The Problem AMC Solves
Imagine it's a Friday evening in May. Temperature outside is 44°C. Your office HVAC system has stopped cooling. Your 400 employees are unable to work. You call an HVAC contractor you found online. They arrive the next day. The part needs to be ordered. The system is down for four days.
This scenario plays out across Delhi NCR every summer for buildings without an AMC. An Annual Maintenance Contract doesn't just fix things when they break — it prevents most breaks from happening in the first place.
What is an HVAC AMC?
An Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) is a long-term service agreement between a building owner or facility manager and an HVAC service company. In exchange for a fixed annual fee, the service company commits to:
- Regular scheduled preventive maintenance visits
- Priority emergency response within a defined SLA (usually 2–4 hours)
- A dedicated point of contact for all service requests
- Detailed service reports after each visit
Types of AMC Contracts
1. Comprehensive AMC (Parts + Labour)
The service company covers both labour costs and spare parts. If a compressor fails, they replace it at no additional charge. This provides the most cost certainty but carries the highest AMC premium.
Best for: Mission-critical facilities (hospitals, data centres, hotels) where downtime has a direct financial impact.
2. Non-Comprehensive AMC (Labour Only)
Labour is covered, but spare parts are charged separately at cost. This is the most common AMC type for commercial offices.
Best for: Standard commercial offices with relatively new equipment (under 5 years) where major part failures are unlikely.
3. Inspection-Only AMC
The service company visits on schedule, inspects systems, identifies issues, and provides reports. All repair work is quoted and billed separately.
Best for: Facilities that have an in-house maintenance team but need expert oversight.
What Should an AMC Include?
A good HVAC AMC for a commercial building in Delhi NCR should include:
Scheduled Preventive Maintenance
- Minimum 4 visits per year (quarterly) — more for critical facilities or monsoon-heavy operations
- Filter cleaning/replacement at each visit
- Coil cleaning (chemical wash) — at least twice a year
- Refrigerant pressure check at each visit
- Electrical connections check and tightening
- Cooling tower inspection and chemical dosing schedule
Emergency Response
- 24/7 helpline access — not just 9-to-6
- Defined response time SLA — Ashtek guarantees 2 hours for AMC clients in Delhi NCR
- A named service manager for your account, not a random technician each time
Documentation
- Service report after every visit (what was checked, what was found, what was done)
- Annual energy performance report
- Equipment history log — tracks age, repairs, and patterns that predict future failures
What AMC Should NOT Include (Red Flags)
- Verbal-only agreements — insist on a written contract with SLA terms
- No response time commitment — any AMC without a defined emergency SLA is not a real AMC
- Single annual visit — one visit per year is an inspection, not maintenance
- No spare parts coverage for a "comprehensive" contract — read the fine print
- Clauses excluding common failure items (compressors, PCBs, motors) from comprehensive coverage
How to Evaluate AMC Providers
1. Response Time Verification
Ask for the service provider's average response time data from existing clients. Any reputable company tracks this. Ashtek's average emergency response time for Delhi NCR AMC clients is 1.8 hours.
2. Technician Qualifications
Check that technicians are trained and certified on the specific brand and model of your equipment. An AMC for a Daikin VRV system should include technicians with Daikin-certified training.
3. References from Similar Facilities
Ask for references from facilities similar to yours in scale, equipment type, and industry. A company that maintains hotels may not be the best choice for a semiconductor cleanroom.
4. Coverage Geography
Confirm the AMC covers all your locations. If you have offices in Delhi and Gurgaon, your provider should have technicians based in both cities.
AMC Pricing in Delhi NCR (2026)
As a rough benchmark for Delhi NCR commercial buildings:
- Non-comprehensive AMC: ₹800–1,500 per ton per year for split AC systems; ₹1,200–2,000 per ton per year for VRV systems
- Comprehensive AMC: ₹2,500–4,500 per ton per year depending on equipment age and type
- Cooling tower AMC: ₹15,000–40,000 per tower per year depending on capacity
These are indicative ranges. Actual pricing depends on equipment age, site accessibility, service frequency, and parts inclusion terms.
The ROI of an AMC
For a 50-ton split AC system in a Delhi NCR office:
- Non-comprehensive AMC cost: ~₹5–6 lakh/year
- Average compressor replacement cost (without AMC): ₹35,000–60,000 per unit
- Downtime cost per day (for a 500-person office): ₹1.5–3 lakh in lost productivity
- Energy savings from well-maintained systems: 10–20% vs poorly maintained systems = ₹2–4 lakh/year
A single emergency that's resolved in 2 hours (AMC SLA) vs. 3 days (ad-hoc) saves enough to justify an AMC. The energy savings alone often pay for a non-comprehensive AMC.
Getting Started
Ashtek Building Solutions offers customised AMC packages for commercial offices, hotels, hospitals, and industrial facilities across Delhi NCR. Our AMC includes a 2-hour emergency response guarantee, quarterly preventive maintenance, and a dedicated service manager for your account.
Request an AMC quote — we'll assess your facility and provide a scope-specific proposal within 48 hours.