agreements include a written form and signatures which makes the maintenance agreement more official and legally binding.
What’s Included?
Most HVAC maintenance agreements are based on performing preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance is meant to prevent problems or malfunctions from occurring with the heating and cooling system. It also enables the heating and cooling system to operate at it’s peak ability, which increases its performance and efficiency.
The services included in an HVAC maintenance agreement can vary from company to company. Some maintenance agreements can be pretty basic while others are more in depth and cover more areas and components. Most maintenance agreements will include services for both the cooling system (in the Spring) and the heating system (in the Fall).
For example, our HVAC maintenance plan includes elements such as:
- Inspecting the cooling levels
- Inspecting the air filter and changing it if needed
- Inspecting the condenser fan motor and blades
- Inspecting and cleaning the evaporator coil
- Checking and adjusting the thermostat
- and much more
These maintenance services are performed on the air conditioner in the Spring to ensure that it is ready to perform at it’s peak ability for the Summer.
In the Fall, the maintenance plan includes elements such as:
- Cleaning the blower
- Checking and adjusting the burners
- Inspecting the air filter and changing it if needed
- Inspecting the igniter/pilot light
- Checking the airflow
- and much more
These maintenance services keep the heating system running at its peak ability and helps prevent major breakdowns and malfunctions.
Most HVAC maintenance agreements will include similar services to what we’ve listed above, but some might include more services and some might include less. As I stated before, it can vary to company to company and agreement to agreement. Some companies even offer multiple maintenance agreements that the customer can choose from. This allows the customer to choose one that best fits their specific needs.
Incentives
With most maintenance agreements, there are included incentives. These are extra perks that are included in the agreement or plan, but are outside of the listed services. They are added value for signing up for the maintenance agreement.
These incentives can include free services, priority service, discounts, and so on. For example, our HVAC maintenance plan includes incentives such as:
- Priority scheduling ahead of non-plan members
- Guaranteed emergency service
- 10% discount on all parts and labor for repairs and system upgrades
As you can see, a maintenance agreement or maintenance plan typically includes great incentives that makes it more than just a “service” agreement. It adds value for the customer in a variety of areas which they wouldn’t have experienced before.
How Much Do They Cost?
When it comes to prices, there’s really no set price for HVAC maintenance agreements. They vary in cost for a number of reasons:
- The services included vary from company to company
- The cost of living varies from location to location which affects what each company charges
- Some companies are more focused on bigger profits vs providing value (just being honest)
- Cost of materials/supplies also can vary from company to company depending on their supplier
We’ve seen maintenance agreements range anywhere from around $100 a year (or less) up to several hundred dollars per year. It just depends on the HVAC company.
To give you some sort of idea, our HVAC maintenance agreement is $90 per visit ($180 per year). This includes the 2 preventive maintenance services per year and the incentives mentioned above.
We Hope This Helped You!
We hope this post has helped you understand a little more about HVAC maintenance agreements, what they include, and how much they can cost.
Tip: If you feel like you aren’t getting a good deal on your maintenance agreement, always remember you can shop around and see what other HVAC companies in your area charge and include in their maintenance agreements.
We are a professional HVAC company located in Jackson, TN with over 40 years of experience. If you live in or around our service area, feel free to give us a call at 731-300-1030. We’d love to set you up with a HVAC maintenance agreement that serves your needs and keeps your HVAC system ready for the changing weather all year long. Give us a call today!