Independent gas fireplace techs: flat service prices that actually cover the drive, the parts, and the free return trips. Free, no signup. All defaults are editable starting points, not market rates.
Consumables count too: ember material, gasket rope, batteries, glass cleaner. Small parts given away free add up over a season.
Gas fireplace work is seasonal, and most solo techs set one flat service price in October and never check it against the real cost of the call. The drive out, the invoice time, the ember material and gaskets, and the free return trip when the pilot drops out again all come out of that one number. This calculator rebuilds your flat price from the actual pieces so you can see what a call really pays before the fall rush books you solid.
Enter your target hourly rate, margin, and minimum service fee, then pick the call preset closest to the job. Adjust the on-site minutes and parts to match your truck stock. Add the round-trip drive and miles, your vehicle cost per mile, and the share of jobs that come back as a free return trip. The tool turns it into a true call cost, a recommended flat price, and your effective hourly rate. Then enter the flat price you charge today and see what it really pays per hour, whether it clears true cost, and how much is left on the table. The season planner shows how many calls at this price hit your monthly goal.
Example only, not typical pricing. An annual service at an $85 target rate: 60 on-site minutes, 10 admin minutes, a 30-minute round-trip drive, 18 miles at $0.67, $12 of parts at a 50 percent markup, and an 8 percent free-return rate. That is 1.7 hours of your time, $141.67 of labor, $12.06 of vehicle, $18.00 of marked-up parts, and a $12.30 return-trip reserve, for a true cost of $184.02. The recommended flat price is $225, paying $116.96 an hour after vehicle and parts. A $149 habit price pays $71.36 an hour and sits $35.02 below true cost, so every fall booking at that price loses money before the truck leaves the driveway.
Published guides commonly put routine inspection and cleaning in the $100 to $250 range, but the right price for your business is the one that covers your drive, time, parts, and return trips at your target rate. Run your own numbers here instead of copying a guide range.
Pilots drop out, thermopiles fade, and remotes get blamed for dead batteries. If roughly one job in twelve brings you back for free, that trip is a real cost of every paid call. The reserve spreads it across all jobs instead of eating one whole call.
Parts at cost means you fund the truck stock, the parts run, and the warranty risk for free. A markup on thermopiles, valves, and consumables is standard trade practice. Set it to what you actually charge and keep it visible in the math.
The second unit shares the drive, so a discount on its service labor can win the add-on without giving away the trip. Tick the second-unit box and set the discount you offer. Never discount the first unit to match.
No. It is planning arithmetic on your own numbers. Gas work licensing and code rules vary by state and locality. Defaults are editable starting points, not market rates.