Replacing Your Air Conditioner?
Replacing Your Air Conditioner?
When you need to replace your air conditioning system, you want honesty, fair pricing, and quality from a company you can trust. But how can you find out about a company before using them? There’s got to be a better way than trial and error. This is it. Here are eleven simple questions you should answer before selecting a company.
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11 Simple Questions You Should Answer Before Selecting an Air Conditioning Company |
Terrell E. Moseley, Inc. |
Others |
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Does the company hold an air conditioning license?
State licensing is the minimum requirement to operate an Air Conditioning company. Licensing protects the public, including you. Unlicensed companies are unaccountable to regulators and often unavailable if things go wrong. The license number should be prominently displayed on vehicles, websites, and/or advertising. |
Yes! License #:10188 CLASS A |
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Does the company employ NATE certified technicians?
NATE is the North American Technician Excellence program. It is the air conditioning industry’s certification body for technical knowledge. The NATE logo should be prominently displayed on vehicles, websites, and/or advertising. |
Yes! |
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Is the company insured?
General liability and insurance protects you. Most companies will be insured, but not all are. Assume that any company failing to state that it carries insurance in its marketing or website lacks insurance. |
Yes! |
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How long has the company been in business (under the same name)?
One Air Conditioning company in five closes every year. The best way to predict whether a company will be around long enough to honor its warranties is whether the company has been around in the past. Most reputable companies state their business tenure. Beware companies that close due to a poor reputation and reopen with a new name. |
Since 1936 |
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Does the company have a physical address?
Fly-by-night air conditioning companies and uninsured moonlighters rarely have a business address. More stable air conditioning companies operate from a shop or office. |
Yes! |
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What is the standard guarantee?
Not only does a better guarantee give you longer peace of mind, but better guarantees are offered by better companies. |
Yes! |
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Does the company perform 'Manual J' design calculations?
Good companies perform engineering calculations based on the Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s “Manual J,” to ensure the equipment they provide is the right size (oversizing an air conditioner is just as bad as undersizing one). Improperly sized heating and air conditioning systems are all too common. Poor quality companies replace with the same size as the existing equipment or use rules of thumb (i.e., they guess). |
Yes! We give fixed prices before work begins |
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Does the company provide “ARI Performance Certification?”
When you are replacing an air conditioner or heat pump, it is important to replace both the outdoors unit and indoors components together, as a matched set. Otherwise, you will get reduced efficiency and increased breakdowns. Good contractors provide system certification from the Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Institute. |
Yes! |
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Does the company give you choices?
A wide variety of options exist for heating and cooling your home. Good companies present you with choices in efficiency, refrigerant, filtration, controls, and financing. |
Yes! |
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Are the company’s service vehicles clean and well maintained?
The condition of a company’s service vehicles is an indicator of the way the technician will take care of your home. |
Yes! |
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© 2007 Service Roundtable