Morgantown/Hart Field in NOAA's tables
NOAA's engineering weather data lists a station named Morgantown/Hart Field, at an elevation of 1,247 feet. For the Morgantown/Hart Field station, NOAA gives a 1% summer design temperature of 87°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 72°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 9°F. In an average year, NOAA counts about 236 hours at the Morgantown/Hart Field station with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F, and about 1,187 hours above 67°F.
Morgantown in Census QuickFacts
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts puts the population estimate for Morgantown at 30,293 as of July 1, 2025 (V2025).
Fix it, or start over?
A replacement conversation can begin with one failed part and a technician's view that the whole system should go. Before you agree, ask the same company for two written figures: one to repair the fault in front of them, and one to replace the equipment. Then put a few questions to them:
- What exactly failed, and how did you confirm it?
- Is the part in stock or easy to get, and what parts and labor coverage comes with the repair?
- What do the data plates on the indoor and outdoor units say about their age?
- Did you see wear anywhere else that shapes your advice?
- If I choose the repair, what should the next service visit look at?
A second company's opinion on the same fault costs you a visit. When the replacement figure is large, that visit can be money well spent.
A proposal, read one part at a time
A replacement proposal is easier to judge when you read it in order and stop at each part with a question. The parts below follow the shape a clear proposal can take. If a bid skips one, that gap is the first thing to raise with that company.
Who does the work
The top of the page names the company, the person answerable for your job and a way to reach them. Ask whether the people setting the equipment are the company's own staff or a subcontracted crew, and who on site can answer questions on install day.
Model numbers, piece by piece
Look for the complete model number of the outdoor unit, the indoor coil, and the furnace or air handler. A brand name or a tier name such as "premium" leaves too much unsaid. Ask for the AHRI reference number that covers the indoor and outdoor combination, and which efficiency ratings that listing carries. If the plan keeps your present coil or furnace, ask what rating applies to the pair as it will actually run.
How capacity was chosen
The size beside each model number should come with a reason on paper. Ask whether someone ran a room-by-room load calculation, whether the report comes with the bid, and which inputs were measured in your house instead of assumed: window areas, insulation depth, where the ducts run, how leaky the house is. If the new size simply copies the old label, ask what else supports it. Ask as well whether sealing air leaks or adding attic insulation first would change the answer.
Where the heat comes from
Ask each bidder to price, on separate lines, each heating setup it will install and later service. For a gas furnace, request the AFUE rating and whether the burner fires at a single rate, in stages, or modulates. For a heat pump, request the maker's published heating output at low outdoor temperatures for that exact model, how much electric backup is included, and what switches the backup on. For a heat pump teamed with a furnace, ask at what outdoor temperature control passes from one to the other, and who picks that point. For a room the ducts have never served well, ask whether a ductless head belongs in the price as an option. Have each line carry a yearly running-cost estimate built from the rates on your own bills, with the working shown.
Ducts and the return side
New equipment moves air through whatever ducts it is connected to. Ask what the estimator found on the runs within reach: open seams, crushed flex duct, bare duct in an attic or crawlspace. Ask whether a static pressure reading was taken, what it showed, and whether closed bedroom doors cut a room off from any return. Duct sealing, testing and new returns belong on their own priced lines.
Power and gas hookups
Ask whether the circuit and breaker feeding the outdoor unit suit the new equipment, where the disconnect will mount, and whether an electrician is part of the crew or hired in. With gas heat, ask how the gas connection gets leak tested and how the furnace will vent: into an existing chimney, with or without a liner, or through plastic pipe out a side wall. If plastic pipe, ask where it ends outside.
Where the water goes
A cooling coil makes water, and so does a condensing furnace. Ask where the drain line runs and where it ends, whether a pump is needed to lift it, and whether an overflow pan or float switch is included in the price.
Controls
Ask which thermostat comes with the job, whether it can show indoor humidity, how staging or backup heat will be set up, and whether someone will walk you through it before leaving.
Install day
Ask how long the house will be without heat or cooling, how floors will be protected, and whether the refrigerant lines will be replaced or reused. If reused, ask how they will be cleaned. Ask that the pressure test, the evacuation and the start-up readings be written on a sheet you keep, and how refrigerant in the old equipment will be recovered.
Permits and paperwork
- Which city permits does a replacement need, and who pulls them?
- Will an inspector visit, and does the final payment wait until the work passes?
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Can you send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before work begins? Your own insurer can help you read it.
Money and warranty
Check that the total is broken into equipment, labor, duct work, electrical work and any extras. Ask how large the deposit is and what each later payment is tied to. Ask who registers the equipment with the maker, what labor coverage the company puts in writing, and what could void either one. A maintenance plan, if offered, should appear as a separate choice, not folded into the price.
Side by side
Copy every proposal onto one sheet under the headings above. Blank spots go back to that company as questions, and the totals are worth comparing once each sheet is full.