If you've searched for an HVAC contractor lately, you've probably noticed the same few things: flashy trucks, "today only" discounts, and reviews that all sound a little too polished. Somewhere underneath that is a real decision: who's actually going to be in your basement or on your roof, and whether they'll still answer the phone if something goes wrong in February. Here's what's actually worth checking before you sign anything.
New Hampshire doesn't require a single blanket state license for general heating and cooling work the way some states do, so "licensed" can mean different things depending on what work is being done. What the state does regulate:
In practice, that means "are you licensed?" isn't quite the right question. Ask specifically whether the technician working on your gas equipment holds the relevant state license, and whether the business itself is registered and insured (general liability at minimum, workers' comp if they have employees). A contractor who answers that clearly and specifically is a better sign than one who just says "yep, we're licensed" without elaborating.
A 5.0 rating with three reviews tells you nothing. A handful of things worth looking for instead:
A verbal "it'll run you around $X" isn't a quote. It's a guess. Before work starts, you should have something in writing that breaks out equipment, labor, permits, and any add-ons separately. If a company won't put a number in writing until after you've committed, that's worth pausing on.
This one's newer, and it's worth asking directly: is the company still owned by the people who founded it, or has it been acquired by a private-equity-backed consolidator? Roll-ups have bought up a large share of HVAC companies nationally over the past several years, sometimes keeping the original name and trucks, which makes it hard to tell from the outside. That ownership structure isn't automatically bad, but it does tend to change incentives: technician pay is often tied more heavily to what they sell, staff turnover tends to be higher, and the person quoting your job may not be the one who's still around if something needs follow-up. If it matters to you, it's a fair question to just ask outright.
Ask which manufacturers a contractor is authorized to install, and whether they carry manufacturer-specific certifications (rather than just "we can work on anything"). This matters for two reasons: certified installers are often required for the full manufacturer warranty to apply, and it tells you the company has a real relationship with the brands they're recommending, not just whatever's cheapest to source that week.
Most HVAC equipment comes with a manufacturer's parts warranty, but labor warranties are separate and vary a lot by contractor. Some offer one year, some offer much longer. Ask specifically: how long is the labor warranty, and does it require you to keep paying for annual maintenance visits to stay valid? That detail is easy to miss and can matter a lot a few years down the road.
A furnace dying in January or an AC unit failing during a heat wave isn't something that can wait a week. Ask directly what a contractor's actual response time looks like for emergency calls, and whether that changes on nights, weekends, or holidays.
None of this is complicated, but it's easy to skip when you're standing in a cold house wanting the problem solved today. A few extra questions up front is usually the difference between a good experience and a frustrating one. If you're in Rockingham County and want to see how Oasis stacks up against this list, our FAQ section covers our own licensing, response times, and approach in detail, or you can just reach out directly.
