Recently, I was invited to give a proposal to a young couple who had just purchased a home and made the very wise choice of having an energy audit performed. They learned that their 5-year old furnace was not performing to the required standards, and they automatically assumed that they needed to replace it. They called in several HVAC contractors to give them bids on a new furnace, and all of them readily provided them with a quote to replace their existing unit.
I was uncomfortable with this situation, and I told the couple that I couldn't believe that a furnace this new was ready to be declared "DOA". Instead, I offered to send in one of our technicians to take a look at it. If upon inspection, they determined that it had a failed heat exchanger or other "fatal" issues, I told them that I would be happy to quote them the price for a new furnace, as well as apply the service call charges toward their new purchase.
As I suspected, our technician found that their furnace was in good working condition. However, the poor energy efficiency readings they had received were due in part to the fact that the unit had not been properly installed. Our technician made a few adjustments, and the homeowners were out only the cost of a standard tune up.
Did I lose out on a sale...yes. Was it the right thing to do...absolutely! I am banking on the fact that we now have a service customer for the remaining life of that furnace, as well as a new furnace when their existing one finally "gives up the ghost".
This is why we are a NARI contractor, and why homeowners should always make sure they look for a reputable contractor. If you are located in Southeastern Wisconsin, contact me at 1st Choice Heating & Cooling. You can be assured that I will give you an honest assessment of your HVAC needs.
