Contents of this guide
The four contract types according to the DOE
Not every maintenance contract covers the same things. The DOE guide groups them into four types, and knowing the difference avoids paying for something that is not delivered.
| Type | What it covers | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Full coverage | 100% of labor, parts and materials, plus emergency service. | The guide warns that an unreliable contractor may do only the minimum maintenance until the contract ends. |
| Labor only | The contractor provides labor; the owner buys equipment and parts. Emergencies may be included or answered within an agreed number of hours, with the labor paid separately. | It often includes minor materials such as belts, grease and filters. |
| Preventive maintenance | Fixed fee and scheduled activities: changing belts and filters, cleaning coils, lubricating motors, testing controls. | It may or may not include repairs and emergencies. Without clear requirements, the contract can offer too much or too little. |
| Inspection | A fixed number of inspections. | It mostly consists of checking and reporting to the owner. The guide considers it less rigorous than preventive. |
Source: DOE/FEMP O&M Guide, section 3.8 (contracts). The guide dates from 2010; its figure that about 40% of non-residential buildings contract HVAC maintenance with third parties comes from a 1997 study.
What to demand before signing
- Equipment inventory. ASHRAE 180 asks that the components affecting building performance be inventoried. The contract starts from that list.
- Tasks and frequencies by equipment. The standard sets frequency per task, not one visit for everything. NREL’s rooftop unit guide, adapted from ASHRAE 180-2018, lists filters, coils and condensate drainage every quarter. See the guide.
- Written report and record. ASHRAE 180 asks for records detailed enough to show the plan was carried out, with each task documented and archived. The EPA guide recommends checking maintenance records against the equipment list.
- Defined emergencies. NREL suggests asking whether emergency repairs are included, on which days and hours, and how quickly the contractor must respond. None of the sources consulted sets a number of hours: it is negotiated.
- Parts and materials. The contract should say who supplies them and which ones.
- Periodic review. The DOE recommends reviewing the whole contract from time to time. ASHRAE 180 allows reducing a frequency only after three successive acceptable inspections, and the reduction must be documented.
The DOE guide adds two buying tips: ask for two to four proposals and put the same questions to every candidate. It also warns that contracts full of generic text can be ambiguous and open to the contractor’s interpretation.
Why prevention pays
The DOE guide describes reactive maintenance as waiting for equipment to break, and cites studies estimating savings of 12% to 18% with a preventive program. It adds that many facilities that only repair could save more than 18%. These are estimates from earlier studies, not a measurement by the guide. Chapter 5 also explains that preventive maintenance runs equipment more efficiently and brings it closer to its design life.
The EPA points the same way in its guide for building owners: postponing maintenance until failures or complaints appear is a false economy, and the preventive program must be budgeted and carried out, not just planned on paper.
How Climatiza Panamá approaches it
Climatiza Panamá, an HVAC service company in Panama City, offers its air conditioning maintenance (page in Spanish) at three levels. According to its page, each proposal is built from an asset survey rather than a generic estimate, and the cost depends on the number of units, their type, their condition and the visit frequency.
| Level | What it includes | Designed for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Scheduled preventive visits, a written report per visit, preferential rate on corrective work and attention during business hours. | Offices, individual stores and small businesses. |
| Priority | Everything in the basic level, plus a priority attention line and minor corrective work included. | Restaurants, small hotels, chain stores and clinics. |
| Comprehensive | Everything above, plus full management of the equipment fleet, scheduled duct cleaning, replacement of consumables, an equipment renewal plan and an assigned contact person. | Hotels, towers, chains and franchise groups. |
Data from the Climatiza Panamá maintenance page (in Spanish).
Two points from the checklist above appear explicitly in that offer: the written report per visit, which is the record ASHRAE and the EPA ask for, and the priority attention line for emergencies.
Which level fits your operation?
Climatiza Panamá starts from a survey of the equipment and proposes the contract according to the fleet, the use and the visit frequency.
Frequently asked questions
What should an air conditioning maintenance contract include?
An equipment inventory, tasks with their frequency, a written report per visit, what happens in an emergency and who supplies parts and materials.
How often should the technician visit?
There is no single frequency. ASHRAE 180 defines it per task and equipment type, and allows adjusting it for climate and use. Climatiza says its proposal depends on the number of units, their type, their condition and the visit frequency.
What is the difference between a preventive and an inspection contract?
A preventive contract schedules specific tasks, such as changing filters and cleaning coils. An inspection contract consists mostly of checking and reporting, and the DOE considers it less rigorous.
Does a contract cover emergencies?
It depends on the type. Full coverage does; in the others it may or may not. Climatiza says its contract clients get a priority attention line and a preferential rate on corrective work.
How much does a maintenance contract cost?
It depends on the number of units, their type, their condition and the visit frequency, according to Climatiza. That is why the proposal starts from a survey of the equipment.
Related articles
Sources
- DOE/FEMP, Operations and Maintenance Guide, section 3.8, contract types.
- DOE/FEMP, Operations and Maintenance Guide, chapter 5, preventive and reactive maintenance.
- ASHRAE, Standard 180, inspection and maintenance of commercial HVAC systems. Normative text from the 2012 edition.
- NREL, rooftop unit (RTU) maintenance guide, tasks and frequencies.
- EPA and NIOSH, Building Air Quality, preventive maintenance in buildings.
- Climatiza Panamá, maintenance levels.
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