Comparing HVAC quotes in Markham
Three quotes for the same job routinely land thousands of dollars apart, and the usual reason is not that one contractor is cheaper. It is that the three are not quoting the same work. Metropolitan Heating and Air Conditioning has been quoting heating and cooling work across the GTA since 1979, Markham included, and this is how to read what you have been handed.
Call (416) 283-5698, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
A price without a load calculation is a guess
Equipment size should come from a heat loss and heat gain calculation for your specific house: floor area, insulation levels, window area and orientation, air tightness, ceiling heights, and how the space is actually used. That calculation produces a number in BTUs, and the equipment is selected to meet it.
The alternative — sizing from the capacity of the unit being replaced, or from square footage alone — carries forward whatever was wrong the first time. Oversized equipment short cycles, which means it reaches the thermostat setting quickly, shuts off, and in cooling never runs long enough to remove much humidity. You get a house that hits its number and still feels damp, plus more wear on the parts that start and stop.
So the first question for any quote is simply whether a load calculation was done and whether you can see the result.
What an itemised scope should contain
A quote you can compare names the work, not just the outcome. Look for:
- Exact model numbers for every piece of equipment, including the indoor coil on a cooling or heat pump job — not just a brand and a capacity.
- The capacity figure and what it was derived from.
- Efficiency ratings for the specific models quoted.
- Ductwork and venting: any transitions, plenum work, return modifications or flue changes the installation requires, stated as work rather than left implied.
- Electrical and gas: new circuits, disconnects, line sizing, gas line changes.
- Condensate handling, including a pump if the drain cannot run by gravity.
- The thermostat or control being supplied, by model.
- Removal and disposal of the old equipment and refrigerant.
- Permits and inspection, and who is responsible for arranging them.
- Commissioning: the start-up measurements taken and recorded once it runs — airflow, static pressure, refrigerant charge, gas pressure, temperature rise.
- Manufacturer warranty terms for the equipment and any registration requirement.
What makes two quotes incomparable
Once you have the itemised versions side by side, the gaps usually sit in a few predictable places.
Different equipment tiers. Single-stage, two-stage and variable-capacity equipment are genuinely different machines, and comparing a single-stage price to a variable-capacity price tells you nothing except that they are different.
Ductwork included or excluded. One quote absorbs the plenum and return work the installation needs; another leaves it out and raises it afterwards. That difference alone can account for most of a gap.
Line set reused or replaced. On a cooling change-out, whether the existing refrigerant lines are reused, flushed or replaced is a real cost difference and a real performance difference.
Matched or mismatched indoor and outdoor units. A condenser paired with an old coil will not deliver its rated efficiency, whatever the sticker says.
Permits and commissioning omitted. Neither is optional work; leaving them off a page does not remove them from the job.
Questions that separate the quotes
Ask each contractor the same four things and the answers will sort themselves: What load calculation produced this size? What ductwork does this installation need, and is it in this price? What measurements will you record at commissioning, and will I get them? What exactly does the manufacturer warranty cover, and what do I have to do to keep it?
Vague answers on any of these are the signal. The specifics are what you are buying.
How we quote
We size from the calculation rather than from the old unit, we itemise the work rather than the outcome, and we give you the options priced side by side instead of a single number. That applies to furnace replacement, air conditioning replacement and full system change-outs alike. Where a repair is still the reasonable answer, we will say so rather than quote a replacement. Financing is available through Vista.
Call (416) 283-5698, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or send us the details. Licensed and insured, all makes and models, including Carrier, Lennox, Napoleon, Trane, Bosch and Daikin. Markham is one of the places we cover — see the full service area.