HVACBossPro Blog — Maintenance Agreements

What to Include in an HVAC Maintenance Plan

A maintenance plan is a list of promises. The clearer the list, the easier it is to sell, the easier it is for techs to deliver, and the fewer arguments you have later about what was covered. Here is how many shops build theirs.

Inclusions Drive the Price

Price and inclusions go together, which is why this guide follows How to Price an HVAC Maintenance Plan Customers Will Keep. Everything below is common operator practice, not a rule. What you include should match what your techs can do well on every visit, in the time you have priced.

The Visits Themselves

The core of the plan is the visits. Be specific:

• How many. Two visits a year is the most common residential plan: a spring AC tune-up and a fall furnace tune-up. A yearly plan includes one.
• When. Say which season each visit belongs in. Members like knowing when to expect you.
• Which systems. One system, or every system in the home? Spell it out. A home with two systems is twice the work.

In HVACBossPro, the visit count comes from the plan's minimum days between visits. 180 days gives two visits a year, 365 gives one, and each visit comes due on the Waiting List on its own.

A Spring Cooling Checklist

Spring visits focus on the cooling side before it starts working hard. Common items:

• Replace or check the filter.
• Rinse the outdoor condenser coil and clear debris around the unit.
• Check the capacitor and contactor.
• Clear and flush the condensate drain line.
• Look at the indoor coil if it is accessible.
• Check that the thermostat calls for cooling and the system responds.
• Listen for unusual noise from the blower and condenser fan motors.

A Fall Heating Checklist

Fall visits focus on heating before the first cold night. For a furnace:

• Replace or check the filter.
• Inspect burners and clean the flame sensor.
• Check the igniter.
• Look at the venting and the heat exchanger area for anything that needs attention.
• Check that the thermostat calls for heat and the system responds.

Heat pumps get a heating-mode check in fall, including defrost. Boilers get their own seasonal check. Keep the advice and checks within what your techs are trained to do.

Write each checklist into the description of the service in your service list, so the invoice tells the member what was done. Techs can add notes and photos to the job for anything they find.

Filters and Small Materials

Filters are the most common inclusion and the one that most often causes confusion. Decide up front:

• Standard one-inch filters included? Most plans say yes.
• Thicker media filters included, or an extra charge?
• How many per visit, for homes with more than one return?

Record the filter size on the address in HVACBossPro. It shows on the tech's phone under the address, so the right filter is on the van before the visit. Why that matters is covered in Equipment Records on Every HVAC Tune-Up: Filter Size and Unit Location Before the Tech Walks In.

Member Benefits Beyond the Visits

Benefits are what make the plan feel worth more than two tune-ups. Common ones:

• Priority scheduling on repair calls when the weather is extreme.
• A repair discount, often a lower diagnostic fee or a modest discount on repairs.
• Reminders so the member never has to remember to call.

Only promise what you can keep. A priority-service promise that falls apart in the first heat wave does real damage. Make the policy something the office can follow every time.

What to Leave Out

Plans get into trouble when they promise too much. Things most small shops keep out of the plan price:

• Parts and repairs found during the tune-up. These get their own estimate.
• Refrigerant. Charged separately, per pound, from your service list.
• Duct cleaning and major coil cleaning that requires pulling the coil.
• Anything that sounds like a guarantee the system will not break.

It also helps to decide what happens when a tech finds something on a tune-up. Many shops have the tech note it, take a photo, and send an estimate the member can approve online, with the member discount already applied. That keeps the tune-up short and turns the finding into scheduled work instead of an awkward conversation in the driveway.

Write the exclusions on the plan description too. A member who knows a weak capacitor is a separate repair is not surprised when the estimate comes. Put the finished plan in your service list and it is ready for estimates and the sign-up form. For the full set of agreement tools, see the HVAC maintenance agreement software page.