HVAC Maintenance Costs in 2024: Detailed Guide

HVAC system maintenance may not be something you think about often. Since units are commonly hidden away within homes, they can be easy to forget, leading you to fall behind on any necessary services regularly over the year. HVAC maintenance, and having an annual maintenance plan in particular, can be extremely important to keep your system running as it should and to provide your home with quality air filtration and cool or warm air, depending on the season. A simple maintenance visitor furnace inspection may also be necessary to keep harmful toxins, such as carbon monoxide, from leaking from the unit into your home.

But how much does air conditioning or furnace maintenance cost? In this article, we will provide you with the range of HVAC system maintenance prices, as well as an explanation of what the maintenance tasks of heating and cooling systems include, what different types of systems there are, and the latest average rates of the different parts of HVAC maintenance. We will also give you a summary of the HVAC maintenance services available here at John Owens.

Does Routine Maintenance Save Money?

We, along with most HVAC companies, recommend that you always take the time to perform regular maintenance on your HVAC system before the summer and winter seasons. It is always beneficial to have a maintenance plan to have your system looked at after a period of little to no use, just before it begins getting weekly or daily use once hot or cold weather begins to hit. If there are problems, they can be caught early on before they grow into expensive repair or replacement jobs.

Having a licensed HVAC technician look at your system parts during a maintenance visit and perform a furnace tune-up can ensure everything will run smoothly throughout the season and significantly lessen the probability of future repair costs or expensive replacements that are bound to happen if a system isn’t correctly looked after. Even having an annual maintenance plan rather than a semiannual one can prevent future HVAC problems and expensive repairs.

Is HVAC Maintenance Necessary?

You may wonder if things like a furnace inspection cost or a furnace tune-up cost will ultimately be worth it. HVAC maintenance can be highly beneficial to your system and assist with things such as:

• Prevent possible breakdowns within your system by ensuring everything is operating as it should.
• Cut down on your energy bills by ensuring you are not losing air due to leaks or that faulty parts are not causing more energy to be used to get them to work effectively.
• Get consistent airflow and better air quality once debris is cleaned out of ducts, vents, and other unit parts that send the air into your home.
• Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning by keeping the unit intact so no harmful toxins leak into the house.

What HVAC System Maintenance Includes

HVAC maintenance service can include the following:

• Assessments of the thermostat, fan, ignitor, and basic operations to check for damage and ensure that everything runs efficiently and correctly.
• Examine the electrical components, electrical connections, drains, outdoor unit, refrigerant, heat exchanger, and other heating elements to ensure energy isn’t wasted, there are no clogs or blockages, and everything is operating safely.
• Check the ducts for leaks to make sure air is not being wasted.
• Making any necessary adjustments to the pilot light and burners.
• Cleaning aspects of the system, such as the vents, blower motor, evaporator coil, and condenser coil, so that you have clean air flowing into your home.
• Lubrication of moving parts so that energy is not overused to force sluggish parts to run efficiently.
• Air filter replacement so that you can be sure your indoor air quality is the best.

The Different HVAC Systems

The most common types of HVAC systems found in homes are:

• Furnace – the central heating system that heats circulated air. Combined with AC to make up the HVAC unit.
• Air conditioner – the system that uses an evaporator coil to send cold air into your house while a condenser coil releases the hot air outside.
• Split system – this system stores the condenser and compressor in an outdoor unit while the evaporator coil is held within an indoor unit, splitting it so that the indoor units that heat or cool the house are connected to the outdoor unit.
• A hybrid split system is a system that can conduct heat from either gas or electricity, making it more energy efficient.
• Heat pump – another system that uses energy efficiently to utilize the warm and cool air from the space to generate cooling or heating in your home.
• Minisplit system – a type of system that does not contain any ductwork and moves energy around through units placed within rooms of the house to pull warm or cold air from the house and send it outside, similarly transporting warm or cool air into the home.
• Packaged system – a single, usually outdoor unit that contains every part of the system in one place.

Your system type can affect what sort of furnace tune-ups you require and, therefore, the HVAC service cost.

Typical Costs of Furnace Maintenance

How much does furnace maintenance cost? According to homeguide.com, a furnace inspection typically costs between $70 and $200. This includes a minor cleaning and a diagnostic report. A furnace tune-up will cost within the same range.

An exact furnace tune-up cost can vary depending on whether you have a gas, oil, or electric furnace.

A gas furnace tune-up will cost around $80 to $170. Gas furnaces typically require HVAC contractors with specific experience working with them since a tune-up involves navigating fuel lines.

An oil furnace tune-up will cost between $100 and $200. An oil furnace will also require careful work with the oil tanks and any fuel line involved.

