Free HVAC estimate template

What goes on an HVAC estimate

An HVAC estimate needs good, better and best options, the proposed equipment and its SEER rating, the rebates the customer may qualify for, and whether permits are in the price. Those are the lines this template adds to the scope, materials, timeline, labor and terms any estimate has (explained in what a service estimate needs), and each is explained below in the order it appears on the estimate.

1. 1

   Replacement, furnace and ducts, as ranges

   ProjectsPrice range

   Central AC replacement

   3-ton split system — remove old, install new condenser and air handler, new thermostat

   Low to high depends on the equipment chosen

   $5,500–$8,000

   Price each project as a range, and say what moves it. The HVAC sample quotes a 3-ton split-system replacement at $5,500–$8,000, an 80,000 BTU gas furnace with its permits at $3,500–$5,500, and a full duct system for a 2,000 sq ft home at $3,000–$5,000. The AC range is set by the equipment chosen, which is why the options and the SEER rating sit right under the projects.

2. 2

   Good, better and best

   Options Good Better Best

   When the job allows it, give the customer options: good, better and best, each a complete system at its own price. They choose between your options instead of between you and another contractor, and the price of each step up is plain. The sample ticks “Better”, the one you recommend, and the equipment line beneath it says what that option is.

3. 3

   The equipment and its SEER rating

   Proposed equipmentModel SEER

   Name the equipment you are quoting: the model, and its SEER rating — the figure that says how efficiently it cools. Two quotes for “a 3-ton split system” can be very different machines; the model and the rating make them comparable, and they explain most of the spread in the replacement price. The sample leaves “Model ____ SEER ____” to fill in.

4. 4

   Rebates and tax credits

   Rebates / tax credits

   List the rebates and tax credits the customer may qualify for with the equipment you propose. They can narrow the gap between the good and the best option, and they are a reason to choose your quote if another one leaves them out. Write them as “may qualify”: the customer claims them, and you are pointing the way, not promising the money.

5. 5

   Permits and inspection fees

   Permits & inspection Included Not included

   Say whether the price includes permit and inspection fees. Replacing a furnace or an AC system often needs a permit, and a customer comparing quotes cannot see which ones leave the fee out. The sample ticks “Included”, the way its furnace line does; if yours does not, tick “Not included” and say who pulls the permit and pays for it.

6. 6

   Labor apart from materials

   Also quoted · a separate job

   AC repair visit

   Labor$346.50

   Materials$153.00

   This job$499.50

   Work you can see and count is priced line by line, with labor listed apart from materials, so the customer sees what each costs. The second job on this sample is itemized that way — AC repair visit: $346.50 of labor and $153.00 of materials, $499.50 in all. It is quoted apart from the projects above, so its total is its own, not theirs.

7. 7

   The option chosen, and the signatures

   2.A 50% deposit is required to schedule the work.

   Deposit received $ on

   Customer signature & date

   Contractor signature & date

   Close an HVAC estimate on the option the customer chose. On a replacement, write down the good, better or best system they picked and, if you offer financing, its monthly payment and term beside the full price, so they sign knowing both. The sample’s repair visit is simpler: thirty days, half to schedule — $249.75 of $499.50 — and a 90-day labor warranty, then both signatures.