Finding the right company to work on your heating and air conditioning systems can be tough. Chances are, you don’t know much about how to fix a broken furnace or heat pump, so you need to find someone you can trust. Here are some ideas:
- Get a referral. Sometimes, your friends and neighbors are your best resources. Who would they recommend? Have they had good experiences—or not-so-good experiences—with certain contractors?
- Check the directories. Directories and referral services, such as Angie’s List, can give you ideas about who’s done good work for people in your area. Be sure you check to see how many recommendations a contractor has before you call. A company’s high rating may be based on many user experiences, or only a few.
- How experienced are they? Find out how long a company’s been in business. A relative newcomer to the business may or may not be great…but you can bet that a company that’s been around for generations has done a lot of things right over the years!
- Ask for the salesperson’s credentials. Many larger firms hire people who are trained to sell, but not trained to know much about heating and cooling equipment. Consequently, they don’t really know how to help you choose the right system for your home. Do the people selling you the equipment know how to service it? Install it? Do they have any education in the field? Are they certified by the EPA, or NATE? When in doubt, ask!