Your heating and cooling system is probably the most costly system you have in your home and affects your day to day comfort, your monthly energy bills, and even your home value. If you’re going to let a friend, cousin, brother-in-law, or neighbor install your HVAC system, it would benefit you to ensure that this person has what it takes. A poorly installed system can lead to disappointments like improper heating and cooling and higher energy bills as well as bigger issues like potential for dangerous gas leaks, costly repairs down the road, or complete and irreparable system failure.
We recommend heavily vetting the experience and capabilities of your acquaintance who is offering to install your system at a lower cost.
How do I know if my friend is capable to install my HVAC system?
Check for documentation.
Be sure your friend has a Texas State Masters license, has adequate liability and workers compensation insurance (ask to see these), and has designed and installed high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems successfully in the past (talk to references).
Consider the long-term financial gain or loss.
Keep in mind that you will be dependent on your friend and his/her schedule for warranty repairs, which now last up to ten years. Another major consideration is that if your friend is not registered with your local utility you may be giving up hundreds or even thousands of dollars in cash rebates or various financing options (available with approved credit).
Evaluate your goods.
You also want to make sure that the equipment your friend will install is of high quality and that it comes with a strong manufacturer’s warranty. Most air conditioning and heating equipment manufacturers make high-grade, premium equipment and low-grade builders’ models — and both may carry the manufacturer’s brand name! Get the model numbers in writing from your friend and feel free to call us if you want to know the quality of the equipment you are getting.
Consider one other thing: If you rely on someone you know personally to provide a service like this, what happens if you have a falling out with this person or if this person moves away? These things aren’t ideal or even likely for your friend, but it is for these reasons that many people won’t lend money to friends, do business with friends, or otherwise implicate their friendships with liability. Similarly, what if this person does a less-than-perfect job on your installation? Of course you want to assume they won’t but do you know how well all of your friends perform at their jobs? It might be better not to put that kind of pressure on your friendship. If you are willing to face these risks,
All in all, you may save money, however you will typically be assuming much more risk than when you use a long established HVAC contractor who belongs to the Better Business Bureau and industry professional organizations such as ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America). If your friend or acquaintance works for a company like that, he or she may be incapable – through their employment contract – to provide discounted installations to friends and family. Remember: these businesses price their installations in order to pay their employees, cover liability, and shoulder expenses.
Have we covered all of the considerations? Have you had luck hiring a friend to do any work for you? If you’re in need of an installation for your new HVAC system and you have decided to trust a professional HVAC company – work with McCullough. Trust us, by the time we provide your perfect install, we’ll be friends too!
Call today: (512) 866-9821
