Design temperatures at Johnstown/Cambria
NOAA's engineering weather data treats Johnstown/Cambria, a station about 6 miles east of the city at an elevation of 2,284 feet, as the nearest station to Johnstown. For that station NOAA gives a 99% winter design temperature of 6°F, and a 1% summer design temperature of 84°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 70°F.
Local history: the 1889 flood
When the South Fork Dam failed on May 31, 1889, the flood that swept Johnstown killed at least 2,209 people, the count set in a list printed about fourteen months later; the National Park Service says the true toll was probably well over 3,000.
What a careful estimate visit looks like
A new furnace, heat pump or air conditioner is often priced from a single visit, and what the estimator looks at during that hour shapes everything on the proposal. One useful way to judge a bidder is to follow along. The stops below are the places a thorough estimator can be expected to look, with the questions worth asking at each.
At the thermostat
Tell the estimator how the house is set during the day and at night, which rooms never feel right, and in which season. Ask whether the current thermostat suits the equipment being proposed, whether new wiring would be needed, and whether a replacement could show indoor humidity.
At the furnace or air handler
Ask the estimator to read the data plate aloud while you photograph it: model, serial number and capacity. Ask what condition the blower, burners or heat strips, and the filter rack appear to be in, and whether anything there changes the proposal. If the unit sits in a tight closet or a corner of the basement, ask how much room a technician will have for future service.
Along the ducts
Equipment can only move the air the ductwork allows. Ask whether the bidder will take a static pressure reading on the current system and put the number in writing. Ask what they see at joints and seams they can reach, how ducts running through unheated spaces are insulated, and whether the return side is large enough for the blower being quoted. Ask for duct sealing or repair as its own line, so it is priced apart from the equipment.
At the outdoor unit
Ask how old the current condenser or heat pump is and which refrigerant it uses. If it is staying, ask whether it is matched to the indoor coil being quoted. If it is being replaced, ask where the new unit will stand, what it will rest on, how far it will sit from windows and dryer vents, and where the electrical disconnect will be mounted.
In the attic and at the windows
Ask whether the estimator looked at attic insulation depth and at air leaks around the hatch, lights and plumbing stacks, or assumed them. Ask whether sealing and insulating first would change the size they recommend.
Back at the kitchen table: the capacity number
Every bid ends with a size. Ask how it was reached:
- Is the size based on a room-by-room heat loss and heat gain calculation, such as a Manual J, and will the report come with the proposal?
- Which outdoor design conditions went into the calculation, and from which source?
- Were window areas, insulation levels and air leakage measured, or estimated?
- How does the proposed capacity compare with the calculated load, and what happens to run times and moisture removal if the equipment is larger than needed?
Heating fuel and equipment choices
Ask each contractor to price every arrangement they are willing to install, so you can compare them on one page:
- A gas furnace with central air. Ask for the furnace's AFUE rating, whether the burner runs in one stage, two stages or modulates, and what kind of blower motor it has.
- A heat pump with backup heat. Ask for the maker's published heating capacity at low outdoor temperatures for the exact model, what form the backup takes, and what brings it on.
- A heat pump paired with a furnace. Ask at what outdoor temperature heating hands off from one to the other, who sets that point and whether you can change it.
For each, ask for an estimated yearly running cost worked out on your own utility rates, with the arithmetic shown.
Venting and carbon monoxide
For a high-efficiency gas furnace, ask where the plastic intake and exhaust pipes will leave the house, how far they will sit from windows, doors and the ground, and how they will be kept clear in snow. If the old furnace shared a chimney with a water heater, ask what happens to the water heater's venting once the furnace stops using that chimney. Ask for a combustion test and a carbon monoxide reading at start-up, written on the ticket, and ask where carbon monoxide alarms would help in your house.
Registration, permits and coverage
Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires every contractor who performs at least $5,000 of home improvements a year to register with the state Attorney General's Office.
When the estimator sits down with you, also ask:
- What is your Pennsylvania home improvement registration number?
- Which permits does the installation need, who pulls them, and will an inspector come out?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation? Your own insurer can help you read the certificate.
- Will your own employees install the system, or a subcontractor?
- How will the refrigerant in the old equipment be recovered?
Setting the proposals side by side
Before comparing totals, copy each bid onto a single sheet with the same rows: equipment model numbers, the AHRI reference for the matched indoor and outdoor pair, the calculated load, the heating arrangement and its controls, venting, duct work, the thermostat, haul-away of the old equipment, permits, start-up readings and the parts and labor warranties. A blank row is a question to send back to that bidder. Once every row is filled, the totals start to mean something.