What to Look for in a Commercial HVAC Contractor
If you need commercial furnace/heating repair or replacement, you’ll typically go online and type in your search phrase. Your results will present many commercial HVAC service providers in and around communities such as Aurora, Naperville, Plainfield and Batavia.
Access to service is never a problem – the real question lies in what to look for among your choices. The following are leading qualities to note when you’re seeking skilled and reliable commercial HVAC repair or replacement.
Commercial HVAC Repair/Replacement Experience
Verifying commercial experience might seem obvious, but it can’t be emphasized enough. Some providers with a primary background in residential HVAC may offer to work on commercial projects, believing – often with good intent – that their skills can carry over.
In truth, a commercial space’s demands for indoor air can differ greatly from those for a house. If you own or manage a business, malfunctioning HVAC affects many different people such as staff, customers and visitors (as opposed to a single family). If not addressed properly, it can also disrupt operations.
To confirm qualifications, you could start by making sure the contractor is licensed for commercial HVAC repair/replacement in Illinois. A legitimate service provider will gladly show you their licensing documentation, including insurance coverage.
You can also look for credentials that show commercial experience, such as TABB certification (for air testing and balancing) and Duct and Envelope Tightness (DET) Verification Certification (for measuring a building’s energy efficiency).
If you contact the provider for more information, inquire about any specific experience as it might pertain to what your business needs. Find out how many years they have been working with commercial HVAC as well – the more, the better.
Another sign of a credible contractor can be memberships in professional organizations such as the Air Conditioner Contractors of America (ACCA) and North American Technician Excellence (NATE). These memberships often indicate the contractor is invested in HVAC industry knowledge and improvements.
Referrals and References
Results and reputations can vary widely in the HVAC profession. You’ll want to do your due diligence to ensure you hire the right commercial contractor for you.
You might begin by asking for referrals from people you trust, such as friends and family or good business clients or partners. This often saves time, effort and money because the contractor has already been vetted.
If you’re doing your own search for commercial furnace/heating repair or replacement, you can read online reviews and evaluate them for consistency of feedback. If a contractor has 20 reviews and 18 are favorable and mostly specific, you can probably deduce they are capable. If on the other hand a third or more of the comments are critical or negative, you can likely do better elsewhere.
You might check the contractor’s record and rating with the Better Business Bureau as well. Another good resource for evaluating commercial HVAC/furnace repair is the Air Conditioning Contractors of America.
If you request and receive references from a contractor, you might ask each reference questions such as whether projects were completed on time and within the budget. Inquire about the contractor’s communication and conduct. Did they maintain a clean and organized job site? Were vehicles and equipment properly professional? Did the contractor follow up after the job to ensure desired results?
Additional Factors
Other considerations in choosing the right commercial contractor can include:
- receiving a written, itemized bid after the provider has evaluated your project onsite. Submitting a bid reinforces a contractor’s professionalism and their commitment to the project. Confirm whether the bid is a fixed quote or an estimate that could change.
- meeting important personnel, such as the company owner and the foremen or technicians who would be working on your project. You might hold the meeting at one of the contractor’s current jobs, which will let you see how they manage a worksite.
- getting a signed and detailed contract after you and the contractor have agreed on the bid. The contract should specify the project’s terms, scope and expectations. This is another sign of the provider’s professionalism.
Answers When You Need Them
Here at Beery Heating and Cooling, we know a properly functioning commercial heating system is important to your operations, and we’re always ready to serve businesses in and around areas such as Oswego, Plano, Naperville, Bolingbrook and Lombard.
Contact us at (630) 585-6444 today to further discuss your project and our qualifications to serve you.