Houston

We put pricing this far down the list because you cannot afford to go with the lowest bidder who does shoddy work. You don’t want to have to pay for someone else to fix the error messages they failed to resolve. You can’t afford to pay someone who replaces three sensors because they don’t know what is wrong or don’t care to troubleshoot it in detail.

Take the time to get quotes from several HVAC contractors before you hire someone. This gives you an idea of what the job should cost as well as a few potential explanations for the HVAC problems. If one contractor comes in well below the others, drop them from your list. You don’t know if they’re going to use second hand parts without your permission or quick fixes that don’t resolve the root cause. Be wary of free estimates and very low fees to show up, because they still have to make their payroll. You may get a cheap repair that lasts a few weeks, because they know they’ll have to come out again soon. At that point, the odds are they’ll push you to buy a new air conditioner. Nor do you want someone whose low, low price results in sky-high electric bills because they put in energy inefficient HVAC equipment.

Another reason the price shouldn’t be the biggest factor is that it is negotiable. Find out if there are special offers on heating and cooling systems if you’re considering having a new AC installed. Ask if you can get a discount on an annual service agreement if they perform repairs or install new equipment.