Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Questions about FurnaceCompare.com

Question: Where do I buy a furnace directly from a distributor?

FurnaceCompare.com does not sell heating and cooling equipment directly to the consumer. The simplest reason for that is that we’re an information provider rather than a retailer: our readers might be concerned that we had a hidden bias if we were selling a particular brand of equipment.

We have a second set of concerns as well:

• Determining the correct size (capacity) of equipment is critical to having your equipment run quietly and efficiently. That estimate requires a complicated and time-consuming set of measurements and calculations. Those could certainly be completed by a homeowner, but you need to be prepared to invest some time and money.
• Matching an air conditioner and a furnace, or an air conditioner and an air handler requires background knowledge that the average homeowner doesn’t have.
• Many manufacturers will only stand behind their warranties if the equipment is purchased by a licensed HVAC contractor.
• In many states you need to be a licensed HVAC contractor to install central heating and cooling equipment.

We generally recommend that consumers get quotes from at least 3 licensed heating / cooling contractors, and that they then hire one of those contractors to purchase and install their equipment.