Fractional CFO for HVAC Contractors
Seasonal revenue swings, service agreement margins you can't see, and technicians costing more than they bill. We fix the financial blind spots that keep HVAC companies from scaling.
The HVAC Problem
Most HVAC owners know they're busy. Few know if they're profitable.
Service agreements look profitable at renewal but lose money after overhead allocation. The average HVAC contractor misprices 30% of their maintenance contracts. We've audited contractors running negative 23% margins on their entire SA book — losing $3.8 million per year on maintenance contracts they thought were profitable.
Summer and winter peaks mask the cash flow crunch in shoulder seasons. The typical HVAC contractor has 45-60 day DSO, but same-day invoicing leads to 23% faster collection. Every 10 days you shave off DSO on $100K in receivables frees $2,740 in working capital.
87% of active jobs have no cost data filled in — meaning most HVAC contractors literally cannot calculate their job-level margin until after the job closes. Your CPA sees revenue and expenses. They don't see which technicians, trucks, or job types are making money vs. bleeding it.
HVAC Industry Benchmarks
How do the best HVAC contractors perform? Data from our analysis of 2,200+ contractors.
Median Bill Rate
$90/hr
Top quartile: $116/hr. Top 10%: $147/hr.
Service Agreement Margin
43.8%
Top quartile: 68.8%. Bottom 10% are negative.
Collection Rate
85.1%
Top quartile: 92.7%. That gap is $109K at $1M revenue.
Billing Speed
1 day
Top quartile invoices before job completion (-4 days).
Billable Hour Ratio
96.7%
Top quartile: 99.6%. Every unbilled hour is lost revenue.
Quote Conversion
73%
Top quartile: 81.3%. Are you closing the right jobs?
What Level Does for HVAC Contractors
Service Agreement Profitability Analysis
We break down every maintenance contract by customer, equipment type, and visit frequency. You'll see which agreements make money, which ones lose money, and exactly where to reprice.
Seasonal Cash Flow Forecasting
HVAC is the most seasonal trade. We build rolling 8-week cash forecasts that account for your install season, maintenance cycles, and shoulder-season dips — so you never scramble for payroll.
Technician-Level Job Costing
Every tech has different callback rates, completion times, and upsell patterns. We track profitability by technician so you can coach, train, or re-route work to your most productive crew.
Install vs. Service Margin Breakdown
Most HVAC companies know their total margin. Few can separate install margins from service margins from maintenance margins. We split them so you can price each line of business correctly.
Equipment Replacement ROI
When is it cheaper to repair vs. replace fleet vehicles, tools, and HVAC inventory? We model the break-even so you stop guessing.
Growth & Exit Readiness
PE firms are buying HVAC companies at 5-8x EBITDA. We prepare your books, clean your reporting, and build the financial story buyers want to see — whether you're selling in 1 year or 5.
Bookkeeper vs CPA vs Level
| Capability | Bookkeeper | CPA | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record transactions | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| File taxes | — | ✓ | — |
| Job-level profitability | — | — | ✓ |
| Cash flow forecasting | — | — | ✓ |
| Benchmark against industry | — | — | ✓ |
| Monthly strategy calls | — | — | ✓ |
| AR aging & collections tracking | — | — | ✓ |
| Crew utilization analysis | — | — | ✓ |
| Exit readiness preparation | — | — | ✓ |
| Understands HVAC operations | Rarely | Rarely | ✓ |
Your bookkeeper and CPA handle critical functions. Level fills the strategic gap between recording transactions and filing taxes.
We connect to the tools you already use
15-minute setup. Read-only access. Your data stays secure.
Ready to see your real HVAC numbers?
15-minute call. We connect to your books, analyze your operations, and deliver a full profitability audit. Free.
No contracts. No obligations. Cancel anytime.