Last updated: April 23, 2026
Commercial HVAC service in San Diego County ranges from a $149 service call to a $25,000 rooftop unit replacement on a larger building. Most repair calls land well under $2,500. A full RTU replacement is the big-ticket item, priced by tonnage, and maintenance contracts are priced by square footage rather than a flat rate.
Imperial Beach combines severe salt exposure with a lot of small rental cottages, which shapes the typical project. A 900 to 1,400 square foot beach cottage near Seacoast Drive usually gets a coastal-rated two or three zone mini-split heat pump rather than central ducting, since there's no attic space to retrofit. Absentee-owner and rental property work is common here, and permits route through the City of Imperial Beach, generally faster to clear than Coronado's historic review since most of the housing stock isn't under design review.
Coastal commercial HVAC, restaurants and retail near the beach especially, needs salt-air-rated rooftop packaged units with corrosion-resistant coil coatings, and that hardware runs above standard commercial equipment on any full replacement.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial service visit | From $149 | Diagnostic and minor repair on rooftop or packaged units |
| Rooftop unit (RTU) repair | $400 - $2,500 | Most common repair range, covers motors, boards, and refrigerant work |
| RTU replacement, 3 to 5 ton | $8,000 - $18,000 | Typical for a small retail space or office suite |
| RTU replacement, 7.5 to 10 ton | $15,000 - $25,000 | Typical for a larger retail, restaurant, or warehouse space |
| Preventive maintenance contract | Priced by square footage | Quoted per building, not a flat per-unit rate |
| After-hours or weekend service call | Standard rate | Scheduled around your business hours, no separate overtime surcharge |
Ranges reflect Imperial Beach and Coastal San Diego. Your exact figure depends on the factors below. We quote flat-rate before starting.
A preventive maintenance contract catches most rooftop unit failures before they turn into an emergency call during business hours, and it's priced by square footage so a small suite doesn't pay the same rate as a large warehouse. SDG&E offers commercial rebate programs for high-efficiency RTU replacements, and those figures depend on tonnage and efficiency tier, so we confirm the real number for your building rather than quoting one up front.
A two to three zone coastal-rated mini-split heat pump for a 900 to 1,400 square foot cottage typically runs $9,000 to $16,000, a few hundred to a thousand dollars more than the same system inland because of the corrosion-protected coil upgrade. It's still cheaper than trying to retrofit central ducting into a home this size, which usually isn't practical anyway.
Coastal commercial HVAC, restaurants and retail near the beach especially, needs salt-air-rated rooftop packaged units with corrosion-resistant coil coatings, and that hardware runs above standard commercial equipment on any full replacement.
A service call starts at $149. Most repairs run $400 to $2,500. A full rooftop unit replacement runs $8,000 to $25,000 depending on tonnage, with larger buildings needing multiple units.
Yes, for most property owners and businesses. A maintenance contract is priced by square footage and catches problems during a scheduled visit instead of an emergency call that disrupts business hours.
A standard service visit at $149 covers diagnostics and minor adjustments. Most straightforward repairs, like a failed contactor or a refrigerant top-off, stay under $1,000.
A full rooftop unit replacement is the largest expense, running $8,000 to $25,000 depending on tonnage. Buildings with multiple RTUs sometimes replace them in phases to spread out the cost.
Flat-rate pricing, confirmed before any work starts. Same-day scheduling on most calls.