Quick answer
An HVAC maintenance plan in Ontario that covers one furnace tune-up in the fall and one AC or heat pump tune-up in the spring typically costs $150–$350 per year. Booked separately, the same two visits run $120–$250 each. Plans billed monthly that cover parts and labour are protection plans, a different product, and the two figures are not comparable.
How much does an HVAC maintenance plan cost in Ontario? For a house with one furnace and one air conditioner, expect $150–$350 per year for a plan that includes both tune-ups. That is close to the cost of booking the two visits on their own, so the value of a plan is in what comes with the visits: a place in the queue, a discount on repairs and someone else keeping the schedule.
What a maintenance plan costs next to paying per visit
- Two-visit plan (fall furnace tune-up plus spring AC or heat pump tune-up): $150–$350 per year
- The same two tune-ups booked one at a time: $120–$250 each, or $240–$500 for the pair
- Diagnostic visit when something breaks and you have no plan: $90–$150, folded into the repair if you proceed
The four things inside the price
- The number of visits and what is done on each. A furnace visit should include a combustion check, a flame sensor and igniter inspection and a temperature-rise reading; hold it against what a real furnace tune-up includes.
- Priority booking. In the first cold snap every furnace with a weak igniter fails in the same week, and plan members are scheduled ahead of new callers.
- The repair discount: a percentage off parts and labour, and whether it applies to every repair or only to listed ones.
- The diagnostic fee. Some plans waive it on a no-heat call; others only credit it toward the repair, which most contractors do for every customer anyway.
Ask for those four answers in writing. Two plans at the same yearly price can differ by a whole visit.
Maintenance plan vs protection plan: why the monthly figures do not compare
A maintenance plan pays for tune-ups. A protection plan is a service contract that pays for parts and labour when a covered component fails, usually billed monthly by a rental or utility-affiliated company, and it may include no maintenance at all. Setting one price beside the other is like comparing an oil change with an extended warranty.
Before paying monthly for protection, read three clauses: the exclusions (heat exchangers, refrigerant leaks and pre-existing conditions are common ones), the cap on each claim, and whether the company can decline to repair equipment past a certain age. On equipment under ten years old, check what the manufacturer's parts warranty already covers. The plain test: a scheduled visit that prevents a $400–$900 winter repair earns its fee, and a contract that duplicates a warranty you already hold does not.
Add-ons that raise the price of a plan
- Tankless water heater descale: $150–$300 per flush, worth doing yearly on the hard water in Halton and Hamilton.
- Humidifier pad: a new evaporator pad each fall, about $20–$40 for the part.
- HRV or ERV core and filter cleaning: priced by the visit, so ask for it as its own line on the plan.
- A second system: a house with two furnaces, or a furnace plus a ductless heat pump, is priced per piece of equipment, not per address.
- A rental unit or basement apartment with its own equipment: a separate plan, with a dated service record that a landlord can keep on file.
- Boilers and combi units: a longer visit than a furnace, quoted separately.
When a plan is worth it and when to book visits one at a time
Book one visit at a time if the equipment is under five years old, you reliably call in September and April, and you would never use a priority line. Take the plan if the furnace is past ten years old, if someone in the house cannot go a night without heat, or if you own a rental and need the paperwork. Manufacturers can also ask for maintenance records before honouring a parts claim, and a plan produces those records without effort. The fuller argument is in are HVAC maintenance plans worth it.
ZK Mechanical offers HVAC maintenance plans from its Burlington shop for homes in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Hamilton and Mississauga, with the visits, the discount and the diagnostic terms written down before you sign. Call (647) 801-1252 or ask for the plan details. Current bands for tune-ups and repairs are on the pricing page, and other cost questions are in the costs and buying section.