Making a wise contractor choice takes plenty of time and homework
Edgar Dworsky is an extremely thorough shopper, but even he was astounded at the amount of homework he had to do to hire a contractor to install a new furnace, air conditioner, and water heater at his Somerville home.
Dworsky, the editor of Consumerworld.org and a former official with the state Office of Consumer Affairs, started his hunt for appliances in mid-August, when winter seemed far away, but the installation wasn't fully completed until last week.
He expected to interview three, maybe five, contractors, but he ended up talking to 12. He started the process thinking the job would cost about $7,500, but the estimates he received ranged from roughly $10,000 to $26,000.
"I had to become a heating and air conditioning expert in order to decipher the equipment, the choices, and evaluate the expertise of the contractors," Dworsky said. "I don't know how the casual shopper could deal with the complexity of making all these choices."
Barry Schwartz, a professor of social theory and action at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and the author of "The Paradox of Choice," says Dworsky's dilemma is common today. Whether it's choosing a contractor, a vacation destination, or a job, Schwartz said, people have too many options.
All too often, Schwartz said, people hunt for the best contractor, the best vacation spot, or the best job. His research indicates they end up either being paralyzed, unable to decide which option is the best, or they make a selection that leaves them miserable because no choice is ever the best in every way.
Schwartz advises consumers not to strive for the best. "Good enough is almost always good enough," he said. "The pursuit of the best doctor, the best contractor, or the best vacation is a fool's errand."
Dworsky's furnace and air conditioner were 19 years old, and his water heater was nine years old. They all worked, but inefficiently. He estimated the 137,000 BTU furnace was 73 percent efficient and had difficulty heating his 2,000-square-foot home. He said his 50,000 BTU air conditioning unit cost as much as $2 an hour to run in very hot weather, so he often relied on room air conditioners.
He began the replacement process by checking equipment ratings in Consumer Reports. He then migrated to equipment manufacturer websites and HVAC-talk.com, where he learned the importance of hiring a good installer and the need for that installer to do a Manual J. A Manual J is a calculation of a home's heat loss and heat gain. It's used to determine what size of furnace and air conditioner a home needs.
Dworsky decided to buy a high-end Rheem or Trane furnace, a low-end air conditioner, and a Rinnai tankless water heater. Tankless water heaters often cut energy costs by using a high burst of energy to heat water as it's needed. By contrast, a standard hot water tank continuously heats the water so it's ready when needed.
In selecting a contractor, Dworsky reviewed the recommendations of Angie's List, which develops rankings based on member reviews, and Consumers Checkbook, which combines consumer reviews and its own research. He said the rankings were often contradictory.
ServiceMagic.com gave him five contractor referrals. He also obtained contractor names from manufacturer websites and manufacturer representatives. He checked each contractor with the Better Business Bureau and also asked whether their technicians were certified by North American Technician Excellence. He did not check references, largely because he didn't think contractors would refer him to someone with an objective viewpoint.
Dworsky's notes and comments about the contractors he interviewed are sprinkled with phrases like "nice but not knowledgeable," "idiot," and "too slick." He said evaluating contractors isn't easy. "The guys who know nothing sound very similar to the guys who know a lot if you haven't done your homework," he said.
Relatively few of the contractors checked his gas line, which wasn't big enough to service the equipment he was installing. Few did the Manual J calculation. "I had to twist arms and still many wouldn't do it," Dworsky said.
Equipment size recommendations were all over the map. Air conditioner recommendations ranged from 42,000 to 60,000 BTUs, while furnace proposals went from 90,000 to 120,000 BTUs. He eventually settled on a 48,000 BTU air conditioner and a 100,000 BTU furnace.
Dworsky says one contractor refused to mail, fax, or tell him his bid on the phone because he believed another personal meeting would seal the deal. KeySpan Energy Delivery initially didn't return his phone calls and later, after a salesperson did come to his house, failed to follow up with a written bid.
Dworsky says he fell in love with the contractor from A&E Commercial Air of Billerica, who cared about his work and had all the right answers. But his bid was $15,800 and didn't include work that could bring the price to about $17,000. "Unfortunately, I fell out of love quickly," Dworsky said. A&E could not be reached for comment.
Total Temperature Control of Wakefield, a company that has worked with Bob Vila and "This Old House," gave the most professional presentation and the most comprehensive bid, according to Dworsky. But the price tag was a whopping $25,000.
"We are extremely thorough in what we do," said John J. Ambrosino , the company's president.
With the 12th contractor, Dworsky said, he found the balance he was hoping for. Bob Gosselin , the installation manager for Correct Temp of Methuen, focused on the key issues, gave all the right answers, and bid $13,615, a total that may end up $2,000 lower with rebates and federal energy credits.
"A lot of guys don't like working with a guy like Edgar, but I like it. I like an educated consumer," Gosselin said. "But he's definitely extreme."
Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com. 