The Definitive Guide to HVAC Installation, Designed For Lowcountry Families, Part 1: Choosing The Right Local HVAC Company
Published by Katy Wall on
If you have a family in the Lowcountry, you understand how important a heating & air conditioning system is to a peaceful, happy home in Charleston.
From keeping your home cool & dry during the summer, or warm & cozy during the winter your HVAC system is a silent workhorse that provides your family with comfort, year-round.
With a system that’s constantly broken down, under or over-sized – or just flat out not working – it can cause chaos and discomfort for your family.
As with any important home service, a system replaced & supported by the right team is your best bet to avoid those uncomfortable moments.
But who can you trust with your family’s relief when things go awry — especially during our extremely hot and humid summers here in the Lowcountry?
Choosing the wrong company to take care of your system is a sure path to anxiety-ridden moments as the temperatures rise (or fall).
With the (literally) dozens of HVAC options in the Lowcountry, and an endless sea of information online it can be overwhelming for many homeowners to know who to trust these days.
To help you understand which company will work best for your family’s particular needs, below are some important items to either ask or check off your list before moving forward with any HVAC contractor.
Look For and Ask for License & Insurance
Any proper, professional heating & air conditioning company will be licensed in the State of South Carolina and insure their work.
This is not a debatable issue — it is something you absolutely need to protect yourself and your home.
It is a vital detail that will ensure your work is done by someone professionally licensed to do the job and, if anything should go terribly wrong, you are protected by their insurance.
Look At Reviews (Track Record & Recency)
Most local businesses understand the value of reviews so you will see that most – if not all – will have a healthy amount.
One thing that you might consider when looking at reviews to help differentiate companies is to look at a company’s most recent and best reviews.
A company that does not receive consistent reviews could indicate some inconsistency with their work or may not be overly active in your area.
In addition to recent reviews, you can also track back a few months to see how consistent a company has been over its time in business.
A consistent streak of 5-star reviews is something to be admired and everything you would like to see when selecting your HVAC contractor.
Look For Local Expertise & Experience
It is one thing to say you have expertise and experience — it is another thing entirely to prove it.
While reviews can be a good indication of both, be sure to check out their company’s about page as well so you can understand who is behind the company and their level of experience in the industry.
On top of this, be sure to look for any resources they may have on their website that could indicate their level of expertise.
Ask Your Friends, Family, Neighbors & Colleagues
After you have looked through online resources you can also ask your neighbors, your friends, and family for their input.
Hearing first-hand accounts is a fantastic way to verify the online research and may allow you to check out their work first-hand.
Go Lowcountry Local
If you’ve gone through the research above, you’ll likely find that many of the HVAC companies that you’ve identified as candidates are locally owned.
There are many, many reasons why going local is important, but if your HVAC company is locally owned, they are made up of people who are a part of your same local community as well.
They not only do business and work in the area, but they are also raising families in the area.
They very well could be your neighbor or neighbor of your friend, family, or colleague.
Look For Friendly, Family-First Companies
The best way to know if a company understands the challenges of raising a family is if their leaders understand it as well.
Family-first companies understand just how important a working HVAC system is to raising a family in the Lowcountry – and will make your family’s comfort a priority.
Look For Strong Communication
Communication is critical for managing appointments and staying on the same page as your HVAC contractor.
You want your company to answer the phone promptly and keep you informed throughout your service.
Poor communication can leave you feeling lost and confused — two things you absolutely do not want to feel while your family’s comfort hangs in the balance.
Honest, prompt communication is something you want any kind of contractor to have but can be especially important in the world of HVAC.
Go With Your Gut Feeling or Instinct
Finally, if you are an experienced homeowner, you have likely met with and hired many different kinds of contractors over the years.
If so, you have run into some that did not impress you or left you wanting in the experience.
Those bad experiences can help you develop a feel for who to trust — a gut feeling or instinct.
As you start selecting your HVAC company, you will likely have a gut feeling as you start interacting with them.
If you feel comfortable with them from the first call, that is a good sign that you have chosen wisely.
With so much on the line – your family’s comfort being at the top, the difference between choosing a good and great HVAC company to be your contractor can mean the difference between a happy summer (or winter) or a wildly uncomfortable one.
Replacing your heating & air conditioning system is not just another cost for your home – it is an investment in comfort.
If you hire a local HVAC company that checks all the items off of the list above, you can help ensure that comfort investment will be professionally handled in 2025.
