Air Conditioner Installation & Replacement, Regina, SK

I have an Apple iPhone, a GMC truck, and I’m reading this on an HP laptop while drinking my Tim Horton’s coffee! Brands are burned into our psyche as Canadians.

Often we pick the brand first, then go to a dealer or retailer. Here is how the story goes: I see an ad for a Honda Civic, see people driving them around and now I want one. I’ll go to my local Honda Dealer, whichever one will give me the best deal, or one that I have a good relationship with (hopefully both). A Honda Civic is a Honda Civic, right? Yes.

However, HVAC dealers are actually the manufacturers. A York YP9C isn’t a York YP9C, even though it has the same label. Huh? Let me explain.

There are about six HVAC equipment manufacturers in North America today, but they operate under more than 150 brand names.

Here are some brands that come off the same manufacturing lines — just different paint, labels, and marketing:

  • Lennox, Airease, Ducane and Armstrong
  • Trane and American Standard
  • Carrier, Payne and Bryant
  • York, Luxaire, Fraser-Johnston and Coleman
  • Goodman and Amana

You get the idea.

Most of the components that make up these brands’ products are made by even fewer companies: Emerson, Johnson Controls and Honeywell.

These companies are huge billion-dollar conglomerates. They all utilize very rigid quality processes incorporating multimillion dollar machines that produce nearly mistake-proof products. They’re all pretty good at building HVAC units.

So, what’s the difference? Typically, there are small differences on the very top-end products, such as who has the bigger touch-screen thermostat, or is it 97.4 percent or 97.3 percent efficient. But, these are insignificant at the end of the day. 

So, what’s the big, clear-cut difference? The installing contractor.

Unlike a Honda Civic, the products HVAC contractors buy must be assembled with a variety of parts and are uncalibrated. It’s our job as heating and cooling contractors to put them together and set them up for that specific installation. The only place the manufacturer sets up HVAC units for is in their testing lab. 

Furnaces and air conditioners don’t just snap together and plug in. It takes about $15,000 in tools and years of training to finish what the manufacturer started. So, we really are the guys at the end of the manufacturing line; it just so happens to be in your backyard or basement.

So, why are Lennox, Carrier and Trane perceived as better? Because large national advertising campaigns are intended to ensure that you have heard of them.

1. Check licensing. Ask for the certification of the tradespeople that will be involved in the on-site installation of your project. Plumbing (Gas), Refrigeration, Electrician, and Sheet Metal Worker are all compulsory trades in Saskatchewan, meaning each worker must be certified to perform work in these trades. Even better, make sure they’re certified as Red Seal Journeypersons in their trade. Somebody behind a desk in an office holding one of these certificates won’t help you at all when it’s time for the installation at your house.

2. Ask around. Who did your neighbors or friends use? Did they meet their expectations? Was their pricing fair?

 3. Read reviews. TrustedPros.ca and Google are good sources for local reviews.