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Heating and cooling systems can greatly influence how comfortable you are in your home.
We research, review and rate the top professionals in the HVAC industry to help you choose a quality option for your heating and cooling needs.
Our research approach includes understanding industry best practices and customer needs and pain points. We interviewed industry experts, surveyed homeowners and delved into energy ratings and regulatory guidance.
We’ve looked into the factors customers consider when they need heating or cooling upgrades or repairs. We’ve read hundreds of individual customer reviews and reviewed third-party ratings such as those from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Before rating a provider, we secret-shop the brand and read hundreds of individual customer reviews. Additionally, we read any sample contracts and warranties available and navigate the brand’s website to extract information important to you when choosing an HVAC unit.
Our goal is to surface and highlight the key information you need when choosing an HVAC provider for your home.
Based on our in-depth research, we’ve developed rating criteria that guide our review of HVAC companies. Each company is scored out of 100 points. We then take the final score and translate it into the 5-star rating we feature in our reviews and recommendations.
Our review standards are categorized into six sections:
An HVAC provider’s reputation among its clients is an indication of its overall performance and ability to provide satisfactory service. We’ve considered BBB ratings and each company’s complaint response rate.
Negative reviews are a fact of doing business for any home service provider. With that in mind, we’ve also taken into account how each company responds to negative customer feedback to render a more thorough and accurate evaluation.
One of the main reasons homeowners upgrade their existing heating and cooling systems is to improve their home’s overall efficiency. Similarly, more modern systems are far quieter than older models and less intrusive to day-to-day life. Companies that offer models with lower decibel ratings and higher SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) ratings get the highest mark in this category.
Flexibility is another important factor to consider when evaluating an HVAC provider’s quality. Companies that offer added services, such as annual tuneups and routine maintenance after installation, earned more points.
Similarly, companies that offer various product types performed well in this category. Smart-home and solar-powered system options, as well as the sale of air conditioning systems, furnaces, heat pumps and ductless systems, earned companies extra points.
Given the cost of comprehensive HVAC care, companies that cover customers for unplanned maintenance or malfunctioning parts rated well on our scale. Companies that provide at least 20-year comprehensive warranties are rated highly here, too. Conversely, providers that offer variable parts or labor warranties received the lowest score.
Transparency and a clear quote process help you make the best choice when purchasing a major home service. This category rewards companies that post sample pricing for different units and systems online. While these listed costs prove to be lower than full-service HVAC installation, companies that offer visibility are popular among customers with varying needs.
For such large purchases, financing options may be a key factor if you’re on a tight budget. Similarly, the ability to easily claim tax credits for new energy-efficient system installations is helpful. Both factors influence our quotes and pricing scores for companies we review.
Consumer-friendly websites and interfaces, along with posted customer service hours, can influence how smoothly your experience with an HVAC provider goes.
We focused on HVAC providers whose websites aimed to make homeowners more comfortable throughout their heating and cooling system upgrades or maintenance. Providers that offer product finder tools and HVAC glossaries rate well. We also gave high marks to companies with 24-hour customer service accessibility.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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