HVAC
HVAC Replacement Opportunity Calculator
Weigh a system's age, repair history and efficiency against replacement cost, so a repair-or-replace conversation starts from evidence.
Result
This is decision support, not a recommendation, and it cannot see the things that usually decide it: whether the customer plans to sell, what they can afford this month, whether the heat exchanger is cracked, and whether a technician has actually put eyes on the equipment. The age-times-repair heuristic is a rule of thumb the trade uses, not a law. Efficiency savings depend on your climate, rates and how the system is actually run. Use the customer's own bills rather than a brochure figure.
Open the HVAC CRM demoWhat moves the number
- Repair spend over recent years against the replacement price.
- Age relative to typical service life for that equipment type.
- Warranty position, since an out of warranty failure changes the arithmetic.
Where this one goes wrong
Treating age alone as the trigger. A well maintained older system with one inexpensive repair in front of it is frequently worth keeping, and customers who feel pushed toward replacement do not refer you.
Questions
About this calculator
Does old always mean replace?
No. Age matters most alongside repeated repairs, rising spend and an expired warranty. On its own it is a weak signal, and treating it as decisive costs trust.
What is the age times repair rule?
Age in years multiplied by the repair cost, compared against replacement. It is a rough heuristic the trade uses, not a calculation, and it ignores the customer's circumstances entirely.
How should this be presented to a customer?
As options with the numbers visible, not as a verdict. Show the repair cost, the replacement cost and the running cost difference, and let them decide.
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- System age in years. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 14.
- Typical service life for this equipment. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 15.
- Cost of the repair being considered ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $1,250.
- Repair spend over the last 3 years ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $980.
- Number of repairs in the last 3 years. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3.
- Estimated replacement cost ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $8,400.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to repair as a share of replacement, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| System age in years | 14 |
| Typical service life for this equipment | 15 |
| Cost of the repair being considered | $1,250 |
| Repair spend over the last 3 years | $980 |
| Number of repairs in the last 3 years | 3 |
| Estimated replacement cost | $8,400 |
| Warranty position | Out of warranty |
| Current annual running cost | $1,450 |
| Expected efficiency improvement | 22% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Repair as a share of replacement main result | 14.88% |
| Service life used | 93.33% |
| Estimated annual energy saving | $319 |
| Repair spend including this one | $2,230 |
This system has used 93.33% of its typical service life, and the repair in front of you is 14.88% of the cost of replacing it. Including this one, it will have taken $2,230 in repairs over three years across 4 visits. The age-times-repair rule gives $17,500 against a $8,400 replacement, above it, which is the point most contractors stop repairing. At 22% better efficiency the new system would save roughly $319 a year.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only cost of the repair being considered, this is what happens to repair as a share of replacement. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Cost of the repair being considered ($) | Repair as a share of replacement |
|---|---|
| $625 | 7.44% |
| $938 | 11.17% |
| $1,250 example above | 14.88% |
| $1,875 | 22.32% |
| $2,500 | 29.76% |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- System age in years
- A number, between 0 and 60, starting at 14.
- Typical service life for this equipment
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 15.
- Cost of the repair being considered ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,250.
- Repair spend over the last 3 years ($)
- A money amount, starting at $980.
- Number of repairs in the last 3 years
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 3.
- Estimated replacement cost ($)
- A money amount, starting at $8,400.
- Warranty position
- Choose from Parts still covered, Out of warranty.
- Current annual running cost ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,450.
- Expected efficiency improvement (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 70, starting at 22%.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Repair as a share of replacement | The headline result. A percentage. |
| Service life used | A percentage. |
| Estimated annual energy saving | A money figure. |
| Repair spend including this one | A money figure. |
Before you rely on this number
Sizing, capacity and load figures here are planning estimates. A real installation depends on the manufacturer's data for the specific equipment, the duct system it is going into, and a proper load calculation for the building. Use this to sanity-check a number or price a job, not to select equipment.
Keep going
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