Houston residents don’t always have to worry about their home’s heating.
As one of the most temperate cities in the entire country, Houston’s weather rarely dips below 70 degrees in the summertime. However, in the winter, it can still go below freezing, so you need to have heating in your home that actually works.
If you’ve been neglecting your heating repairs this year, it’s time to find the best Houston-area repair company before winter comes back. These seven tips will help you hire heating repair companies that will ensure that your HVAC system is in tip-top shape all year-round. Read on and keep your home comfortable in those cooler months.
1. Heating Repair Experience
When you’re scouring the internet for Houston-area HVAC technicians, the thing you’ll want to really keep an eye out for is experience. Not all heating repair companies are created equal and you always want someone that knows their way around a furnace because they’ve been doing it a long time.
Most heating and cooling companies will proudly display how long they’ve been serving their community on their site. Guy’s Air Conditioning and Heating, for instance, has been locally owned and operated since 1974. That means you can trust our technicians to handle anything and everything that your HVAC system needs.
2. Licenses and Certification
The other things you really have to look at are a company’s licenses and certifications. In Texas, you can either get a class-A or class-B certification to work on HVAC systems, with class A allowing you to work on larger commercial units.
In addition to the state licenses, you can apply for a North American Technician Excellence (NATE) certification. This isn’t required to run an HVAC company but proves that you’re at the highest level of HVAC professionals in the country.
When a company has all of these accreditations, you can have confidence that they’ll be able to repair your heating without issue.
3. Online Customer Reviews
HVAC experience and training are of the utmost importance, but so is reputation within the community. If you’re not looking at online customer reviews before hiring a heating repair service, then you’re still leaving yourself vulnerable to poor repair service and even worse customer service.
Any HVAC company should value its reputation and take pride in satisfying its customers. When performing your initial searches, make sure to check out Google and Yelp reviews to determine how a company operates. You can learn a great deal from former customers about what to expect when you hire a particular company.
If they’ve got lots of positive reviews and a high average rating, then they’re probably a trustworthy company. In addition, Better Business Bureau (BBB) approval is a more official statement of where the company stands in the public view. Guy’s is a proud A+ accredited business on BBB.
4. Proof of Insurance
Working on a Houston residential heating system isn’t always the safest of jobs. For that reason, any good HVAC company should be able to provide proof of insurance. In the event of an injury to a worker on your property, you shouldn’t have to worry about any repercussions.
Another reason insurance is important is in case your property is damaged during the heating repairs. You should never have to foot the bill for someone else’s mistake, so look for proof of Commercial General Liability Insurance from your HVAC contractor.
5. Looking for Energy Efficiency
Older homes aren’t likely to be equipped with the most energy-efficient HVAC options. An energy-efficient furnace can save you a lot of money on your monthly bills, in addition to lowering your carbon footprint. A good HVAC technician should be able to advise you on the latest products that could help to boost energy efficiency.
Energy Star products meet all of the energy efficiency guidelines that are set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Your heating repair technician should be able to outline the savings that you’d see from replacing your old furnace with a new one.
6. Service Warranties and Emergencies
One thing that you should always keep an eye on is whether a company offers service warranties to its customers. If a heating repair technician comes into your home to repair something and it later malfunctions because they didn’t do a proper job, you shouldn’t have to pay for more service.
A service warranty will ensure that any further repairs that are needed – as a result of a company’s mistake – are covered by that company. You’ll just have to make the call and they’ll come back and make the secondary repairs.
Emergency services are another important aspect of heating repair. If your heating gives out in the middle of a cold night, you may need an HVAC technician on the scene ASAP. Hire a company that offers 24/7 emergency repairs.
7. What’s Your Heating Repair Budget?
The last, but not least important, tip that we’ll give here is to get multiple quotes. You should always obtain quotes from a few companies to get a sense of how much heating repairs typically cost, then make yourself a heating repair budget.
Most companies should be able to give you a free estimate for whatever repairs are needed. At Guy’s, not only do we offer free estimates, but we’ll give you a second opinion when you’ve already spoken to other companies. It’s important to have the right information before you put pen to paper and hire a company to do your repairs.
An estimate should thoroughly explain what the repair costs entail, from parts on order to service costs. Obviously, unforeseen costs can arise once a technician starts working, but with good communication, the process and its costs will be clear throughout.
Hire Heating Repair Companies That Care
For your Houston residential heating system, you should hire heating repair companies that care. At Guy’s, we’ve been helping the Houston area for nearly 50 years, so you can expect the highest level of HVAC service.
To learn more about our company, visit our website. When you’re ready to talk about your heating repairs, contact us for a free estimate.
