If your HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) system is starting to get up there in years or is not performing the way that you need it to, chances are good that you are going to want to consider hiring a company to come in to repair or replace your system.
With that being said, it can be hard to know how to identify the right person or people to depend on to get the job done in the way that you want them to.
For that reason, we have broken some of the top things to consider when you are trying to hire an HVAC company. Let’s start breaking them all down together!
Home Evaluation
If you are looking to get your HVAC system installed or repaired, you should really only consider HVAC companies that are offering a thorough and complimentary home evaluation so that they can determine what the best heating and cooling solution will be for your home.
There are a number of factors that HVAC companies take into consideration when they are carrying out a home evaluation.
Those include the square footage of your home, the R-value of insulation, how many windows you have in your home, and which ways to window face.
Beyond that, contractors will also want to inspect the duct system in your home for leaks as well as look for loose segments of insulation in your home.
After they have all of this information, they will be able to offer you a great idea regarding what kind of system you will need in order to fully heat or cool your home.
Once your evaluation has been completed, the prospective company will give you a written, itemized estimate so that you will be able to compare costs between the several different companies that you have come and do a home evaluation.
One important thing for you to remember is that you should not make your final decision on which decision to go based on low price alone.
You should consider going for the best value, and part of identifying the best value is doing some research regarding what kind of machines you will get for what price.
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Check Licensing and Experience
Your HVAC system is going to be one of, if not the most, expensive bits of machinery in your home.
You want to make sure that whoever is working on repairing your current unit or installing a new one has the comprehensive training and licensing needed in order to work with those highly expensive and complex bits of equipment.
Before you sign with any company to take care of your HVAC needs, you will want to make sure that they have all of the training and insurance necessary. Ask about their experience of working with systems that you need and homes like yours.
While years of experience is not a guarantee that an HVAC company will do a good job, years of stability in the business is usually an indication that they leave their customers satisfied.
Beyond that, you can ask them about the certifications that the people on their team have.
Certifications through reputable organizations such as the North American Technician Excellence helps to further guarantee that a technician’s experience and education are up to date.
Another important certificate for an HVAC technician to have is one from the National Comfort Institutes certification in air balancing which provides the standard of training that the homeowner should be aware of.
Finally, make sure that the HVAC company carries top brands and that they are experienced with working with such brands. Each system is quite unique and years of experience with one brand does not equate to experience with another.
Ask for References and Referrals
Another really important thing that you will want to do before you decide to sign with a given HVAC company is to ask your top options for references and referrals from previous customers.
This is a multi-level job and will give you loads of insight into how trustworthy and reputable a given company is.
For starters, if a company rejects your request for referrals and instead tells you simply to look at their site for written testimonials, you should absolutely consider other companies.
While the written testimonials on their site could be original, it is also just as likely that the company itself wrote them.
Beyond that, you will want to have a set of questions in place to ask the references when you call or email them.
Here is a list of questions that you should consider asking:
- Was the job completed on time and within the budget that was written out in the original estimate?
- Did the company perform clean installations and respect the homeowner’s property during the job?
- Did the company test the system after it was installed to make sure it was running well and efficiently?
Beyond that, you will want to search for the company on the Better Business Bureau’s website to see if there are any kind of complaints that have been registered and what its overall grade is.
You can also go online on sites like Yelp and Google to find further reviews if you are still trying to narrow down your options.
Overall, it is important to remember that a great HVAC company will hold pride in the great business relationships they have built throughout the years.
That’s why any company worth working with will be more than happy to share its references and referrals with you.
Ask for Rebates and Specials
Before you make your final decision, do not forget to ask every company that you have deemed worth working with about any rebates and specials that they might be able to offer you.
This can help you save money on energy-efficient equipment or any specials from their dealers.
While it is possible that none of the companies that you want to work with will be able to offer you, it could help you save a decent amount of money or get a great price on an even better-quality machine.
Good luck!
