The Pinch Points
Why HVAC Contractors Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
HVAC is seasonal, equipment-heavy, and cash-intensive — and the bank panics the moment winter deposits dip. These are the spots where we get called.
Distributor Cut Your Terms
Summer hit early and you're booking $15K residential installs back-to-back. But you need $60K in Carrier and Daikin inventory upfront and your distributor cut your credit terms.
Commercial Mobilization
You won a $350K commercial HVAC contract for a new office building. Mobilization and equipment cost $90K before the first progress payment. Your bank wants to see the signed contract — which you already have.
Off-Season Payroll
It's January, installations are slow, but your 6 techs still need paychecks. You need $40K to bridge to spring when service calls pick back up.
EPA Recovery Machine Down
Your refrigerant recovery machine failed inspection. EPA compliance means a $12K replacement plus $3K in reclaim equipment — and you can't legally work without it. Your supply house doesn't offer financing.
School District Net-90
A school district awarded you a $280K HVAC replacement contract for 3 buildings. Payment is net-90 through the district's procurement office. You need $65K in rooftop units and ductwork before you touch the first building.
A2L Refrigerant Changeover
The refrigerant rules changed, and the new A2L systems need different gauges, recovery gear, and stocked inventory your shop doesn't carry yet. The first customer who calls for a compliant install goes to whoever's already tooled up. Being early is the whole margin.
What an operator said
“January killed us every year — no installs, a full crew. The off-season line carried payroll through the slow months, and we kept all four techs instead of losing them to a competitor by spring.”
Mike R. · HVAC contractor · Columbus, OH
Start Here
See Your Range in 60 Seconds
No credit check, no documents to start, and an estimated funding range on the spot. No one contacts you until you’re ready to move forward.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for the Trade
What We Fund for HVAC Operators
Seasonal Inventory Pre-Buy
A line funds your pre-season equipment buy at the right price before the first heat wave, so a distributor's tightened terms don't leave you scrambling COD at peak.
Rooftop Units and Recovery Gear, Financed
A commercial rooftop unit runs $30K to $80K and the supply house wants cash on delivery. Equipment financing with the unit as collateral installs it on schedule and keeps your operating cash free for crews and fuel.
Off-Season Payroll Without Layoffs
A line drawn in the fall and repaid by spring carries payroll through the slow months, for a fraction of what it costs to rehire and retrain the trained techs you'd otherwise let walk.
Carry the Institutional Contract to the First Draw
School districts and commercial GCs pay net-60 to net-90, but rooftop units, ductwork, and mobilization are due before you touch the first building. Working capital and factoring carry the contract so the crews keep moving and the terms never stall the job.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for HVAC
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on your revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal inventory pre-buy | Mini-splits and condensers needed before the summer rush | Working Capital | $75K–$200K | 1–3 days |
| Commercial rooftop install | Mobilization due before the first progress payment | Working Capital or LOC | $75K–$250K | 1–5 days |
| Winter payroll bridge | Techs need paychecks, installs slow until spring | Working Capital | $75K–$150K | 1–3 days |
| EPA compliance upgrade | Recovery machine failed inspection, can't work without it | Equipment Financing | $75K–$150K | 3–5 days |
| School district net-90 float | District pays 90 days after completion, materials due now | Invoice Factoring | $75K–$300K | 1–2 days |
The Products
How HVAC Financing Is Structured
Most HVAC files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured to the season and the job. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Inventory pre-buy, payroll, mobilization | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, daily/weekly ACH |
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3yr–7yr | Rooftop units, recovery machines, vans | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Seasonal swings and off-season payroll | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
| Invoice Factoring | $75K–$5M+ | Per invoice | Institutional/GC net-60–90 billings | 1–2 days | Invoices secure the line, no PG typically |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on a Service Van and Recovery Gear — Worked
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“HVAC lives and dies by the season — slammed all summer, then a winter where the crew still needs paying. A $70K service van with recovery and brazing tools keeps install and service revenue coming year-round. Put a fraction down, finance the rest, and §179 deducts the full $70K this year. The van that works both seasons and works your tax bill through the slow one.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
How It Works
From Application to Funded
One application, 70+ lenders competing, a dedicated specialist, and most files funded in days.
