Every homeowner needs help with their furnace from time to time, and an HVAC contractor is the person to call when your furnace requires maintenance, repair, or replacement. When you need to hire an HVAC contractor, use these tips to save some money.
Schedule Work During Regular Business Hours
If at all possible, avoid having an HVAC contractor come to your home outside of regular business hours. You'll pay a higher rate for evening or weekend work, and emergency calls in the middle of the night can cost even more. The standard rate that an HVAC contractor has is what they charge during normal weekday work.
Routine maintenance can easily be scheduled during business hours, but sometimes furnaces break down and need repair during less convenient times. If your furnace malfunctions in the evening, during the night, or on the weekend, try to get by if you can.
You might be more comfortable for a night or couple of days if you:
- Use one or two space heaters
- Stay in one room, and seal off others
- Bake desserts or dinners
- Have a fire in a fireplace
- All sleep in one room
Sleeping in a single room helps everyone stay warmer, as body heat will warm up the room. You could also go to a family member's or friend's house if you know someone nearby.
Don't avoid an emergency nighttime call to a contractor if you badly need to. However, take what reasonable steps you can to delay any needed repair until a weekday.
Replace Your Furnace During Spring
Anticipate replacing your furnace a season ahead of when you want to, so you can schedule the work during spring. You might be able to save on both the cost of a furnace and the cost of installing it.
HVAC contractors often have a lull during the spring. People use their furnaces less as the weather warms, but air conditioning work doesn't pick up until hot weather sets in. You might be able to negotiate a slightly lower labor rate during this time, especially if you find an HVAC contractor that needs to meet payroll or other bills.
An HVAC contractor might also have a furnace they didn't sell during the past winter. They may offer you an excellent price on any remaining furnace stock, as they'll have to store it all summer if they can't sell it quickly.
To learn more, contact an HVAC contractor in your area.
