How do I actually compare HVAC quotes?
This is the quote-comparison framework — not a price spreadsheet. Line up any two bids on five axes and the 'cheaper' one frequently stops being cheaper: how the size was determined (load calculation vs guess), what scope is included (permits, venting, electrical, disposal), which equipment tier exactly, what labor warranty backs it, and who files the rebates on your utility territory. Seattle City Light instant discounts apply at purchase through qualifying dealers; PSE conversion rebates require network-qualified installers from April 2026 — price is the fifth question, not the first.
The quick answer
- Sizing method first: a Manual J load calculation, or a square-footage guess?
- Scope lines: permit, venting/code corrections, electrical, disposal, condensate — in or out?
- Warranty layers: manufacturer parts (registered?), labor term, workmanship guarantee
- Rebates: who confirms eligibility and files — and is the install network-qualified?
The five-axis comparison
Sizing: ask each bidder how they arrived at the capacity. 'Matched the old unit' and per-square-foot rules are guesses; a load calculation is math. Bids differing by a ton didn't measure the same house.
Scope: permits (required in every jurisdiction we work), code corrections, venting, electrical, disposal, and — on heat pumps — the panel answer. A low bid that 'discovers' these later isn't low. Equipment: exact model numbers, not 'high-efficiency system'; tiers within a brand differ by thousands. Warranty: parts term (and who registers it), labor term, workmanship policy. Rebates: named programs with who-files clarity — and from April 2026, PSE rebates require network-qualified installers, so 'you can apply' may quietly mean 'you can't.'
Local housing stock shows up in scope gaps: pre-war Ballard and Wallingford homes often need flue-liner or condensate routing called out; Eastside 1990s tract homes may need duct sealing at replacement; SCL vs PSE determines whether the rebate line is an instant discount or a post-install filing. A bidder who never asked which utility serves the address hasn't finished the job description.
Using a second opinion properly
A second opinion isn't about finding a lower number — it's about finding out what the first number means. Ours is free on replacement quotes: we'll check the sizing math against the house, flag scope gaps, verify the rebate claims, and tell you plainly if the bid is solid. Sometimes the verdict is 'take that bid, it's good.' That answer costs us a sale and builds the reputation we've run on since 1938 — we'll live.
Bring the competing bids, your utility account (SCL vs PSE changes the rebate worksheet), and your timeline. A second opinion on a heat-pump quote for a pre-war home without a panel answer is half a conversation — we'll ask for the electrical scope or price it ourselves before comparing equipment lines.
This is a framework page, not a bid-ranking table — the goal is identical scope and identical sizing math before you compare bottom lines. Two 'identical' heat pumps at different prices usually differ on labor warranty, rebate filing, or a venting line someone hid in the footnotes.
Red flags that end a bid's credibility
A price over the phone for a replacement, sight unseen. Pressure theater: today-only discounts, 'my manager approved this just now,' a countdown clock on a four-figure decision. Federal tax credit promises for 2026 installs — the 25C credit ended for equipment placed in service after 2025, and a bidder who doesn't know that is telling you something about the rest of the bid.
And the vague-scope special: one line, one price, 'everything included.' Included is a list, not an adjective. If asking for the list changes the price, you've learned what you needed to.
Panel and stay-horizon blind spots are red flags too: any heat-pump bid on a pre-1980 home that never mentions electrical capacity, or any replacement pitch that assumes you'll live there fifteen years when you're already interviewing realtors. Good contractors ask both questions early; bad ones hope you won't until the deposit clears.
Shopping this framework like a price-comparison table — sorting bids by bottom line before identical scope — is how 'cheapest' becomes most expensive by March.
Questions Seattle homeowners ask
How many quotes should I get?
Two or three thorough ones beat five phone guesses. What matters is that each bidder actually measured the house — after the second real load calculation, you'll know your home's numbers well enough to smell the bids that skipped it. In Greater Seattle, also confirm each bidder knows your utility territory and whether they're PSE network-qualified for conversion rebates — a third 'cheap' quote that can't file the rebate isn't cheaper.
Why do quotes for 'the same system' differ by thousands?
Usually because they aren't the same system: different tiers behind similar-sounding names, different scope lines (permits, venting, electrical), different sizing, different warranty terms. Occasionally it's overhead differences or a bid designed to be shopped against. The five-axis comparison makes the difference legible — and in our market, missing SCL vs PSE rebate handling alone can swing hundreds.
Is the free second opinion really free? What's the catch?
Free on replacement quotes, yes — a sales visit, not a technician diagnostic (diagnostics are paid work). The 'catch' is transparent self-interest: some second opinions become our customers when the first bid doesn't survive scrutiny. When it does survive, we say so.
Should I just take the bid with the longest warranty?
Warranty is one axis, and verify which layer got longer — 'ten-year warranty' usually means manufacturer parts (standard when registered), not labor. A modest-warranty bid from a shop that's been answering its phone since 1938 can out-insure a long paper warranty from a shop that may not see year three. On heat-pump bids, also confirm who registers the equipment for the extended parts term — that's often where 'warranty' differences actually live.
Continue exploring
How we know this
Checklist distilled from Glendale's free second-opinion reviews of Greater Seattle replacement quotes; rebate-network and tax-credit facts verified July 2026 (pse.com, irs.gov).
Reviewed by the Glendale Heating & Air Conditioning team · Last updated 2026-07-15
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