278,000 HVAC installers worked in the building equipment contractors industry in 2022. This article will examine how much HVAC installers make and the comprehensive HVAC contractor insurance policies to get for protecting your business revenue.
HVAC installers are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing HVAC systems. They are also referred to as HVAC technicians or HVAC mechanics. They install these systems with extensive knowledge and experience in households, offices, and industrial settings.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2022 that 374,770 HVAC installers were working in the US. HVAC installers will start as apprentices alongside more experienced HVAC technicians. You will begin by performing basic tasks like cleaning the installation area and transporting parts and supplies. Eventually, you will have enough knowledge to check electrical circuits and solder pipes.
To perform HVAC installation services, you will need a state contractor’s license or be an apprentice of a licensed contractor. Getting a license involves taking and passing an exam and registering with the state where you intend to do business. A state licensing board hands out these licenses.
To become an HVAC installer, you must receive a postsecondary education in a technical or trade school that lasts between six months and two years.
You must be able to lift heavy equipment by yourself. You will not have a partner to assist you on projects.
An HVAC installer needs to be detail-oriented and record all the work performed. Your records must include the nature of the work and the time it took. It also needs to catalog which parts and equipment you used. You need to keep detailed records because service calls on the same system are often months apart. The notes refresh your memory or help another employee not there for the original installation or repair.
Your HVAC installation business will offer several services, which include:
You can typically charge between $5,000 and $12,500 for installing a new HVAC system in a home. The amount of money you can get will depend on the job’s difficulty, the project's complexity, and what system the customer wants.
HVAC installers charge between $100 and $1,200 for basic repairs for parts of an HVAC system failing. More critical parts may cost your customer $2,500 or more to fix. At a certain point, it becomes more cost-effective for them to buy a whole new system than to keep replacing parts.
Repairing HVAC systems will cost between $180 and $580 on average for basic repairs. Your customers will want to hire you to periodically check and maintain their HVAC systems so it doesn’t get to the point where a replacement part is needed.
Another service you can charge customers for is upgrading their system. As new models come out and technology advances, your customers will want a system with better energy efficiency.
More energy efficiency means your customers pay less to cool and heat their indoor spaces. Sometimes, increasing energy efficiency requires an entirely new system. Other times you install energy storage devices that improve HVAC performance.
You will want to offer HVAC inspection services for your customers. These cost your customers between $250 and $400 on average. The point of inspections is for you to keep a close eye on their systems in case something goes wrong.
Preventive inspections are key to avoiding big HVAC repair bills down the road. It is recommended that your customers get their HVAC systems inspected, serviced, and cleaned at least once a year. The best scenario is to get an HVAC inspection every six months, having it checked in the fall and spring.
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The pay rate for HVAC installers is different depending on the area you operate in. How much does an air conditioner installer make in each state? See the table below to answer this question.
| State | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $40,443 |
| Alaska | $76,272 |
| Arizona | $49,664 |
| Arkansas | $38,319 |
| California | $67,931 |
| Colorado | $51,242 |
| Connecticut | $77,369 |
| Delaware | $65,916 |
| Florida | $45,187 |
| Georgia | $49,496 |
| Hawaii | $49,136 |
| Idaho | $54,131 |
| Illinois | $59,909 |
| Indiana | $53,424 |
| Iowa | $48,624 |
| Kansas | $47,087 |
| Kentucky | $45,141 |
| Louisiana | $51,588 |
| Maine | $55,625 |
| Maryland | $74,064 |
| Massachusetts | $74,848 |
| Michigan | $53,148 |
| Minnesota | $60,386 |
| Mississippi | $46,531 |
| Missouri | $43,439 |
| Montana | $51,550 |
| Nebraska | $46,528 |
| Nevada | $59,097 |
| New Hampshire | $57,859 |
| New Jersey | $74,883 |
| New Mexico | $41,459 |
| New York | $64,270 |
| North Carolina | $49,060 |
| North Dakota | $55,554 |
| Ohio | $55,949 |
| Oklahoma | $45,774 |
| Oregon | $65,739 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,631 |
| Rhode Island | $65,601 |
| South Carolina | $47,360 |
| South Dakota | $43,943 |
| Tennessee | $42,189 |
| Texas | $49,657 |
| Utah | $48,467 |
| Vermont | $48,643 |
| Virginia | $64,827 |
| Washington | $76,503 |
| West Virginia | $40,938 |
| Wisconsin | $50,296 |
| Wyoming | $50,664 |
HVAC installers have an average yearly salary of $54,496. The top 10 percent of HVAC installers make over $81,000 annually. In contrast, The bottom 10 percent of HVAC installers make under $36,000 annually.
The amount you make as an HVAC installer will depend on where you operate your business. It will also be affected by the level of education you have and what industry you work in. Currently, the technology industry pays HVAC installers the most on average.
Are you wondering how much does an HVAC installer make in a month? The answer is that, on average, HVAC installers make around $4,541 monthly. When adjusting for only HVAC installers with a bachelor’s degree, this number increases to $4,761 monthly.
The lowest level of education for HVAC installers is those with only a high school degree. If you are an HVAC installer with only a high school degree, the average monthly salary is $4,357.
How much do AC installers make per week? The average weekly wage of AC and HVAC installers in the US is $1,135. This will vary based on your education level, experience, and business location.
