An HVAC job is a four-figure decision you will live with for 15 to 25 years, and the difference between a good one and a bad one is rarely visible on the day the work is done. It shows up two winters later, when the furnace short-cycles, or three Julys later, when the AC cannot hold temperature. The checks below are how you tell the difference before you sign — and the first one is the one most Fort Collins homeowners get wrong.
The eight checks are:
- The licence check that most people get wrong
- The written, itemised quote
- The load calculation
- References, reviews and the permit record
- Rebates, in writing
- Equipment and scope
- After-install support
- Second opinions
1. The licence check that most people get wrong
Colorado has no state HVAC licence. The state licensing body, DORA, licenses only electricians and plumbers at state level. HVAC is licensed locally, and in Fort Collins that means the City of Fort Collins. A contractor doing HVAC work here needs a City contractor licence — the HVAC classes are HVAC(R), HVAC(C) and HVAC(RR), plus a separate Refrigeration licence — earned with the ICC G29 exam and three project verifications, at $300 for a new licence and $225 to renew, along with a City Business License and $2,000,000 in general aggregate insurance.
So the check is not “show me your Colorado HVAC licence” — there is no such thing, and anyone who shows you one is showing you something else. The check is: ask for the City of Fort Collins licence type and number, and ask whether the person doing the refrigerant work holds EPA Section 608 certification, the federal credential for handling refrigerant. Then verify the licence with the City. A legitimate company will give you the type and number without hesitation; a company that leans on a vague “licensed and insured” line without naming which licence is the one to be wary of. Also ask for proof of insurance, and confirm the company — not you — pulls the mechanical permit for replacements, through the City’s Accela portal.
2. The written, itemised quote
Get the quote in writing, itemised: equipment, labour, permit, venting, condensate work, thermostat and haul-away as separate lines, so you can see what each part costs. A single lump number hides the scope, and scope is where quotes differ by thousands in this market — a Fort Collins furnace install runs $7,000–$10,000 for ultra-low-NOx models (Lion, Fort Collins, 2026), and the spread between quotes is usually the permit, the venting and the commissioning, not the box. Ask what is included and what would cost extra if the first fix does not solve it. And be wary of any company that demands full payment upfront before work starts; staged payment tied to milestones is the normal shape of a legitimate job.
3. The load calculation
Ask for a Manual J load calculation — by name. Fort Collins sits at 5,003 feet, where a gas furnace derates about 12% and an AC loses roughly 10–20% of sea-level capacity, so a system sized from a rule of thumb or from sea-level ratings is effectively undersized here. A company that sizes by square footage alone, or by “the same size as the old one,” is guessing. The old one may have been wrong for thirty years.
4. References, reviews and the permit record
Read the reviews, but read them for specifics: named problems, named neighbourhoods, and whether the company came back when something was not right. A 5.0-star rating across 23 Google reviews, all five-star, is a strong signal — but the content matters more than the count. One of our customers, Peter Ambrose, wrote: “Professional, reliable, honest, and friendly service. Owner operator was top level with his knowledge and skill. Dennis runs a solid business that I most definitely highly recommend.” That is the kind of specific, verifiable account to look for. Also ask whether the company’s past permit work is on record with the City — a contractor with a clean permit history is a contractor the inspectors know.
5. The remaining checks
Rebates, in writing. Ask which rebates apply to your job and who files them. As of November 2026, live money is heat-pump rebates through Efficiency Works / Fort Collins Utilities and Xcel (for Xcel gas customers), plus the $1,000 Colorado state heat-pump tax credit with at least $333 passed to the customer. The federal 25C/25D credits ended after 31 December 2025 and Xcel’s furnace rebate was removed on 1 January 2026 — any company still promising either for a 2026 install is working from stale information. Equipment and scope. Ask what efficiency and capacity you are actually getting, and what happens if the system does not heat or cool the house as promised. After-install support. Ask what is covered in writing after the install, and for how long, and who you call if something goes wrong at 2 a.m. Second opinions. On any quote over a third of the cost of a new system, get a second opinion — a trustworthy company will itemise the other quote rather than dismiss it. And if you are comparing a repair against a replacement, ask for both numbers in writing, so the decision is about the house, not about pressure.
Get help with HVAC in Fort Collins
Use the eight checks above on every company you call — including us. DNA Refrigeration Heating & Cooling serves Fort Collins homes and businesses, open 24 hours, 7 days a week — call (970) 932-2324. If you want to see what other customers say first, see our reviews: we hold a 5.0-star rating across 23 Google reviews, all five-star.