SEATTLE—
With the cool start to our summer, now might be the perfect time to consider installing air conditioning for your home. Think about it: as temperatures start rising around here next week, the demand for AC at home will start to rise too. It happens every year. So what's the best way to avoid getting burned when you're trying to stay cool?The Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook took in customer ratings on 71 local companies to get the lowdown on heating and cooling units. The results show wide differences in prices. For example, one company charged about $200 to install a programmable thermostat. Another charged $600. Heating and cooling units are a big investment, so consider looking into this when the weather's cool.and companies are hot after competing for your business.
Randall Pursel's been in the heating and cooling business 40 years, and he sees the rush for air conditioning and heat pumps every summer. He says, "Everybody always procrastinates until the last minute, until they realize they need it." Pursel says heat pumps are often the best option in Seattle to stay cool, and save the most energy. But it all depends on the size of your home, it's exposure to the sun, and other factors. So Pursell says do your homework and go with an energy efficient system.
That efficiency will help you save on your bills and earn you a tax rebate up to $1500. Pursel says, "If you've got old equipment, between 15 and 20 years old, it's old, it's inefficient, and it's not going to last that much longer. So the time now is to think about replacing it, getting good, efficient equipment, and get a rebate."
Robert Krughoff from the Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook gave Pursell's firm, Olympic Heating, it's top rating for quality and price. The Checkbook is a non-profit magazine and website that runs off customer subscriptions, customers who help rate hundreds of local services.
Krughoff recommends getting written estimates from at least three firms to figure out the right system for your home, at the right cost. He says, "It's really important you take enough time to make the right choice. It's not unusual to find differences of two to three thousand dollars from firm to firm, so well worth spending a little time getting some advice." And that advice will pay off when the temperature starts rising.
For more information on the Consumers' Checkbook, which is a subscription service, follow this link. For more information on Olympic Heating, the company profiled in this story, click here.
