Air conditioning alone costs homeowners over $29 billion.
Nervous about finding the best heating and air conditioning contractor in Houston and Katy? Don’t worry. Keep reading below for five tips guaranteed to lead you to reputable options.
1. Ask for Referrals
When you are seeking any service, your best resource is your network of friends and family. Ask around to see if anyone has dealt with an HVAC contractor. Ask them how the experience went.
While it is no guarantee, typically if a close friend had a good experience, it bodes well for you. Ask them about the process so you can be prepared. The more you know beforehand, the less chance a contractor will take advantage of you.
Reputable contractors will treat you with respect, solve your unit’s problem, and offer tips on maintaining your unit in the future.
2. Avoid Contractors Offering Over-the-Phone Estimates
Every HVAC system and home is different. It’s hard to get a good sense of a unit and its problems without a visual inspection. As such, avoid any contractors that provide you an estimate without seeing your unit.
Avoid sending over any payment if a contractor has not met you in person and inspected your unit.
Furthermore, it is wise to get multiple bids from different contractors. This will allow you to get a sense of other available price points. If you have a lower bid from one person, it could also give you negotiating power.
3. Check Licenses or Certificates
Many contractors claim to be licensed but aren’t. Anyone working without proper certifications or licenses isn’t held to the same standards as proper HVAC contractors.
Letting someone who doesn’t know what they are doing mess around with your gas and plumbing is a dangerous thing.
Any contractor should have their license number listed on their website and official documents. There are various online resources where you can look up contractors to check their licenses.
4. Research Online Reviews for Any Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor
Whether you got a family/friend referral or not, checking out online reviews is a really good idea. This is how you can see how people reacted to different contractors and how happy they were in the end.
You can always check the Better Business Bureau for formal customer complaints that have been filed. These can alert you to anyone you should avoid.
5. Be Cautious About Really Low Bids
We all want to save money and fix things without breaking the bank. But this can be a dangerous tactic when it comes to a system as important as your HVAC.
With an HVAC system, you want to have confidence that the work you pay for will last for years. This often doesn’t happen when low prices. Why? Because super low prices often signal unlicensed workers or used parts they pass off as new.
Be Confident in Your Choice of Contractor
Take these tips and you will end up with great heating and air conditioning contractor.
Ready to discuss a problem you are having with your system? Please contact us or call us at 832-736-4432 we would love to help!
