An HVAC system is a great upgrade for your home — if it’s installed by the right company. We’ve got three key questions to ask your HVAC company to ensure reliability and long-term satisfaction.
While an HVAC installation may only take a day, the company you hire can impact your comfort and ongoing costs (not to mention your peace of mind) for years to come.
If you’re like most people, weighing various factors and comparing quotes can be tiring. And when it comes to choosing an HVAC company to install a complex system, many homeowners feel out of their depth.
With little to go on to judge technical experience and quality, it’s more important than ever to ask the right questions. Our customer care department recommends these three questions to help you look beyond just equipment specs and examine the company doing the installation — because choosing the right HVAC company is just as important as choosing the right equipment.
1. Do you warranty your field tech’s work?
So you have an equipment warranty, great! But what about installation or repair warranties? A poorly installed system can void manufacturer protections and lead to costly repairs down the road. For newer technologies (like heat pumps), contractors may lack experience, leading to installation errors and system performance complaints.
When it comes to repairs, you want the same protections. An inadequate repair not only creates more work and frustration for you, but can also lead to more costly problems. You can minimize this risk by asking the next question on our list, but if a mistake happens, you want to ensure you’re not on the hook for the additional repair costs.
There’s one catch, though: your warranty is only good as long as the company that did the work stays in business. Sometimes, a less expensive upfront cost comes with a higher cost down the road. If a small operation suddenly shuts its doors, your workmanship warranty goes with it.
That’s why it’s also important to consider the longevity (and history) of the HVAC company you choose when asking this question. Your first bit of sleuthing should be to see how accredited the company is — are they A+ rated on the BBB?
We’ve had several jobs where we had to refer homeowners back to the original installer because the work wasn’t within spec. In addition, we check whether permits were pulled for jobs; if they weren’t, we don’t touch them. This causes added delays, increased costs, and understandable frustration for the homeowner.
Which leads to our next question…
2. Do you use subcontractors?
Lots of HVAC companies use subcontractors instead of their own in-house technicians to serve more homeowners — but some do it to cut costs for the company. This means the people you hired to do the job might be giving your project to a third-party installer who subcontracts to inexperienced techs.
That’s where quality control and reliability can go out the window, turning your project’s outcome into a gamble. Subcontractors have different levels of training and experience — and the equipment can only do what it was designed to do if it’s installed properly. Adding too many subcontractors to the mix can also make follow-ups and resolution more confusing and difficult for the homeowner.
At Bob’s, for example, we work with our sister company to assign highly experienced subs that will deliver the same reliable, white-glove experience we provide in-house. When we assign jobs, we ensure we send the person with the right experience for the equipment. For example, you want someone with experience doing load calculations to determine how much heating/cooling capacity is needed. If this is done incorrectly, it can lead to wrong system sizing. When that happens, you may be left with a unit that’s too big for your space, leading to higher energy bills, increased wear and tear, short cycling, and higher humidity. You could also end up with a unit that’s too small and doesn’t provide adequate temperature control for your space.
Lastly, if something goes wrong, you may find yourself spending too much time trying to connect with the hard-to-reach installer because the company you hired can’t help you with any problems that arise from their work.
3. Do you background-check your employees?
Everyone should feel safe in their home, and HVAC visits are no exception. When a company values your comfort and safety as much as they value your business, they’ll ensure every member of their tech team is vetted before sending them to a home filled with the people (and things) you value.
While the answers to these questions may seem like common sense and should be a given, it doesn’t mean that the HVAC company you hire feels the same way. We’ve seen too many families who, in their attempt to get comfortable, got burned by questionable vendors and practices.
Remember that your HVAC company is there to help, and any reputable company will be happy to answer these three questions (and more). At the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to get the system installed — it’s to get it installed correctly and to keep you supported over the long-term by a company that will still be there when you need them.