When dealing with something as important and complex as your home’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, you want to ensure that you choose the best HVAC company in your area to do the work. There is more than simply getting the best price when choosing between local companies. In fact, there are several things you need to think about and research. As you are researching HVAC companies and figuring out how to hire an HVAC technician, you will want to ask yourself these 5 questions before hiring the an HVAC company to work in your home.

HAVE I CHECKED THIS COMPANY’S LICENSE & CERTIFICATIONS?

Before getting started with any HVAC company, be sure to check out their licensing and any other HVAC-related certifications they have. You can do this by checking with your local licensing board. Many of them have a website for quick and easy licensing searches and status verifications. The company’s website should also have all appropriate info clearly listed.

Never settle for less than the best HVAC company. Indicators of this will include readiness to show you any verification you may need in order to ensure they are properly licensed. If a company hesitates at all when you ask for this information, there may be something wrong with their licensing. Always look them up, both with the city or state board, as well as with the BBB.

Any professionals they send out to do the repairs or maintenance should also have proper certification. For example, if an employee is an apprentice in training, there should always be someone with a higher certification status working with them. Check your city or state codes to see what that requirement is. Before scheduling an appointment for heating and air conditioning cleaning, maintenance, repair, ask about your technician. Find out who will be coming to your house and what certifications they  hold.

HOW SATISFIED ARE THE CUSTOMERS AND HOW ARE COMPLAINTS?

When looking for the best HVAC company, you want to check their online ratings and reviews. It is important to also look at what the negative reviews actually say, as some complaints are clearly not realistic. You also want to look at the positive reviews and see how genuine they appear.

You likely want to hire an HVAC company with as close to a 5-star rating as possible. However, actually reading the reviews can be more telling than simply choosing a company based on star rating alone. You want to look for information that clearly shows whether the company went above and beyond for their customers. Also, if there are negative reviews, see if and how the company responded to those reviews. How a company interacts with customers can be telling in figuring out the best HVAC company to hire.

ARE THE SERVICES APPROPRIATELY PRICED?

There are companies that offer too many promises at a price that seems too low. This is because some companies will offer prices below what they should charge in order to get more business. This might mean that the company will try to cut their costs. They might be using inferior equipment. Even worse, they might simply not invest the effort or time to do a good job. For the project to be completed well, there is only so much a company can cut from their budget

Also, choosing HVAC companies that charge too much for a simple job is not a good idea. Higher price doesn’t necessarily mean better service. When you’re in the process of finding out how to hire an HVAC technician, you want to find the HVAC company that gives you the most value for the money, even if they do not have the lowest price. Research average prices in your area and compare them with the value each company offers to aid in choosing the best HVAC company.

WILL THE COMPANY DO AN INSPECTION PRIOR TO MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR?

HVAC companies that do an inspection prior to any maintenance or repair are definitely ones to prefer. They will likely pay more attention to detail than those that simply come out to fix the stated problem. An inspection allows the HVAC technician to correctly diagnose the issue prior to beginning work. Inspections can also find potential problems that you may not even know about before they cause another breakdown.

Inspections are useful to have, in general. Having a written statement about the condition of your heating and air conditioning system before work is done is wise. It helps you have peace of mind when it comes to the state of your system. It also means that if something else goes wrong with your HVAC system during the work or after the work is finished, you have proof of the condition of your system shortly before. Having regular HVAC inspections and maintenance completed on your system is also a good idea. This will ensure that it is always running most efficiently.

DO I KNOW THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT TO BE LAID OUT?

Contracts are very important when it comes to accountability for the contractor and peace of mind for the homeowner. Make sure that the HVAC company you choose has a work contract that states its terms clearly in a way that you can understand. You do not want to have a contract that may have hard-to-understand terms and conditions, just in case something goes wrong with the job – accidental or otherwise.

Contracts also protect contractors in case of other problems that may be beyond their control, but that property owners may try to hold them accountable for when trying to get compensation. If you end up having to make a claim related to the work done later, you need to know that you can do so without hesitation.

Also, in the case of faulty equipment, the contract can show what work was done when approaching the company for compensation. This way both you and the contractor can be compensated. Contracts are provide protection for everyone involved.

At One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Charlotte, we pride ourselves on offering the best HVAC services. Give us a call today, and one of our licensed technicians can help you with all of your heating and air conditioning needs.