Typical prices for HVAC service
These are consumer-facing figures from 2026 cost guides, not rules. They show where the market sits so you can tell whether your price is far above or below it.
| What is priced | Published 2026 range |
|---|---|
| Service call or diagnostic fee (HomeGuide) | $75 – $200, often applied to the first hour |
| Initial service call (Angi, HomeAdvisor) | $100 – $250; HomeAdvisor's AC repair page lists $75 – $200 |
| Hourly labor, regular hours (Housecall Pro, HomeGuide) | $75 – $150 per hour |
| Hourly labor (Angi; HomeAdvisor) | $100 – $250 per hour; HomeAdvisor's AC page $75 – $150, with some pros at $200 in summer |
| Emergency or after-hours labor (HomeGuide, Housecall Pro) | $140 – $250 per hour; HomeAdvisor's AC page $160 – $250 |
| Capacitor replacement (Housecall Pro) | $130 – $295 |
| Contactor replacement (Housecall Pro) | $175 – $389 |
| Blower motor replacement (Housecall Pro) | $341 – $975 |
| Condenser fan motor (HomeGuide, Philadelphia page) | $260 – $680 |
| Refrigerant recharge (Angi) | $100 – $500 |
| Refrigerant leak repair (Angi) | $250 – $1,500 |
| R-410A refrigerant (Angi) | $40 – $75 per pound for the refrigerant; HomeGuide's Philadelphia page lists a recharge at $150 – $500 per pound |
| R-22 refrigerant installed (HomeGuide) | $90 – $150 per pound; $150 – $250 per pound after hours |
| Evaporator coil replacement (HomeGuide, Philadelphia page) | $840 – $2,100 |
| AC tune-up (Housecall Pro customer data) | $89 – $158 |
| Furnace maintenance (Housecall Pro customer data) | $100 – $199 |
| HVAC maintenance visit (HomeAdvisor) | $175 – $350, $250 average |
| Annual maintenance plan (HomeGuide, Housecall Pro, HomeAdvisor) | $150 – $300 per year; Angi $150 – $500 |
The sources overlap but do not agree, partly because some include the service call and parts and some do not, and because city-level pages run above the national range. Compare several sources and your local competitors before you set a rate.
Hourly, flat rate, or both
- Service call fee, then a repair price. Angi describes the usual pattern: a fee for the assessment, then either a flat fee for a specific repair with parts and labor included, or an hourly rate plus parts. Say whether the fee is credited when the customer approves the work.
- Flat rate for predictable jobs. Housecall Pro suggests flat rates for tune-ups and quick part swaps such as capacitors, and time and materials for troubleshooting, remodels and custom ductwork.
- Maintenance plans. Plans at $150 to $300 a year usually bundle one or two tune-ups. They turn a slow season into recurring revenue and give you the customer's next repair call.
- After-hours premium. HomeGuide reports emergency labor of $140 to $250 per hour, and some companies add $40 to $80 per hour for nights and weekends. Write the after-hours rate on the quote before you go out.
What moves the price
- Season. HomeAdvisor notes technicians' time is at a premium in hot summer months and some charge up to $200 per hour.
- The failed part. A capacitor, a blower motor and a compressor are very different jobs. Quote each repair as its own option.
- Refrigerant type and amount. Angi says a home AC needs about 2 to 4 pounds of refrigerant per ton of cooling; older R-22 costs far more than R-410A. List refrigerant by the pound, and find the leak instead of only topping up.
- System age and warranty. A manufacturer or home warranty can cover parts, so the customer pays labor only. Ask before you quote.
- Access. Attic and roof units take more time.
- Location. City-level pages, such as HomeGuide's Philadelphia page at $85 to $200 per hour, run above the national range.
Check the price against your costs
Add paid labor for every technician, the van, tools, gauges, fuel, insurance, licensing and EPA certification, software, unbillable hours and overhead, then divide by the hours you can really bill. See how to calculate labor cost and your overhead rate, and use the hourly rate calculator to find your floor.
A worked quote
An AC that runs but does not cool, with a failed capacitor, using example rates (yours will differ). The diagnostic visit is $100. Labor is 1 hour at $110: 1 × $110 = $110.00. The capacitor is $60 with your markup.
| Service call / diagnostic | $100.00 |
| Labor, 1 h × $110 | $110.00 |
| Capacitor (part, marked up) | $60.00 |
| Total | $270.00 |
|---|
Check it against the market: $100 sits inside the $75 to $200 and $100 to $250 service call ranges, $110 per hour is inside Housecall Pro's $75 to $150, and $270 falls inside Housecall Pro's $130 to $295 range for a capacitor replacement. If you credit the service call to approved work, show a −$100 line and the total becomes $170. These figures are examples, not recommended prices.
Common mistakes
- Topping up refrigerant without finding the leak, then getting called back for free.
- Not saying whether the service call fee is credited to the repair.
- Pricing summer emergencies at off-season rates.
- Skipping a written estimate. Read how to write a contractor estimate for what to include.
Turn the numbers into a quote
Build the quote with the free HVAC estimate and invoice maker: list the service call, labor, parts and refrigerant as separate lines and save a PDF. No sign-up. Working on a bigger job? Read how to price a change order.
Sources
- Angi, HVAC Repairs Cost, R-410A Refrigerant Cost per Pound, R-22 Refrigerant Cost per Pound and AC Coolant Leak Repair Cost, 2026 (angi.com).
- HomeAdvisor, How Much Does It Cost to Repair an AC Unit? and How Much Does HVAC Maintenance Cost, June 2026 (homeadvisor.com).
- HomeGuide, HVAC Repair Cost in Philadelphia and Fair Price for R-22 Refrigerant, 2026 (homeguide.com); national HomeGuide figures as summarized by Home Repair Dispatch (homerepairdispatch.com), October 2026, not read directly.
- Housecall Pro, HVAC Pricing Guide 2026 (housecallpro.com).
Prices are published averages read in November 2026 and vary by region. Read from search excerpts, not full pages. For planning only. This is not accounting, tax or legal advice.