60-second estimate
Enter your numbers — no credit check, no documents. You see an estimated funding range on the spot.
A specialist is assigned
A real funding specialist — not an algorithm — reviews your file, usually within 24 hours.
70+ lenders compete
Your application goes to the marketplace. Competing offers typically land 24–48 hours later.
You pick the offer
Compare structures and terms with your advisor. No obligation until you choose to sign.
Funded in days
From same-day working capital to a multi-piece stack, most files fund in days — not the bank’s 60–90.
Underwriting
What Underwriting Looks At
Funding here leads with what your business actually does — your revenue and cash flow. The specialist desk reads the real picture from your statements, then matches it to the lenders most likely to fund it.
How you’re evaluated
Revenue-first
sized off your top line, not just your balance sheet.
Cash-flow driven
your bank statements show how the business really runs.
Bank-statement underwriting
even a down year is read off 4 months of statements.
Story-driven
a big new contract, a seasonal swing, a turnaround in progress: context the raw numbers miss counts too.
What to have ready
↳Had a loss year? It’s read off the bank statements — 4 months, not 6.
Start fast, finish complete
The operators who fund quickest come to the specialist review with these ready — but you don’t need all of it to start. Your signed application and bank statements are what unblock the review; the rest can follow as trailing docs. Real term sheets come once the lenders can see a true business overview, so the move is simple: get the application and statements in right away, and don’t let a missing tax return hold up your term sheets.
Credit, straight
Qualification
Who Gets Funded — and Who’s Not Ready Yet
A straight read saves everyone time — here’s the line between a hvac file that funds and one that isn’t ready yet.
↳Time in business is a factor, not a gate — newer crews with strong revenue still qualify.
Not ready yet isn’t a no — it’s a checklist. Most of it is fixable in a quarter or two, and your advisor will tell you straight which gaps to fix before a file goes in.
The Operator's Guide
HVAC Contractor Financing
HVAC Is a Seasonal Trap
Look — HVAC is a seasonal trap. You do 70% of your revenue between May and September, but your distributor wants $60K in Carrier inventory paid upfront and your 6 techs need paychecks in January when the phone stops ringing. I talk to HVAC contractors every week stuck in this exact cycle. Their bank sees winter deposits drop and panics. We don't.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
We fund HVAC companies — residential installs, commercial rooftop units, refrigeration, ductwork — in as little as 24 hours. One application. 70+ lenders. Soft-pull review. We've funded $80K commercial rooftop unit packages, $40K winter payroll bridges, $25K recovery machine upgrades, and $350K commercial contract mobilizations. Your service contracts are recurring revenue — our lenders actually understand that.
Common Questions
HVAC Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes. Working capital and lines of credit ($75K–$5M+) cover inventory purchases with no restrictions. A seasonal mini-split inventory order can be funded in 24–48 hours. For larger equipment like commercial rooftop units, equipment financing uses the equipment as collateral.
A business line of credit is ideal — draw funds during slow winter months for payroll and overhead, repay from spring and summer revenue. You only pay interest on what you use. Revenue-based financing also works since payments adjust with your seasonal volume.
Yes. HVAC contractors with 6+ months of operating history can qualify because the equipment serves as collateral. Strong install volume and service contracts strengthen your application.
No. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact.
Yes. Equipment financing and working capital fund the new gauges, recovery gear, and A2L-compatible inventory the refrigerant transition requires, so you're tooled up for compliant installs before competitors are.
Yes. Invoice factoring turns slow-paying commercial, school-district, and government progress billings into cash within 24–48 hours, so net-60 and net-90 terms don't stall your payroll or your next mobilization.
Recommended Funding
The Products That Fit HVAC Work
Equipment Financing →
Finance commercial rooftop units, recovery machines, and install vans — the equipment is the collateral.
Working Capital Loans →
Stock mini-split and condenser inventory before peak season hits.
Business Line of Credit →
Bridge payroll during slow winter months and repay from spring and summer revenue.
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