Hone your HVAC bids: price the install, cover the truck
The condenser is the box. The hours and the truck are the business.
HVAC bids go thin where the work is invisible on the invoice: the second tech, the lift, the disposal, the permit. Here is how to price the install, not the box.
Where the margin leaks
The pricing traps that quietly cost contractors money.
Quoting the unit, forgetting the labor
The line set, the lift, the second tech, and hauling the old unit are where the hours hide. Price the install, not the box.
No diagnostic or trip charge
A truck roll costs money whether or not you sell the job. A service-call minimum pays for showing up.
Skipping the permit
Equipment swaps usually need a permit and inspection. Left out, it is your margin paying for code.
Where the money is
The levers that actually move your take-home.
Maintenance plans
Recurring tune-ups smooth the seasonal revenue and create repeat work. The steady money in HVAC.
Sell the system, not the part
A full system at the right margin beats a parade of cheap repairs on dying equipment.
Bundle the high-margin add-ons
A smart thermostat or filtration lifts the ticket on a job you are already at.
What to track
The few numbers worth watching.
Labor hours per install
The real cost, and the one that runs over. Track bid versus actual.
Service-call recovery
Whether the trip is actually getting billed.
Close rate on quotes
How many estimates become jobs tells you if your number is right.
Set Anvil up for it
How to make Anvil price your trade the honest way.
Build the install bottom-up
Equipment, labor, line set, and permit, with your markup, into a real bid.
Save your trade rates
Default overhead, profit, and permit on Business, so every HVAC bid starts from your numbers.
Send a clean proposal
A professional quote wins the system job over the back-of-the-truck guy.
Know your trade.
The cost engine is free. Put your real numbers in and see what to charge.