Calculating winter service: seasonal price & standby fee
How to correctly calculate winter service: areas, deployments, de-icing salt, standby fee and seasonal price.
Winter service is a seasonal service – and is therefore calculated differently from maintenance cleaning. Areas, deployments, de-icing material and standby fee must be clearly separated. Here's how to calculate winter service correctly.
Basic principle: Season instead of month
Winter service typically runs from November to March (5 months). Costs are shown as a seasonal price, not as a monthly flat rate. The standby fee covers the availability of personnel and equipment.
Recording areas
Distinguish two types of areas:
- Mechanized clearing: large areas (parking lots, paths) with snow blower
- Manual clearing: small areas (entrances, steps) with shovel
Total area = mechanized + manual.
Performance values for clearing
- Mechanized: 500–1,000 m²/h (depending on equipment)
- Manual: 80–150 m²/h (depending on accessibility)
Time manual = Manual area ÷ Manual performance
Total time = Time mechanized + Time manual
Personnel costs per deployment
Personnel costs/season = Personnel costs/deployment × Number of deployments
De-icing material (salt/grit)
Calculate de-icing material separately:
- Consumption: approx. 20–30 g/m² per deployment
- Price: approx. 0.15–0.30 €/kg (de-icing salt)
Salt costs/season = Salt costs/deployment × Number of deployments
Standby fee
The standby fee covers availability costs: machines, travel costs, other. It's calculated per month and multiplied by the profit margin.
Standby fee/month = Base costs × (1 + Margin/100)
Standby fee/season = Standby fee/month × Months
Mechanized area: 800 m² · Manual area: 200 m² · Mechanized performance: 600 m²/h · Manual performance: 100 m²/h · Hourly rate: 38 €/h · 20 deployments/season · 5 months · Margin: 15%
Time mechanized = 800 ÷ 600 = 1.33 h
Time manual = 200 ÷ 100 = 2.00 h
Total time = 3.33 h/deployment
Personnel costs/deployment = 3.33 × 38 € = 126.67 €
Personnel costs/season = 126.67 € × 20 = 2,533.33 €
Standby fee/season (incl. margin) = approx. 1,200 €
Total costs/season net = 3,733.33 €
Monthly average = 3,733.33 € ÷ 12 = 311.11 €/month
- Winter service calculated as monthly price instead of seasonal price
- Standby fee forgotten – availability costs not covered
- Salt consumption set too low – additional payments looming
- Number of deployments too optimistic – season often harsher than expected
- Margin only on personnel, not on standby – margin underestimated
Calculating winter service with LV CleanPro
LV CleanPro has a dedicated winter service calculator: areas (mechanized/manual), performance values, salt consumption, standby fee and seasonal price are calculated automatically. The result can be transferred directly into a service specification.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate winter service?
Record areas (mechanized + manual), set performance values and hourly rate, estimate deployments/season, calculate salt costs, add standby fee (availability costs + margin) = seasonal price.
How much does winter service cost per season?
Typically 2,000–8,000 € per property per season, depending on area, number of deployments and region. Small properties from 1,500 €, large from 10,000 €.
What is the standby fee?
The standby fee covers availability costs (machines, travel, material) for the entire season – regardless of actual deployments. It's calculated per month.
How much de-icing salt per m²?
Approx. 20–30 g/m² per deployment. For 1,000 m² and 20 deployments = 400–600 kg/season. Price approx. 0.15–0.30 €/kg.
How many deployments per season?
Typically 15–30 deployments per season (November–March), depending on region and weather. In snowy regions significantly more.
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