An air conditioning service plan is an annual or monthly fee per unit for scheduled servicing (cleaning filters and coils, checking drainage, electrical connections and performance), with member benefits like priority breakdown service and repair discounts. Schedule plan services in spring and autumn, so they fill your quiet weeks and get units ready before peak season. Price per unit from your real cost per visit. Anyone handling fluorocarbon refrigerant must hold a Refrigerant Handling Licence.
Key takeaways
- Plans exist to move work out of peak season into shoulder months. Schedule them deliberately.
- Price per unit, with a lower rate for extra units at the same address.
- Priority service in a heatwave is the benefit members value most. Make sure you can deliver it.
- Handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without a Refrigerant Handling Licence is an offence.
- For commercial clients, plans are standard. For households, start with your existing customers.
In The Subscription Playbook I tell the story of a tradie who used a maintenance plan to book service visits into autumn and spring, the months that used to go quiet. Air conditioning is where that idea works best, because the seasons are so extreme.
In January, every technician is booked out and you're turning away work. In May, you're paying the same wages with half the jobs. A service plan lets you move work you know is coming into the weeks you need it.
Why service plans work for HVAC
- They flatten the season. You schedule plan services in spring and autumn.
- Serviced units fail less in peak season, so your members have a better summer and you have fewer emergency call-outs from people you can't help.
- Members get priority in a heatwave, which is worth a lot more to them than the plan fee.
- Every visit is a chance to quote replacements and upgrades on ageing systems.
What to include
| Single split system | Whole home (up to 4 units) | Ducted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual service: filters, coils, drainage, electrical, performance check | ✓ | ✓ each unit | ✓ |
| Second service (pre-summer and pre-winter) | Optional | ✓ | |
| Priority breakdown booking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Discount on repairs and parts | 10% | 10% | 15% |
| Service report with photos | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Indicative price | A$15/month | A$39/month | A$29/month |
Illustrative only. Base your prices on your own costs. For commercial sites, quote per site with agreed service frequency and response times.
How to price it
A worked example: a whole-home plan
A Brisbane HVAC business offers a whole-home plan covering up to 4 split systems, serviced once a year.
| Item | Annual cost per member |
|---|---|
| Labour: 4 units × 0.6 hours + 0.5 hours travel = 2.9 hours at A$95/hour loaded | A$276 |
| Cleaning chemicals and consumables | A$24 |
| Admin, reminders and payment fees | A$20 |
| Cost of 10% discount on repairs (members average A$250 a year) | A$25 |
| Total cost to deliver | A$345 |
| Price: A$39/month incl. GST = A$468 a year | |
| GST (one-eleventh) | A$43 |
| Ex-GST revenue | A$425 |
| Margin per member | A$80 (about 19%) |
If you schedule all of those visits in April, May, September and October, you're also using technician time that would otherwise be underused. That's real value that doesn't show in the margin line. Try your own numbers in the maintenance plan calculator.
Priority service: promise only what you can deliver
The most valuable benefit in an HVAC plan is being first in line when it's 40 degrees. It's also the easiest promise to break.
- Say what "priority" means: booked ahead of non-members, not a guaranteed arrival time, unless you can genuinely guarantee one.
- Cap the number of members to what your team can serve in a heatwave.
- Don't promise anything in your marketing that your terms don't support. Misleading claims about a service are a consumer law risk.
How to launch
- Start with customers whose systems you installed in the past five years.
- Offer the plan at installation, with the first year discounted or included.
- Put a service sticker with a QR code on every unit you touch.
- Schedule the first visits for autumn, and say so: "We'll service your system in May, before winter heating."
- Bill by direct debit or card, monthly or annually.
- Track members, services completed on time, breakdown calls from members, and replacement quotes generated.
The rules to get right
A maintenance plan is a subscription, so the same rules apply as for any other subscription sold to Australian households. Here's the short version, as at October 2026. It's general information, not legal advice.
- Consumer guarantees still apply. Your plan can't take away customers' rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Don't describe it as a "warranty" that replaces those rights.
