It’s hard to understate the importance of your HVAC system. You rely on it to stay comfortable during the day, and if something goes wrong, it can make your home a nightmare to be in.
This is why you need to find the right help when something goes wrong or needs maintenance. And when the average HVAC repair cost is $319, you can’t afford to hire the wrong company for the job.
That’s why you must do some due diligence when you hire an HVAC service. Ask the eight questions below when you’re ready to hire an HVAC company.
Table of Contents
1. Are You Licensed?
A license is one of the first things to look for when picking an HVAC company. Depending on your location, HVAC contractors need local licenses to work in an area. They aren’t supposed to offer services if they don’t have those licenses.
Examine which licenses are required in your area and ask a contractor for proof. You can take the license number they provide and verify it with your local government. It should come back valid and up to date.
2. Are You Insured?
The next set of documents to verify from an HVAC company is insurance. Although HVAC maintenance isn’t usually dangerous, there’s always the chance that something can go wrong. This can be in the form of personal injury and property damage.
You need to have coverage for when that happens. HVAC companies should be able to provide insurance documentation that verifies coverage for accidents.
3. Can You Offer Estimates?
You’ll find a variety of estimates from HVAC companies. Some companies offer more affordable services and don’t go as in-depth. Others will charge more but try and offer a premium service.
That’s why understanding pricing is important when looking for help with HVAC problems. Get estimates for the work and check what services are included in those estimates. Look for the company that offers the best value for the price.
4. When Can You Do the Job?
Unfortunately, there’s a labor shortage in the home improvement industry. The pandemic saw many older workers retire without enough younger people picking up the slack.
This means that some service companies won’t be able to help you quickly with your HVAC issues. Get timing estimates for service to see if you can get someone to solve your problem quickly.
This is especially important if you need immediate help. You can’t be without heating and cooling if you’re in a hot or cold climate. You need immediate help to resolve the problem.
5. Do You Carry Specific Brands?
If you’ve researched HVAC products, you may have already landed on a product preference. Your only goal with an HVAC company is to hire a company to install the product you want.
But some HVAC businesses don’t stock every product available. You’ll need to ask a company if they carry a product or if they are willing to make an order to get the system you want.
It’s also wise to consider the products you want before hiring a company. Doing this will help you make a more informed decision.
6. Who Will Handle the HVAC Work?
It’s important to understand who will handle the installation and repair work for your HVAC system. In most cases, you won’t have anything to worry about since your HVAC service provider hires professionals on their payroll. But in other cases, companies hire out the jobs.
The service company acts as a sales company and sends all the work to subcontractors. It’s okay if a company does this. You just need to know about it and be able to vet the subcontractors an HVAC business uses.
If the HVAC company doesn’t offer this information before you sign a contract, look for another company to work with.
7. Are There Guarantees?
Getting a guarantee is a must when you hire a home improvement company. It’s always possible for mistakes to happen. The last thing you want to be is out of luck and more money when your service provider doesn’t do the job right.
A warranty protects you when things go wrong. Instead of paying for services and products again, the company you hired will cover whatever goes wrong. You should be able to get a warranty for both the service and products used.
Check online to see what the common warranties are in the industry. Ensure the warranties offered to you are equal to or better than the standard warranties you find.
8. Do You Have References?
Another essential factor to consider when hiring an HVAC company is references. It’s easy to make a hiring mistake when you don’t get feedback from others about your decision. Because of that, you need to look for all the references you can.
Reputable companies like the air conditioning installation linked here will have plenty of satisfied customers. They should be able to provide references from those who confirm their capabilities.
Another option is online reviews. You can do a search on the internet to get a list of local HVAC companies and read reviews from past customers. Read all the reviews you can to learn which companies you should avoid.
Choose an HVAC Service Carefully
With how important your HVAC unit is for heating and cooling your home, finding professionals who can help you solve your issues is critical. Even if minor repairs don’t cost much money, if your HVAC contractor doesn’t do the job right and causes more problems, it can lead to an expensive HVAC replacement.
But there are steps you can take to vet an HVAC service to make sure they can handle the job. The questions above are a great start to learning what an HVAC company can do.
Do you have any other repair projects to take care of in your home? Read more posts on the blog to learn the best way to get them done.
