Questions To Ask Before Hiring A HVAC Contractor For Your Office

Are you a business owner who is getting ready for summer? Are you worried that your building's air conditioning may not stand up to another summer's worth of heat? Before you start any new installations, here are some questions you should consider asking any HVAC contractor:

Are you certified? If you are simply searching online classified ads, you may find listings for people who claim to be HVAC contractors but who are not actually qualified. Before agreeing to anything, make sure you get their license number and check with your state or local contractor license board to confirm that they are who they claim to be.A qualified professional HVAC contractor will have no problems with you checking up on them. 

Are you insured or bonded? Contractors in your state may not be required to pay worker's compensation or liability insurance. However, if they are uninsured and are injured or cause accidental damage to your office building, then it is your insurance that will have to pay. Prevent possible increases in your insurance premiums by only doing business with HVAC contractors who are fully insured. 

Do you have any references? Depending on the office building, installing commercial HVAC units can be more complicated than installing home HVAC units. While a home typically only needs one unit, an office building may need several units working together.

If the office has been remodeled since it was built, your HVAC contractor may need to decide whether or not rerouting air ducts will make your new HVAC units more efficient and use less energy. Make sure that any potential contractors have done this type of work before and that their customers were satisfied by the results. 

Will there be a post-install inspection? You will probably want to have an inspection done approximately 30 days after installation, in order to confirm that everything is working as it should. Your HVAC contractor should include the cost of this inspection in their initial bid. If they didn't include it, make sure you find out how much extra this inspection will cost. Although the unit or units may seem to be functioning properly, an inspection will help to verify that there are no previously unnoticed manufacturer defects.

What kind of guarantees do you have? Although it's unlikely that anything will go wrong, you shouldn't have to pay for a replacement if you wind up with a defective unit. The HVAC contractor you use should be willing to guarantee his or her work for at least two years. They should also not charge you to repair or replace faulty units that are still under the manufactuer warranty. To learn more, contact a company like Perry Heating Cooling.

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