Questions to ask an HVAC installer before you sign

Ten questions to ask every DFW bidder

Run through these before you get into optional upgrades. Write down each answer and note where it shows up in the written proposal.

• What legal business name goes on the contract, and what Texas ACR license covers the work?
• Will you give me a room-by-room load calculation and walk me through the assumptions?
• What are the exact outdoor, indoor, furnace, thermostat, and accessory model numbers, and the AHRI reference number?
• What are the certified capacity, SEER2, and EER2, and for a heat pump, HSPF2 and low-temperature performance?
• What did you actually inspect or measure in the ducts, returns, filter, static pressure, electrical, drains, line set, and equipment access?
• Which fix-it items are included, excluded, allowances, or handed off to another trade?
• Who pulls the permit and handles inspection, and what happens if the inspector wants a correction?
• Exactly what commissioning measurements will you record and hand me after startup?
• What equipment, parts, labor, and workmanship warranties apply, who registers them, and what maintenance or transfer terms come with them?
• What's the cash price, the financing details, the payment schedule, the change-order rule, the cancellation terms, and the total of payments?

Sources: [tdlr-acr], [energy-star-qi], [ahri-directory]

Questions about sizing and comfort

Ask the installer to show you the calculated cooling loads (both the heat and the moisture the system has to handle) and the heating load, then explain why the system they picked meets them at the design conditions they chose. Bring up the rooms that never feel right, plus humidity, noise, filtration, thermostat behavior, and any changes you're planning to the house. If the answer is 'we always replace like for like,' ask what evidence says the old size was even correct.

• Which parts of my home did you actually measure instead of assume?
• How did you account for ducts in the attic or garage, and for duct leakage?
• What's this system's minimum output on a mild day and its maximum near a 100-degree peak?
• How will you check airflow and room balance after it's installed?

Sources: [energy-star-qi]

Questions about equipment and efficiency

Ask for the AHRI certificate for the exact match, not a family brochure. Confirm the quoted ratings are certified for your specific combination, and at what conditions. Then ask what really separates the single-stage, multi-stage, or variable-capacity option they're proposing. A higher SEER2 is one useful input, but it doesn't promise a specific bill, humidity level, sound level, or lifespan.

Sources: [ahri-directory], [ftc-energyguide]

Questions about ducts, line set, drains, and electrical

Turn every 'should be fine' into a documented check. Ask about the duct condition they observed, their plan to test leakage or static pressure, how the filter affects airflow, the line-set size and reuse procedure, the drain routing and overflow protection, whether the breaker and wiring can handle the new equipment, and whether an electrician is included when one's needed. If something's excluded, find out who does it and whether your warranty or startup depends on it getting done.

Sources: [energy-star-qi]

Questions about installation day

Ask who's supervising, how big the crew is, how long it'll take, how they'll protect your floors and walls, what to expect for outages, how they handle the old equipment and refrigerant, cleanup, what happens if something gets damaged, and how a surprise behind the wall turns into an approved change order rather than a bill you never saw coming. Ask for photos of the installed model and serial numbers, and all the final records, before you make final payment under the contract.

Questions about startup and the handoff

Ask to see a sample commissioning form before you sign. It should name the actual equipment and document airflow (or the approved way they verify it), static pressure, the refrigerant-charge check, temperature data, drain and safety tests, staging or modulation, thermostat settings, and anything they had to correct. Then ask who reviews the report with you, and what happens if a reading comes back outside the manufacturer's range.

Sources: [energy-star-qi]

Questions about warranties and future service

Keep the manufacturer's equipment or parts coverage separate from the contractor's labor and workmanship coverage, they're two different things. Ask about the registration deadline, the term, exclusions, whether it transfers if you sell, diagnostic or trip charges, refrigerant and shipping coverage, maintenance conditions, who actually handles a claim, and what's left if the installing company goes out of business. File the registered warranty alongside the contract, the AHRI certificate, the permit record, and the commissioning report.

Questions about verification and permits

Verify the business identity and the relevant Texas license through TDLR. For city rules, check with the authority that has jurisdiction over your specific address rather than assuming one blanket DFW rule. Ask the bidder to put permit responsibility in writing. A valid license is necessary, but it doesn't validate the sizing, the scope, or the performance they're promising.

Sources: [tdlr-acr], [dallas-permits], [fort-worth-permits]

How to read the answers you get

Strong answers are specific, they line up with the written scope, and the contractor is happy to let you verify them. Weak answers lean on urgency, superlatives you can't check, brochure maximums, universal savings percentages, or a blanket 'it's all included' with no inspection behind it. Give the contractor a chance to clarify in writing, then compare every bidder against the same checklist.