Publishing fixed rates for commercial HVAC contracts overcharges simple buildings and undercharges complex ones. Below: the four pricing models we actually use, the five inputs that move the number, and an honest scope-band framework — so you know what you're evaluating when comparing proposals.
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// scope · not price
Commercial HVAC contracts are structured one of four ways. Right model depends on your equipment uniformity and your tolerance for budget unpredictability vs. total spend.
A fixed monthly or annual fee per piece of equipment, regardless of size. Simple for facility managers to budget. Works best when equipment is uniform — a dozen identical rooftop units rather than a mixed fleet of 5-ton through 50-ton equipment.
A monthly rate applied to total installed cooling tonnage. Fairer than per-unit pricing for mixed-size fleets because a 50-ton RTU costs more to maintain than a 5-ton unit. Common in chiller-plant buildings.
No fixed retainer. Work is billed at hourly labor rates plus parts markup, with a Not-to-Exceed authorization required before each dispatch. Used in MSAs where scope is open-ended. Maximum cost control on individual calls at the expense of budget predictability.
A single annual or monthly charge covering all PM visits, emergency labor, consumable parts, and refrigerant within the defined scope. Maximum budget predictability. Priced to reflect the real risk of equipment covered — older equipment and R-22 systems carry higher all-inclusive rates.
Every factor below is assessed during the pre-contract site inspection and reflected in the written proposal. We tell you which inputs are pushing your number which way.
Equipment installed before 2010 typically requires more PM labor, carries higher parts risk, and is more likely to trigger emergency calls. Past design life — 15 yr RTU, 20–25 yr chiller — may require additional inspection scope or exclusion from full-coverage terms.
R-22 production ended in 2020. Reclaimed R-22 is the only legal supply and its cost has increased substantially. AIM Act phase-down schedules mean R-410A is next. R-22 buildings carry higher maintenance cost than equivalent R-410A or R-454B.
More units mean more PM labor time. Rooftop access complexity — low-slope vs. steep-slope roofs, confined mechanical rooms, penthouse access — adds time to every visit. Multi-story elevator access changes logistics significantly.
PM-Only contracts cost less than Full-Coverage because they shift emergency risk back to the building owner. Quarterly costs more than semi-annual but catches issues earlier. Right tier depends on equipment criticality and emergency-cost tolerance.
After-hours commercial labor — evenings, weekends, federal holidays — carries a premium in any market. PM-Only / MSA bill emergencies as T&M; Full-Coverage bundles after-hours into the annual fee at a rate reflecting expected call frequency.
We will not invent a price for you on a webpage. What we can do is name the three scope bands we typically see across the Birmingham commercial market, so you have a vocabulary for the conversation.
3–6 RTUs, all under 12 years old, R-410A, single-story access. PM-Only contract. Semi-annual visits. Used by small-suite tenants and single-floor retail.
10–25 RTUs OR small chiller plant + RTUs, mixed ages, mostly R-410A with some R-22 legacy. MSA + T&M. Quarterly visits. Most office buildings and large restaurants land here.
Centrifugal chiller plant, large RTU fleet, walk-in refrigeration, multi-building portfolio. Full-Coverage contract. Quarterly + on-demand. Used by data centers, hospitals, hospitality, and PM portfolios.
After acknowledgement, we schedule the site walk-through and deliver the written proposal within five business days.
Get a custom quote in 24 hours →Commercial HVAC only. Submit the form and a dispatch coordinator follows up by email. For active outages, call (205) 206-6606.
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