"One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2021), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
"One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses gross revenue by quartile for 88 franchisees operating 364 territories in 2025. Top 25% averaged $3.06M per territory; bottom 25% averaged $139.7K. Excludes 20 new franchisees and 18 ceased operations.
What a "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $43,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1.5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $143,273 – $286,702 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty or $1,500/month minimum. Brand fund 1.5% base. $6K-18K grand opening marketing required.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
"One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 418 |
| Ceased operations | 26 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 3 |
| Closure rate | 6.2% of outlets |
26 franchisees ceased 2025; 3 transfers only. System grew 13 outlets net.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2021. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7.5% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $143,273 | pricier than 65% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 79% of home & trade services franchises |
| Closure rate | 6.2% of outlets | worse than 71% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 2 | more litigious than 69% of peers |
Benchmarked against every home & trade services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating
The franchisor's framing: Discloses gross revenue by quartile for 88 franchisees operating 364 territories in 2025. … We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
"One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $143,273–$286,702, including a $43,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise owners make?
- Discloses gross revenue by quartile for 88 franchisees operating 364 territories in 2025. Top 25% averaged $3.06M per territory; bottom 25% averaged $139.7K. Excludes 20 new franchisees and 18 ceased operations. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise fees?
- "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating's FDD discloses a $43,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 1.5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty or $1,500/month minimum. Brand fund 1.5% base. $6K-18K grand opening marketing required.
- What is the "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise profit margin?
- "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses gross revenue by quartile for 88 franchisees operating 364 territories in 2025. Top 25% averaged $3.06M per territory; bottom 25% averaged $139.7K. Excludes 20 new franchisees and 18 ceased operations. Recurring fees alone take about 7.5% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise failure rate?
- 26 franchisees ceased 2025; 3 transfers only. System grew 13 outlets net.
- How many "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating locations are there?
- "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating's FDD reports 418 total outlets, with 26 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 3 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating have complaints or lawsuits?
- "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating discloses 2 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 7.5% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 2 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2021). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with "One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.