Whats the best Brand?

It's a question I know my clients are thinking about when they start collecting quotes.

Why is this brand $1500 more than the other brand with the same efficiency? Is this guy trying to rip me off or is the other system junk?

The simple truth is that there are tiers of hvac brands just like anything else you buy. The internet will not help you figure this out until you look at the brand structure for the major manufacturers. Every major manufacturer in the hvac has several tiers of products with different marketing based on region and the economics of that region. Why would they do this? Because not everyone can afford better brands and there needs to be compromises that you can hide so that they don't think they have to make those compromises.

Yes, an 18 SEER Amana or Goodman or Payne heat pump has the same rated efficiency as an American Standard 18 SEER heat pump. But that's where it ends. How long the cheaper unit will maintain that efficiency is not the same. How likely you are to incur repairs is definitely not the same, and the likelihood that you will not replace it in 15 years is definitely not the same.

The equipment costs for these lower tier products are up to 25% less than the top tier products for a reason.

Finally, and maybe the most important thing to consider is that the contractors that represent these brands are approaching the market with a low price strategy. Low bidder gets the work. But it's not a good long term strategy for you, or them! Contractors for lesser brands build a portfolio of warranty liabilities at a higher rate than contractor who sticks with the better brands in spite of the losses because they are never low bid. This is because the end, many of the contractors representing the cheaper brands drop these cheaper brand relationships when the warranty repair liabilities overwhelm them. And this is why we get many calls from customers who cannot find anyone to work on their lower tier, cheaper brand system.

You may have a "lifetime warranty" (which never means you are actually covered) but I am not obligated to clean up anyones mess, and most good contractors are not interested in that work because they are honoring their own commitments long term.

I don't have brand loyalty necessarily. I choose products that are in the higher tiers, but I'm not stuck on one brand name cross all types of systems. For example, I sell a lot of American Standard and Carrier heat pumps because I like the product and the support that I have from my distributors. But I don't sell American Standard or Carrier everything. I like Climatemaster geothermal systems and Mitsubishi ductless systems because they are built better and perform better.

I can offer you a lower tier brand in a situation where that's your only option for whatever reason, but my business was built using quality products that perform over the long term because it's better for both of us.

I hope this helps you understand my approach, and why I am more concerned with value when it comes to price.