We Clean Heat Pumps Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
We Clean Heat Pumps is a home services franchise providing cleaning, maintenance, and inspection of heat pump and HVAC systems. Franchisees run route-based operations, managing technicians and recurring accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A We Clean Heat Pumps franchise requires a total initial investment of $85K – $268K, including a $30K – $94K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $572K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $85K – $268K
- 24th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $572K
- Company-owned only18th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 9th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 5
- 14th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $85K – $268K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $572K/year (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 58/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- We Clean Heat Pumps Franchising CO, LLC
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 139 Main St Box 31, Brattleboro, VT 05301
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $33K
- Most recent fiscal year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Gabriel Erde Cohen
- Headquarters
- VT
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 44% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $20K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $45K | $218K |
| Total initial investment | $85K | $268K |
Source: We Clean Heat Pumps 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $85K – $268K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $94K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $350 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 36% below the cleaning & maintenance norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$63K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
33%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one We Clean Heat Pumps unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
33%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 We Clean Heat Pumps units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$457K
on $2.3M purchase
Total debt
$1.8M
SBA $1.1M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Avg gross sales
- $572K
- Per unit, per year
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 3
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $150K→$1.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 192 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $572K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 3.2x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% — below the Cleaning & Maintenance average of 9.7%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 0/10 — minimal disclosure beyond the required average. Hard to judge the distribution of outcomes across units. Sample size of 3 units — treat as directional only.
Multi-unit rate
33% of franchisees own multiple units, a moderate multi-unit rate.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How We Clean Heat Pumps Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 40%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 33.3%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $250K
- Median loan
- $250K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Critical lack of financial transparency combined with micro-unit count and questionable franchisor viability creates substantial investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 states no litigation is required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLCⓘ Going-concern language present, but this is an early-stage franchisor with limited operating history — common for new systems and not necessarily a sign of distress.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 5 units in system with unknown growth trajectory — extremely small and potentially stagnant franchise
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure (Avg Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) — impossible to validate ROI on $84.7K-$267.5K investment
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False — suggests franchisor may have viability issues or undisclosed financial stress
- 04MINORWide investment range ($84.75K-$267.5K spread) without corresponding revenue/profit data creates opacity around unit economics
- 05MED6% royalty on undisclosed revenue base means true cost structure cannot be evaluated
- 06MINORMinimal public track record with only 5 units limits ability to assess franchisee success rates or failure rates
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Vermont (where franchisor headquarters are located) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | VT |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 states no litigation is required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 2 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 64 hrs
- Training location
- Putney, Vermont (and Massachusetts or franchisee location; some remote)
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Housecall Pro
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Housecall Pro
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
We Clean Heat Pumps · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a We Clean Heat Pumps franchise?
The total investment to open a We Clean Heat Pumps franchise ranges from $85K – $268K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do We Clean Heat Pumps franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the We Clean Heat Pumps FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $572K. Important context: Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the We Clean Heat Pumps FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the We Clean Heat Pumps FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is We Clean Heat Pumps's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for We Clean Heat Pumps (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many We Clean Heat Pumps franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, We Clean Heat Pumps has 5 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is We Clean Heat Pumps a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates We Clean Heat Pumps as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 58 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.