You can’t be too careful when you pick a heating contractor. Your HVAC systems is an expensive piece of equipment, and you want any repairs or replacements to be done just right. Otherwise, your HVAC system‘s efficiency could suffer. That means you’ll be less comfortable than you should be, and that you could be paying for higher utilities than you should.
Following are some suggestions for evaluating heating contractors.
1. Licensed, bonded, insured
Make sure anyone you hire is properly licensed, as in Ohio, you must have a state license to do HVAC business. Bonding means the contractor has paid a bond to a surety company to cover any financial losses. Contractors should also have liability insurance to cover bodily injury or property damage the company might accidentally cause. Technicians should be certified by a recognized certification authority.
2. Good references
Ask for references, and follow up by calling them. You should ask if the consultant finished the job on time, satisfactorily and under the agreed-upon cost.
A word of caution: By all means, look at online reviews, but evaluate them with a bit of skepticism. Glowing reviews may be written by persons with an interest in promoting the consultant, while negative reviews may be by a difficult customer, or someone with an ax to grind. Discuss the online reviews with the consultant if something strikes you as odd about them.
3. Good customer service
If your initial call to a heating specialist is met with an unprofessional, disinterested response over the phone, keep shopping around. There really is no excuse for a lackadaisical attitude, which may be an indicator of poor, careless service to come.
4. Get it in writing
Don’t accept over-the-phone estimates. An HVAC consultant should come to your home to record data that will be fed into computer software. The results will determine your home’s heating load, what size equipment is needed and what capacity the ducts should be. Get any proposal in writing.
Learn more about hiring a heating contractor by contacting Ace Hardware Home Services of Dayton.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
