Finding HVAC Contractors to Keep Your Home Comfortable

As a homeowner, repairs and maintenance jobs are part of your daily life. Sometimes, that may mean looking into HVAC contractors. A broken air conditioner or heater is not something you're probably willing to live with for very long. And if you don't have central heat and air, chances are you'll want to get it the second you can afford it. Unlike, say, working on your car, very few people know enough about their system to do repairs on their own. Minor things like changing the filter can be handled without a professional, but when you go deeper than that, it's usually a good idea to bring in someone who knows what they're doing. Here are some tips on hiring a good company.

The Better Business Bureau is a good place to start your search. Cross reference with your local Yellow Pages and see if any HVAC contractors in your area have a history of customer complaints. Naturally, a complaint here or there is bound to creep up. No business can satisfy everyone 100 percent of the time and some customers don't wait around for resolution before making their unhappiness public. Still, if you see a particular company gets an abnormal amount of complaints, especially if many of these complaints involve the same issues, it might be a good idea to hire someone else.

Don't try to make a decision in a day's time. Give yourself some room to do your research and ask around about which HVAC contractors in your community are respected. If you try to make a decision in a hurry, you're probably going to simply go with whichever one starts their name with an "A" (meaning first billing in the phone book) or which one has the flashiest ad. Neither of these are good reasons for selecting someone to come work on your home. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers what they have to say on the matter. You might want to talk with other homeowners in your neighborhood and see if they have anyone they can vouch for.

Reputable HVAC contractors should have references they can give you. Ask for these references and make some calls before you make your final decision. The people on the list won't likely have anything bad to say about the company, but just the fact that they can provide you with such people is a good sign. If they tell you that they can't do that, it means they have either not been in business for very long (which isn't a great indicator of faith) or they don't have any customers willing to go on the record for them (which is even worse).