Who is in the heating and cooling business
It may be easier to answer, "who is not in the heating business"? The answer may surprise you it is not the same old heating companies started and managed by families for years. But Greeley Furnace or formerly local furnace is still here. We were here when Greeley Gas was in the heating business; we have witnessed the utility companies and department stores such as Sears and Home Depot decide that they should be in the heating business. Remember "Wards Signature Service". Over the forty years of history we have had many one and two man shops start up with limited success. And we are still here providing the best technical knowledge, professionalism, and quality of workmanship available in the weld county area. While the big guys have dwindled away to companies only a fraction of the size they use to be we have continued to grow and be more successful every year and as the new round of businesses start up believing that is an easy way to make a living, we will continue to do what has worked in the past, a fair price for the highest of quality.The reason for so many new businesses and different types of business trying to enter the industry is due to the lack of necessary credentials needed to be in the heating business. Unlike the trades of plumbing and electrical where you need many years of work history to even take the test to do business in a state, the cities instead of the state license heating contractors and often give a test even a telephone repairman can pass and become a heating contractor, and the reason so many businesses fail is that unlike the criteria it takes to go into the business it takes a lot of technical knowledge of plumbing, electrical, electronics, psychometrics, "the study of air", combustion, heat transfer, thermodynamics and many more. So when a tradesman who is an expert in sheet metal starts up heating company and gets his first no heat call in the middle of the night, or when a service technician owned business needs ductwork installed or equipment sized for a job they find out that they are not as qualified as they thought they were. The answer is education and experience in many different areas. Yes education, the trades plumbing and electrical are taught in the field and therefore the apprentice programs for these trades, but the HVAC industry in areas such as psychometrics, thermodynamics, and the properties of combustion are taught in classroom settings, like an engineering degree it requires mathematical calculations and knowledge of many formulas, manuals, and charts. Many of the nation's trade schools and colleges teach degreed courses in HVAC and related disciplines, these are not seminars or correspondence courses but two year colleges that teach a very broad curriculum and educate individuals in the many areas listed above. Not to mention business ethics and management that is so important.
It is not only ok to ask your heating contractor what credentials he has but it is becoming more and more necessary. It is not uncommon to find the car salesman type or office personnel doing homeowner sales calls, or unqualified service people taking service calls that concern you and your family's safety. Can you imagine as a consumer you purchase a new home and not only does the heating system work so poorly that you are not comfortable in the winter, but many reputable HVAC contractors tell you that you cannot add air-conditioning because of the poorly designed ductwork. If that is not bad enough you find that the original contractor is no longer in the heating business, and was only in the business for three years during the building craze of the late nineties, was never educated, never did any service just made some good money for a few years and consequently no one is responsible. This did happen recently and more than once in Greeley's newest housing developments. It is not that different than finding out your eye doctor or accountant has no education or credentials and is incompetent.
Back to the original question, who is in the heating and cooling business? There are the big guys, and the little guys, and the just right guys the hometown full service HVAC contractor, such as Greeley Furnace, and we have the education, the degrees and experience you deserve.