Last updated October 28, 2026

How to bid HVAC jobs

What an HVAC bid has to say, a worked condenser and coil replacement price, why repair and replace belong on the same bid, and the deposit terms HVAC contractors use.

HVAC customers call three companies and go with whoever gets a written number to them first. Not the lowest, the first. The system is down, it is July, and a text with a clear price beats a promise of a quote tomorrow. The second thing that wins HVAC bids is giving the customer a choice between repair and replace on one page, so they decide between two of your numbers instead of calling someone else.

What an HVAC bid has to answer

Tonnage, efficiency rating, and the equipment model. "3-ton, 16 SEER condenser and matching coil" is a bid. "New AC" is not.
Whether the line set is reused or replaced, and whether the pad, disconnect, and thermostat are new.
Refrigerant and the charge, and the startup and test.
What the manufacturer warranty covers and what your labor warranty covers, as two separate lines.
Whether a permit is required in that city and who pulls it.

How to price it

Example numbers for a 3-ton, 16 SEER condenser and coil replacement, line set reused, in a typical market. Yours will differ.

Equipment: condenser and coil at your distributor cost, say $3,100.
Markup on equipment: 30 to 50 percent is normal in HVAC because the warranty and callbacks ride on it. At 40 percent, $1,240.
Materials: pad, disconnect, whip, refrigerant, fittings, $350 with markup.
Labor: two techs for 6 hours. At $125 an hour each, $1,500.
Permit: $150 on its own line where required.
Total: about $6,340. $6,900 is a common landing once overhead and the warranty reserve are in it. Put the repair option next to it: a $900 compressor repair with a one-year labor warranty, and let the customer choose.

Where HVAC bids go wrong

The model was never written. The customer compared a 14 SEER price from someone else to your 16 SEER price and did not know why yours was more.
The two warranties were blurred together, and a compressor failure in year three became a fight about whose it was.
Only the replace price went out. The customer wanted a repair quote too, called someone else for it, and that someone else got the job.
The bid waited for the office to type it. The customer signed with the company that texted one from the attic.

A finished HVAC bid, line by line

Four sample HVAC estimates: condenser and coil replacement, full system replacement, mini-split install, and ductwork replacement. The HVAC estimate template is the blank version. For the repair-or-replace layout, see options on one estimate.

Deposit and payment terms

Half at signing, half on completion is the standard on equipment replacement because the condenser is ordered against the deposit. On repairs, collect in full when the system is running. If you offer financing, say on the bid that the price is the same either way. Collect the deposit when they sign, by card if you can, so the equipment order goes in the same day.

Getting more HVAC jobs

Write the bid in the attic and text it before you pull out of the driveway. Put repair and replace on it. Follow up at three days and a week; HVAC decisions often wait on a spouse. Ask for the review when the house is cold again. Put your license and the equipment warranty on every bid, because the careful customer reads those two things before the price.

BidWriter Pro turns "replace 3 ton condenser and coil, 16 seer, new pad, recharge" into a bid with a repair option beside it, signed and deposited from the customer's phone. $29 a month, 30 days free.

Questions contractors ask

How much should I charge for an AC replacement?

Equipment at cost plus a real markup, materials, two techs for most of a day at your rate, and the permit on its own line. In many markets a 3-ton condenser and coil swap runs $5,000 to $8,500 installed, with the equipment grade moving it most.

Should I put repair and replace on the same bid?

Yes. The customer who sees both decides between your two numbers. The customer who sees one calls someone else for the other.

How do I write the warranty on an HVAC bid?

Two lines: the manufacturer's parts warranty by years, and your labor warranty by years. Never one line that mixes them.

Write a HVAC bid from your notes

Type the job the way you would text it. It comes back as a finished estimate in about five seconds, in your words. No account.

Type a job the way you would text it

Only what you type goes on the estimate. Nothing gets added.

No account needed to try it.

30 days free, then $29 a month. No card to start.

Free, no account: estimate checker, job price calculator, markup vs margin, hourly rate, and 84 sample estimates.