Choosing an HVAC company is an important decision because not all HVAC companies are the same. Here are eleven simple questions homeowners can and should ask when replacing their Air Conditioner.
Does The Company Hold an Air Conditioning License? State licensing is the minimum requirement to operate an Air Conditioning company. Licensing protects the public, including you. Unlicensed companies are unaccountable to regulators and often unavailable if things go wrong. The license number should be prominently displayed on vehicles, websites, and/or advertising.
Does The Company Employ NATE Certified Technicians? NATE is the North American Technician Excellence program. It is the air conditioning industry’s certification body for technical knowledge. The NATE logo should be prominently displayed on vehicles, websites, and/or advertising.
Is The Company Insured? General liability and insurance protects you. Most companies will be insured, but not all are. Assume that any company failing to state that it carries insurance in its marketing or website lacks insurance.
How Long Has The Company Been In Business (Under The Same Name)? One air conditioning company in five closes every year. The best way to predict whether a company will be around long enough to honor its warranties is whether the company has been around in the past. Most reputable companies state their business tenure. Beware companies that close due to a poor reputation and reopen with a new name.
Does The Company Have a Physical Address? Fly-by-night air conditioning companies and uninsured moonlighters rarely have a business address. More stable air conditioning companies operate from a shop or office.
What is the Standard Guarantee? Not only does a better guarantee give you longer peace of mind, but better guarantees are offered by better companies.
Does the Company Offer Financing? You may not need financing, but you should still look for companies that offer it because it shows concern for affordability and shows the company can meet the minimum qualifications to offer financing.
Does the Company Perform Manual J Design Calculations? Good companies perform engineering calculations based on the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s “Manual J,” to ensure the equipment they provide is the right size (oversizing an air conditioner is just as bad as undersizing one). Improperly sized heating and air conditioning systems are all too common. Poor quality companies replace with the same size as the existing equipment or use rules of thumb (i.e., they guess).
Does the Company Provide “ARI Performance Certification?” When you are replacing an air conditioner or heat pump, it is important to replace both the outdoors unit and indoors components together, as a matched set. Otherwise, you will get reduced efficiency and increased breakdowns. Good contractors provide system certification from the Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Institute.
Does the Company Give You Choices? A wide variety of options exist for heating and cooling your home. Good companies present you with choices in efficiency, refrigerant, filtration, controls, and financing.
Are The Company’s Service Vehicles Clean and Well Maintained? The condition of a company’s service vehicles is an indicator of the way the technician will take care of your home.
These are questions that we get asked all the time. Our answer to all of them is yes. If you have any questions about this, give us a call! We’d love to hear from you!
Source: www.serviceroundtable.com
