Selecting the right A/C system among all HVAC brands: Brett continues the series on how to choose the right A/C system for your home with directly applicable advice. Picking the right brand will notably depend on the weather conditions specific to your region.
We’re following up with our third video on the series of four. In our first video we talked about choosing the right contractor; in our second we talked about features; today we’re talking about HVAC brands and this may be one of the most confusing aspects in choosing the right home air-conditioning heating system.
When we talk about choosing the right contractor, this is where part of that really comes in. You’ve got to listen to your contractor in this area. However here’s a few tips on how to navigate this on your own.
When we’re talking about HVAC brands, start with matching the right brands with the features that you identified in our second video. Do I want a quiet unit? Do I want a high-efficiency unit? What am I looking for exactly? Start looking because not all HVAC brands are created equal.
Next, make sure that the air conditioning unit that you’re choosing, the brand that you’re choosing, is really the best fitted to your geographic area today. I call this “leapfrogging“. We’re kind of getting used to the old brands that we’ve heard of year after year, but there are some new brands that are making great headway in air conditioning systems and you want to take a look at these.
So remember the leapfrog effect when you’re talking about HVAC brands and air conditioning. Don’t just go for the best-known brand.
You want to be looking at their history of repairs together with your contractor: don’t rely on magazines that says “this one is better than that one”. The bottom line is you’re gonna be choosing the right brand and with the right features and, again, get it installed right. So make sure you’re talking with your contractor about what the contractor is experiencing in their part of the country. How an A/C unit works in Tennessee is different from how it works in Tucson, so make sure you get their advice. That’s why you chose this A/C contractor in the first place.
The next thing you want to look at is warranties. Warranties can go 5 years, 10 years and 12 years on parts labor and on the compressor.
Make sure you get the warranty to match the system that you want to get.
Last of all, ask about special financing. Oftentimes, HVAC manufacturers will give incentives to consumers to get an extra nod.
Take care, I’ll see you in the next video.
Brett Wright, President