For example, an HVAC installer with 0-2 years of experience will earn much less on average than an installer with 7-12 years of experience. A junior-level HVAC installer will make an average of $846 weekly. In contrast, a senior-level HVAC installer makes an average of $1,288 weekly.
The average hourly rate for HVAC installers in the US is around $26. A junior-level HVAC installer has an average hourly salary of $21.15. When you reach the mid-level, you will make an average hourly salary of $26.20 as an HVAC installer. Senior-level HVAC installers will make $32 an hour on average.
The hourly rate in the 90th percentile for HVAC installers is $39 an hour. On the lowest end, HVAC installers make $17 hourly. Factors like education, experience, and location will affect the rate of pay you will receive as an HVAC installer.
Below is a comparison of the highest-paying industries for HVAC installers and technicians.
| Industry | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | $58,260 | $28.01 |
| Professional | $58,241 | $28.00 |
| Construction | $55,699 | $26.78 |
| Retail | $55,327 | $26.60 |
| Manufacturing | $55,197 | $26.54 |
| Energy | $54,329 | $26.12 |
| Real Estate | $53,053 | $25.51 |
| Education | $44,071 | $21.19 |
On average, not every area will pay you the same amount for your HVAC services. Below is a comparison of the highest-paying cities for HVAC installers.
| City | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | $77,235 | $37.13 |
| Seattle, Washington | $77,176 | $37.10 |
| Richmond, California | $75,830 | $36.46 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | $74,650 | $35.89 |
| Baltimore, Maryland | $74,323 | $35.73 |
| Manassas, Virginia | $66,729 | $32.08 |
| Portland, Oregon | $65,706 | $31.59 |
| New York, New York | $64,793 | $31.15 |
| Allentown, Pennsylvania | $61,872 | $29.75 |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | $60,484 | $29.08 |
An adequate insurance policy is necessary to boost your business's income. With the cost-saving ability of insurance, your income won’t have to be spent resolving customer disputes or repairing damaged equipment and property. You are safeguarding your business income against future financial loss by paying a monthly insurance premium.
The first policy you need for your HVAC installation business is general liability insurance. This policy protects your business from costs and lawsuits related to third parties like customers or members of the public. Standard protection includes events like:
Bodily injury
Property damage
Personal injury
Thimble lets you pick up short-term general liability insurance that can cover the duration of an HVAC installation project. They have resources online so that you can learn about their insurance policies easily. You can get a quote and purchase a policy within 60 seconds. This makes them perfect if you need to quickly get your coverage up and running. Thimble has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Professional liability insurance is designed to help mitigate the costs of business mistakes. Customers may sue you for bad advice you give them or for negligence in not fulfilling a contract with them. In these cases, you can use professional liability insurance to pay legal fees and other costs.
We recommend choosing Hiscox for professional liability insurance. They offer flexible payment options and tailored insurance that is specialized to the risks in your industry. You can refund any policy you purchase with Hiscox within 14 days. This takes the pressure off of buying a policy since you will not be stuck with a policy you are not happy with. You can also get discounts when bundling your insurance policy with other Hiscox products. Hiscox has an A rating from AM Best.
A commercial property insurance policy protects your business building and related assets when physically damaged. Intense acts of physical damage like earthquakes and floods are typically excluded by default. This policy protects against events that include:
Wind
Lightning
Vandalism
Fire
Theft
Explosions
CoverWallet is our pick for commercial property insurance. They are a digital insurance platform that allows you to compare options with over ten insurance providers. You can skip filling out an insurance form and call them toll-free. This saves you time and enables you to get answers to insurance questions. CoverWallet has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Your commercial auto insurance policy protects your vehicles when used for work-related activities. Compared to personal auto insurance, it offers high coverage limits and broader protection. The policy covers your business against vehicle liabilities, like when a vehicle is involved in an accident. It can also help pay to repair or replace a damaged vehicle.
For commercial auto insurance, we recommend Tivly. Tivly offers commercial auto options like gap insurance, personal injury protection, uninsured motorist coverage, and more. You choose from over 200 of their high-quality insurance partners. They do not underwrite or service policies themselves. Instead, they help match you to insurance partners based on your business needs. The Better Business Bureau gave Tivly an A rating.
Your employees can get sick or injured when you least expect it. Most states will require businesses that meet a threshold of hired employees to purchase workers' compensation insurance to protect them. This policy pays for medical treatments and prescriptions for your injured workers. It also helps them with disability payments meant to substitute income they lost while injured.
The Hartford offers competitive and affordable workers' compensation insurance. You get access to over 1 million medical providers with their policy. Their process makes filing entirely online and tracking your claims simple. This insurer has been underwriting policies for over 200 years. Their long-standing reputation makes them highly reliable. The Hartford has an A- from AM Best and an A+ from the Better Business Bureau.
A business owner’s policy is one of the most comprehensive insurance policy options. It combines the protection of policies like general liability, commercial property, and business interruption. This policy can also be tailored with specialized policies and optional coverages like data breaches.
NEXT is our top pick for a business owner’s policy. They offer superior policy options and online quotes for your convenience. You can access your policies on their Android and Apple mobile apps. This gives you instant access to a live insurance certificate. NEXT has a 4.7/5 rating in their customer reviews and an A- from AM Best.
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This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
It really can't get any better than this... wow
Not all those who wander are lost.
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