Electric furnace tune-ups can cost $70 to $130. The service cost is cheaper because they are less dangerous for HVAC contractors since there will be no gas line.

Replacing a furnace filter will be between $100 and $175.

Usually, an annual furnace maintenance plan costs between $150 and $500. This includes regular inspections, tune-ups, and minor repairs.

Factors that Determine Furnace Maintenance Cost

Several different components will play a part in determining the cost of your furnace maintenance or furnace tune-ups:

• The time of year (before or after the cold weather season).
• How many units do you want serviced, or what type of system do you have?
• How much time has passed since your last service?
• If it is an emergency call that requires an after-hours visit.
• The location of your unit (how difficult it will be for HVAC technicians to reach and perform service on).
• The type of service you want done.
• The insurance or warranty coverage on your system (you could be required to have specific regular maintenance done to maintain warranty coverage).
• Whether you choose to go with an annual furnace maintenance plan or not.

Average Cost of Furnace Maintenance Compared to Average Cost of Furnace Repairs

How much does a furnace repair cost compared to a maintenance service? The average price of furnace repair is around $100 to $600. This cost can increase if an emergency call requires after-hours service. There are many instances when a repair is insufficient, and a replacement must be made instead, which can easily cost thousands of dollars.

Even in-depth cleaning can be more expensive than annual maintenance. Furnace cleaning can be between $70 and $300, while air ducts can range from $300 to $700.

So, while there does not appear to be a significant difference in maintenance costs compared to repair, it can quickly add up if multiple repairs or replacements are often required. In dire enough cases, you may even need a new furnace if numerous severe problems happen. It is likely a better bet to be on top of maintenance so that repair and replacement costs don’t need to overwhelm you.

Parts will need to be replaced after a certain amount of time, but it is better to stay on top of maintenance so that they don’t need to be unnecessarily common occurrences. Even a complete cleaning job for ducts can cost up to thousands, depending on the size and difficulty of the job. So keeping up with things such as regular minor furnace cleaning could save money and help to prevent a larger and more expensive cleaning job from needing to happen frequently.

What does John Owens offer?

We are a qualified HVAC company that always values maintenance and repair over replacement. With our exceptional customer service, you can be guaranteed that you will receive a quality furnace tune-up that will keep your system running smoothly throughout the season. The services and prices you can expect from John Owens for an annual furnace maintenance plan are as follows:

Air conditioner maintenance – $199

• Annual AC service
• Check refrigerant charge and indoor/outdoor unit operation
• Clean condensate drain and outdoor unit debris
• Inspect outdoor fan and compressor amp draw

Furnace maintenance – $169

• Examine the heat exchanger for cracks and deterioration
• Check flue pipe, condensate lines and/or pump, operation, and flame condition
• Combustion analysis
• Assess the coil for freezing or leaks
• In-depth cleaning of burners, pilot lights, or flame sensor
• Inspect board for scorching
• Evaluate safety controls as well as gas pipe, valve, and components
• A 1-inch standard air filter replacement

Respicaire filters – $139.79

• 4 pack of filters

Furnace and AC – $349

• Both furnace and AC service checks

Minisplit (1 indoor/1 outdoor) – $232

• Annual maintenance of the mini-split system
• 1 indoor and 1 outdoor only are included
• $50 for each additional head
• Check refrigerant charge as well as indoor and outdoor unit operation
• Clean condensate drain
• Inspect outdoor fan and compressor amp draw
• Clean debris from the outdoor unit

At John Owens, our motto is maintenance, repair, and, only then, replacement. We genuinely believe in the value of maintenance, which can save you from multiple repairs and replacements. Proper maintenance will usually be expensive but worth it down the line. A $39 tune-up might buy you a sales call but not a thorough maintenance job on your system. A tune-up on your car will cost between $300 and $500, so a $39 maintenance job on your HVAC system will not achieve what the system should receive.

Regular tune-ups, a once-a-year maintenance visit from an HVAC technician, or an AC and furnace inspection can ultimately save you from the danger of significant repairs down the line. It is always better to have a regular maintenance plan for your system, and professional HVAC technicians perform the maintenance to ensure that your systems receive the best possible care.

Annual maintenance plans can help ensure you get consistent professional attention to your systems so that problems can be caught early on before turning into expensive repair jobs or even hazards within your home by keeping things like carbon monoxide leaks in check. Having HVAC companies replace a heat exchanger or blower motor can be avoided often with a regular furnace tune-up that can maintain the parts of your system rather than leave them for years to worsen and possibly fail. Things like tune-ups or light cleaning done regularly through routine maintenance visits can drastically increase the life of your system and save you from more significant troubles in the future.