As of 2023, there were 145,142 HVAC companies in the U.S. As a result, you can find HVAC contractors in every city and town. However, you might wonder who to hire when you need residential services. After all, you’ll want a company that offers excellent work. So how do you choose residential HVAC contractors when you need services? One option is to ask some vital questions.
Here are eight questions to ask an HVAC contractor before hiring them.
1. Are You Licensed, Bonded, and Insured?
The first question to ask an HVAC contractor is if they’re licensed, bonded, and insured. As a matter of fact, you should ask this question to every contractor you hire, regardless of their services.
Reputable contractors follow state and local requirements for licensing. They also have the appropriate insurance policies. As a result, their customers also have protection.
Choose a different HVAC contractor if you ask this question and find out the company doesn’t have one or more of these things.
2. How Long Have You Been in Business?
Secondly, ask the HVAC professional about the company’s history. For example, when did the company start? Have they operated since?
Newer companies might offer great services but don’t have records to prove it. Conversely, companies with years of experience have records proving their reputations.
As a result, you can find information about these companies online. For example, you can read forums and review sites to learn about a company’s services.
When you read these sites, you’ll discover things like:
- Customer opinions
- Customer satisfaction
- What customers like about the company
- What customers dislike
- Pricing information
- Quality details
After hiring a company for services, customers write reviews to tell others about the good and bad of their experiences. Thus, asking about their length in business helps, but reading reviews is also critical.
The correlation is that a company with a long business history will have more online reviews and information than a newer company.
3. What Brands Do You Service?
There are several major brands of HVAC systems, and most contractors specialize in one or two brands. As a result, they keep the parts for these brands on hand and know how to service these systems.
However, most HVAC contractors can work on any system brand, but they might not have the parts on-hand for these systems.
You can ask about this when you call. The contractor can describe their expertise and the system types they use and recommend.
4. Do You Offer Quotes Before the Services?
HVAC repairs and maintenance aren’t free, and some repairs are costly. Thus, asking if they offer quotes before performing the services is always wise.
You can ask how they handle this aspect of their services.
For example, many companies charge a call fee to visit a person’s home to inspect their system. Then, they calculate the repair costs and give it to the homeowner in writing.
The written estimate includes a description of the work needed and the costs for performing the work. As a result, you’ll know how much the HVAC system repairs will be before they perform them.
5. What Services Do You Offer?
Next, it’s helpful to ask about their services. Some companies specialize mostly in repairing systems, while others might also offer replacement services.
Some companies also specialize in maintenance services for both AC systems and furnaces.
The goal is to find a company that offers the services you need. You can ask about their services and describe what you’re looking for with your system.
Some homeowners look for ways to improve their energy efficiencies. You can ask about this if you’re interested.
Flor example, they might offer energy audits, which tell you ways to decrease energy usage and save money. An energy audit reveals areas of improvement that help your home function more efficiently.
6. Does Your Work Come With a Guarantee?
Hiring a contractor who stands behind their work is important. That’s why you should ask about their guarantee.
You might find a few companies that don’t provide guarantees. However, great companies do. They’ll stand behind their work by offering a specific warranty period, such as 30 days.
If you experience a problem with their services during this time, they’ll return to analyze and fix them. Therefore, you can trust the company’s services.
7. What Maintenance Do You Recommend?
You can learn more about the company by asking them about the HVAC maintenance they recommend. Maintaining a system helps you:
- Avoid outages
- Reduce energy use
- Receive lower utility bills
- Extend the life of your system
- Prevent major repairs
They might recommend fall tune-ups before winter. This ensures that the furnace operates correctly and well for the winter.
You can ask what their tune-ups include if you need one. You can also ask them about the costs and if they have any promotions.
8. What Payment Options Do You Accept?
Finally, you’ll need a way to pay for the services, especially if you don’t have enough cash for the costs. Thus, ask them what payments they accept.
Most HVAC contractors accept cash and credit cards. Some even accept checks. You might also find that some contractors offer other payment options, such as payment plans.
After all, if you need costly services, you’ll need to work out a way to pay for them ahead of time.
Ask These Questions When Hiring Residential HVAC Contractors
You’ll need HVAC work if you own a home. After all, furnaces wear out and break. But when you need work, you’ll want the best residential HVAC contractors handling it.
Contact us at Williams Service Company if you live in York, PA, and the surrounding areas. We are licensed, bonded, and insured and offer services 24/7.