HVAC businesses are unique because they often run two completely different business models under one roof: new system installations (high ticket, low volume) and service calls/maintenance agreements (low ticket, high volume).
The Two Sides of HVAC Accounting
If you mix your installation numbers with your service numbers, you have no idea which side of your business is actually making money.
- Installations: We job cost every new system install. The $4,000 condenser, the crane rental to put it on the roof, and the labor for the two-man install crew are all tracked against the specific customer invoice.
- Service & Maintenance: We track your recurring maintenance agreements as a separate revenue stream. We ensure that unearned revenue from annual prepaid service contracts is recorded correctly on your balance sheet, not just dumped into your P&L on day one.
Managing Inventory and Fleet Costs
Your vans are essentially rolling warehouses. When a technician grabs a contactor or capacitor out of the van to fix a residential AC unit, that cost needs to hit the job.
We work with your field service management software (like ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro) to ensure that the data flowing into QuickBooks correctly categorizes your parts, labor, and dispatch fees.