Summary
- Median HVAC diagnostic fee: $89.95 (middle half $88 to $119).
- 30 of 49 HVAC contractors with a price show only the diagnostic fee.
- Many contractors waive or credit the fee if you go ahead with the repair.
US HVAC contractors that post a diagnostic or service call fee charge a median of $89.95. Half of the 37 contractors behind that figure charge between $88 and $119.
The figures come from the websites of 49 HVAC contractors in 25 US metros, checked in October 2026 for the US Home Services Price Transparency Report 2026. They're advertised prices, not quotes or final bills.
By Oscar Aston Brovall, Marketit.
HVAC prices at a glance
| Job | Contractors | Median | Range | "From" prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service call or diagnostic fee | 37 | $89.95 | $49 to $199 | 0 of 37 |
| AC or furnace tune-up | 6 | $134 | $89 to $250 | 2 of 6 |
| Furnace installation | 5 | $4,200 | $2,000 to $4,970 | 5 of 5 |
Each contractor counts once, with its lowest price for the job. Where a contractor gives a range, we used the low end. Call fees are regular weekday rates, and tune-up specials and coupons aren't included.
Service call and diagnostic fees
Thirty-seven contractors post what it costs to have a technician come out and find the problem. The median is $89.95, and the range runs from $49 to $199.
The fees bunch up tightly: 12 of the 37 charge between $85 and $90, and 8 charge exactly $89. That fits HomeAdvisor's AC repair guide, which puts the cost of a technician coming out to diagnose the problem at $75 to $200. The advertised median sits near the bottom of that range.
The fee often comes back off the bill. At least 11 of the 40 HVAC contractors that list a call fee say they waive or credit it if the customer approves the repair. For 30 of the 49 contractors with a price, the call fee is the only price on the site.
Tune-up cost
Six contractors post a regular price for an AC or furnace tune-up. The median is $134, and the range runs from $89 to $250. Two are "from" prices and one is a range. Six contractors is a small base, so treat the median as a pointer rather than a market rate.
HomeAdvisor's HVAC maintenance guide puts a maintenance visit at $175 to $350, with an average of $250, so the advertised median is lower. Many HVAC sites run tune-up specials, but those weren't counted.
New furnace and AC installation cost
Few contractors say what a new system costs. Five post a starting price for a furnace installation, from $2,000 to $4,970, with a median of $4,200. All five are "from" prices, so expect most real quotes to land higher. HomeAdvisor's furnace guide puts a replacement at $2,823 to $6,897, with most homeowners spending around $4,814.
Four contractors post a starting price for a new AC or complete system, from $5,490 to $9,200. That's too few for a typical figure. Two post an hourly labor rate: $190 and $250.
What the prices include
Of the 49 HVAC contractors with a price, 40 list a service call fee, 12 use "from" prices, 7 give a fixed price for a defined job and 2 an hourly rate. Some give more than one.
Sales tax rarely comes up: 5 quote prices before tax, 2 include it and the other 42 don't say. Three list a separate fee for after-hours or emergency visits.
How many HVAC contractors post prices
49 of the 298 HVAC contractors in the study list a price, or 16.4%. Across all six trades, 13.8% do. Only 19 of the 298, or 6.4%, say what the work itself costs rather than just the call fee.
The West accounts for much of it. 27% of Western HVAC contractors list a price, against 12% in the rest of the country.
In industry surveys by The ACHR NEWS, 31% of HVAC contractors said in 2024 that they feature pricing on their websites. The surveys asked contractors rather than checking their sites, and didn't define pricing, so the two figures measure different things.
How the figures were collected
The study checked 1,782 home service websites in 25 US metros in October 2026, 298 of them HVAC contractors, taken from the top Google Maps results for each trade and metro.