-
Is your company accredited by the
Building Performance
Institute to incorporate comfort, health, safety, durability, and
efficiency into my entire home?
-
Are your
designers and technicians
Radiant Panel
Association Certified Radiant Floor Designers and Installers?
-
Will your designers perform a comprehensive heat loss calculation to
size my system?
“He
[your system designer] spends a good deal of time going through your
home, measuring the dimensions of your rooms, windows and doors. He
looks for fireplaces, exhaust fans, recessed lighting fixtures, and
other things that can cause heat to escape from your home. He inspects
the quality and quantity of insulation in your attic. He also asks
whether you have had any additional insulation installed in your walls.
These things can make a big difference in how much fuel you’ll use, and
what size your heating system will be.
“He
takes the time to survey your home and perform an accurate heat-loss
calculation because this always results in the greatest economy
for you. He would never guess at how much heat your house might
lose on the coldest day of the year. Nor would he ever base the sizing
of your new heating equipment on what’s already in your home. That’s
simply not good engineering. He can’t take for granted that the
long-gone contractor who first sized your heating equipment was correct.
It always pays to check, especially nowadays with fuel costs so
high.
“And
when he performs the heat-loss calculation on your home, he certainly
doesn’t use ‘rules of thumb.’ ‘Rules of thumb’ often make the sizing
process easy for a heating contractor, but these overly conservative
rules also are guaranteed to increase your fuel bill every winter
from now on.
“Most
of the ‘rules of thumb’ we’ve run across in our travels come from the
days of single-pane-glass windows, little or no insulation in the walls
or ceiling, open-window ventilation, and cheap fuel. Your heating
contractor should refuse to provide you with an oversized heating
system, and that’s why he always takes the scientific approach.
“And
nowadays, the science is pretty advanced! He invests in both the
computer hardware and software that helps him do his job of sizing your
system quickly and accurately. The system he proposes will fit your home
like tailor-made clothing rather than something off the rack. There is
no reason to increase your long-term fuel bills by oversizing,
and that’s why he begins your project by sizing it accurately.”—From
Just Add H2Oh! by Dan Holohan, Dan Holohan Associates,
Inc., 1997.
-
What’s the difference between a condensing and non-condensing boiler?
Which one is best for me?
Standard boilers that your grandparents had (and are still being sold
today!) are non-condensing.
A condensing boiler is more efficient because more of the heat from the
flame is absorbed by the boiler water. This results in much lower
exhaust temperatures. So more of your hard earned dollars are used to
heat your home, instead of being lost to the great outdoors.
-
What is outdoor reset control, and should my heating system have it?
The outdoor reset feature is like having cruise control for your heating
system. It regulates the temperature of the water that flows through
your radiant floors (or radiators, or baseboard radiators) based on the
outdoor temperature.
So when your system is climbing the hill because it’s 20 below outside,
the accelerator will go to the floor. In the spring and fall when it’s
50 degrees, and you’re coasting down the hill, your system will let up
on the gas.
Do you want to increase your comfort by reducing temperature swings in
your home? And do you want to save money with a more efficient system?
Then you want your designer to be skilled and experienced with outdoor
reset.
-
Will you subcontract my work to other companies?
Don’t get caught signing with Slick Heating Sales Inc., who will turn
around and subcontract to Joe Butt Crack Coffee Breath Plumbing Company to
install your system.
-
Are your technicians trained and certified to install the equipment
you’re recommending?
When you’re negotiating with a heating company, the salesman is of
necessity knowledgeable about his products. This will in no way be an
indication of the skill of those installing your system.
Remember, the finest equipment is only as good as its installer.
With all the information available today, there’s no excuse for an
installation tech to pass up the education provided by manufacturers of
the equipment he installs. Ask if the manufacturer has a certification
program, and if the installer has passed it.
-
Will you use test equipment to measure and adjust the combustion process
for my system? Please explain.
Modern heating equipment manufacturers require the use of combustion
testing equipment to adjust their equipment for safe and proper
operation.
Yet many heating installers don’t even own this necessary equipment. Or
worse yet, they’ll claim you don’t need it.
Unfortunate news reports of deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning
are proof that some contractors don’t take this matter seriously.
-
May I get certification of your Liability and Worker’s Compensation
insurance?
In the
event you hire an uninsured contractor, you may become legally
responsible for injuries to persons and/or damage to personal property.
Be sure all workmen on your project are covered under their employer’s
Worker’s Compensation and General Liability policies. Obtain copies of
these documents before your project starts.
-
May I get the names and phone numbers of customers you’ve worked for,
and permission to call and visit the job sites?
Experts love to show off their work, and happy clients love to show off
their state-of-the-art heating system. Follow up with referrals whose
projects are similar to yours.
Another possible source for contacts who have had work done by the
company are local plumbing and heating supply houses. These supply
houses are also a reliable resource regarding a technician’s reputation
in the industry, as well as a company’s ability to pay material bills.