- Be careful about promising to pay for repairs. A plan that sells your air conditioning services (inspections, servicing, priority attendance, discounts) is a service contract. A plan that promises to cover the cost of repairs or replacement if something breaks starts to look like an extended warranty, which ASIC says can be a financial product. If you want to include repair cover, get legal advice first.
- Clear terms. State the price, what's included, how often, the term, renewal and how to cancel, before the customer signs up. Unfair terms in standard form contracts can be void, and using them can attract penalties.
- GST. If you're registered, plan fees are generally taxable. On an annual plan paid upfront, the GST is generally reported when you're paid or invoice. See GST on subscriptions.
- Direct debit. If you collect by direct debit, follow the direct debit rules.
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From 1 July 2027, the national subscription-trap rules add disclosure at sign-up, prescribed notices and an easy way to cancel. They apply to plans entered into from that date, and to earlier plans once renewed or varied. Build them in now. See subscription trap laws.
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Refrigerant Handling Licence. The Australian Refrigeration Council says a Refrigerant Handling Licence must be held by any person who carries out work on refrigeration and air conditioning equipment where refrigerant could be released, including installing, servicing and maintaining it. Handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without one is an offence. Businesses that acquire or handle refrigerant also need the appropriate trading authorisation.
- Electrical work. Electrical work on air conditioning systems must be done by appropriately licensed people for your state.
Why your accountant cares: a business worth more
Recurring revenue changes what your business is worth. Two HVAC businesses with the same profit can sell for very different prices if one has hundreds of customers on automatic plans and the other relies on the phone ringing. Buyers pay more for revenue they can see coming, that's billed automatically and that doesn't depend on you.
It also changes the day-to-day. Plan revenue arriving every month covers wages and vehicle costs before the month starts, and scheduled work fills the quiet weeks. See how much is my business worth and how to value a subscription business.
What to do next
Look at last year's job calendar. Find the six quietest weeks. Then work out how many plan services would fill them, and how many members that means. That's your first target.
Free Subscription Profit Review
Australian business owners can book a free 30-minute review with a BPAG Accountants adviser. An honest conversation about:
- whether a subscription model could work for your business
- how recurring revenue could cover your fixed costs each month
- how it could lift what your business is worth
No cost, no obligation. General information only until we understand your situation.
Frequently asked questions
What is an air conditioning service plan?
It's an annual or monthly fee, usually per unit, for scheduled servicing of air conditioning systems, plus benefits such as priority breakdown booking and repair discounts. It helps households keep systems running and helps HVAC businesses fill their quieter months.
How often should an air conditioner be serviced?
Many manufacturers and technicians recommend at least an annual service, and twice a year for heavily used or ducted systems. Check the manufacturer's recommendations for the specific system.
How much should an aircon service plan cost?
Work it out from your cost per visit: labour per unit plus travel at your loaded rate, consumables, admin, payment fees and any discount, plus margin. In our whole-home example, about A$39 a month including GST covered four split systems with a healthy margin.
Do air conditioning technicians need a licence?
Yes. The Australian Refrigeration Council says anyone who works on refrigeration and air conditioning equipment where refrigerant could be released needs a Refrigerant Handling Licence for fluorocarbon refrigerants. Electrical work also requires an appropriate electrical licence.
When should plan services be scheduled?
In the shoulder seasons, spring and autumn. That gets systems ready before peak demand and uses technician time that would otherwise be underused.
General information only, current as at 29 October 2026. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice and doesn't consider your circumstances. Speak to a qualified adviser before acting.
Talk it through with a BPAG adviser
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Robert Coorey, MBA
Robert is the author of The Subscription Playbook and Feed a Starving Crowd and a Director at BPAG Accountants in Sydney. More about Robert.
Sources and further reading
- Australian Refrigeration Council (ARCtick), Refrigerant Handling Licence
- ASIC, Extended warranties
- ACCC, Warranties
- ACCC, Contracts guidance for business (unfair contract terms)
- Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026 (No. 64, 2026)
Sources checked 29 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.