Answer first, context after
What questions should I ask an HVAC contractor before hiring them?
Seven questions sort the field fast: Are you licensed with the CSLB, and what is the number? Will you pull a permit? Do you do a Manual J load calculation on installs? Is the quote itemized and flat? Are your technicians paid commission? What are the parts and labor warranties, separately? Are your prices published anywhere I can check? Every good contractor passes all seven without flinching.
The best time to judge a contractor is before anyone climbs in your attic, and the judging tool is a short list of questions with verifiable answers. Here is ours, including how we answer each one, so you can hold every company you call, us included, to the same standard.
One: are you licensed, and what is the CSLB number? Every legitimate California HVAC contractor holds a C-20 license you can verify in thirty seconds at the CSLB’s public lookup. Ours is CSLB #1147883, printed in the footer of every page on this site. Anyone hedging on this question ends the interview.
Two: will you pull a permit? Replacements and new installs require one, and the contractor should pull it, not suggest you skip it or file as an owner-builder. Skipping permits saves the contractor inspection scrutiny and costs you at resale.
Three: how will you size the system? The only acceptable answer contains the words Manual J, a real load calculation using your insulation, windows, and orientation. “Same size as the old one” repeats whatever mistake the last installer made, and in Kern County the inherited mistake is usually oversizing.
Four: is the quote itemized, flat, and in writing? You want equipment, labor, and extras visible separately, and a number that does not move once work starts. A lump sum that drops when you hesitate is telling you how it was built.
Five: are your technicians paid commission on what they find? This one question explains more industry behavior than any other. Ours are not, which is why a visit that finds nothing wrong is a successful visit here.
Six: what are the warranties, parts and labor separately? Manufacturers cover parts; the contractor covers labor, and the labor number is where corners hide. Ours: 10 years parts, 2 years labor on installs, 12 months on repairs, in writing.
Seven: are your prices published? Not every honest shop publishes a menu, but a published menu makes honesty checkable, which is why ours is on this site down to the capacitor. However you weigh the other six, insist on this one’s spirit: a price you can verify beats a price you have to trust.
Still stuck? That's what the truck is for.
The diagnostic is $89, waived when you book the repair, with a written flat price before any work starts.