Lets face it most of us are not HVAC Experts so we have no clue whether our HVAC Contractor is ripping us off when he tells us we have to replace our system? You would like to think that most HVAC Contractors are honest but for every honest HVAC Contractor there is one that is willing to take you to the cleaners. There are a lot of Contractors out there that will tell you that you need a new system when all you need is a simple repair. You should always get a second opinion when you are told that replacing your system is your best bet. You will most likely have to pay for a second contractor to give you his opinion but for that hundred dollars you might save thousands!
In my thirty years of experience running a successful HVAC business I come to the conclusion that you always get what you pay for when it comes to HVAC contractors. There are so many ways that contractors can cut corners such as hiring HVAC technicians right out of trade school. These guys have no experience and work for almost nothing because they graduate with huge school loans and they have to cut their teeth somewhere before they can start making better wages. The scary part is they are teaching themselves and learning on your system.
Skilled, experienced technicians are almost twice as expensive as recent technical school graduates. Be sure to ask the HVAC contractor that you choose how many years of experience all of his technicians have. At a minimum you should ask the technician sent to your home before he starts working on your HVAC system. If he tells you that he has less than or around a years experience I might pass and call another HVAC company.
Most contractor pay about the same on all the equipment that they buy. Yes the larger volume guys pay about five to ten percent less on HVAC parts and equipment than the smaller guys, but at the end of the day it is not enough to really impact the sale price of a replacement air conditioning or heating system. Most of the HVAC contractors who offer really cheap prices on HVAC sales and service do it with their labor costs by hiring inexperienced technicians.
Another way to save on the cost of installing a new system is to do it without pulling a permit. There are a lot of contractors out there that will not pull a permit yet they charge you a permit fee. Most homeowners who find out believe the contractor when they say oh it must have fallen through the cracks. Not pulling a permit may not sound like too huge of a deal but it can come back to haunt you when it comes time to sell your house. A savvy buyer might recognize the system being newer but have concerned that it was not inspected after it was installed.
Always make sure that your HVAC contractor pulls a permit and that the permit is closed when the work is complete. If the permit is not final inspected and remains open this can also delay you when you try to sell your home. It is not often that you get more than you pay for when it comes to getting a new HVAC system installed. If you choose the right contractor who is a strait forward guy you can trust it is almost always worth the extra money for the piece of mind that comes with a quality HVAC installation!