The HVAC Business Starter Kit
USA (2026 Edition) — What's Inside
The refrigerant under your gauges is about to be illegal to buy. The AIM Act phaseout of R-410A is underway — A2L refrigerants are hitting the market and new equipment ships with them standard. The techs who understand the A2L handling rules and can explain it to a homeowner will charge a premium on every call for the next five years.
What's inside the 130-page manual
The technical side is the easy part. The license, the EPA certification, the insurance class codes, the refrigerant liability gap, the pricing math for a $12,000 system replacement — none of it was in your apprenticeship. This kit is the missing apprenticeship for the business side.
- The EPA 608 ladder, decoded — Core + Type I/II/III vs Universal, the proctored-Core trap most techs walk into, what each cert lets you buy and handle, and why A2L training is the separate credential nobody warned you about
- The A2L transition chapter — AIM Act timeline, R-454B and R-32 properties, Leak Detection System rules, storage and recovery requirements, and the sales conversation for every customer asking "can I just recharge the old R-410A system"
- Maintenance agreements as a business model — how to price a 2-visit plan ($15–25/month), build a 100-member base, and why 100 maintenance customers adds $18,000–30,000 in near-guaranteed annual revenue before you take a single repair call
- Pricing that actually works — burdened labor rate, flat-rate model for service calls, refrigerant per-pound pricing (R-410A vs A2L cost difference)
- The complete paper trail — phone intake to site assessment to signed quote to post-job QC (temp split, superheat/subcool, micron test) to warranty certificate
- The money math — three projection scenarios: A: service-only trap at $22k/year; B: add one install, $42k; C: two installs plus 100 maintenance members, $112k
19 ready-to-use templates
- 7 Excel calculators — price book pre-loaded with 30 HVAC services (AC tune-up, R-410A recharge, R-454B recharge, maintenance agreement, mini-split install, full system replacement, and 24 more)
- 12 Word documents — HVAC service agreement with maintenance plan addendum, operating agreement, subcontractor agreement, estimate, change order, work order, invoice, warranty certificate, phone intake with HVAC triage questions, post-job QC checklist, site assessment, and 5-email follow-up pack
Preview — pages from the kit
Cover & title page
Table of contents — 20 chapters
Chapter sample — A2L transition
Price book — 30 HVAC services
Full kit contents overview
Who this is for
- EPA 608 certified techs going independent
- Small HVAC shops upgrading from handshake deals
- Anyone in their first two years as a contractor
Not for: anyone looking for HVAC technical training (this assumes you can do the work), or non-US markets.
Choose your tier
Instant download · PDF + Word + Excel · Refund within 14 days if not satisfied