Hire From the Scope, Not From a Story
Heat Pump Network does not publish reviews it cannot source. Do not treat an anonymous quote, a star rating, or a neighborhood anecdote as evidence. Ask for the license, the insurance certificate, and a scope written for the building.
Installed price depends on the building, the zones, and the electrical work. Ask Heat Pump Network about an installer in New York City for a written quote.
Incentive amounts are not in this guide. They are on the official Con Edison and NYSERDA pages, copied with those URLs in the NYC heat pump rebates guide.
License
Ask for the New York City Department of Buildings license number and confirm it with the Department. Check that the license is active, that the name matches the business on the quote, and that the electrical work is being done by someone licensed to do it. If a subcontractor is doing the electrical work, the quote should name that subcontractor.
A license number on a truck is not the same as a license you looked up. Write down the number you checked and the date you checked it.
Insurance
Ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts.
- Certificate of insurance: current dates, the installer's name, and the coverages the building asked for.
- The building on the certificate: the address of the work, or a written statement that the carrier will add it.
- Current term: a certificate from an older project is not proof for this one.
- Exclusions: read whether roof work, hoisting, or the equipment type is excluded.
This guide does not print a minimum dollar limit. The building, the board, or the lender may require one. Use their number, and do not invent a citywide minimum.
The Written Scope
A usable quote can be lined up against another quote because both answer the same questions.
- Scope of work: model, capacity, and location of each piece of equipment.
- Pricing: the total, with equipment, labor, permit, and electrical work separated.
- Timeline: the start, the end, and the daily hours the building allows.
- Permits: who submits, who pays, and what "filed" will look like.
- Materials: brand and model, not a category name alone.
- Warranty: manufacturer warranty and labor warranty, in writing.
- Payment: when money is due, written as dates or milestones, not a slogan.
- Cleanup: who removes the old equipment and the debris.
- Changes: how a change to the scope changes the price.
- Insurance: the certificate, attached or promised before the start date.
If a line says the price includes "everything," ask for the list. Everything that is not listed is not included.
Co-ops, Condos, and Rentals
Management often has its own packet. Ask for that packet instead of guessing the steps. Typical items, when the building actually requires them, are a placement drawing, proof of insurance, a work-hour window, and notice to the super. The board's fee, if it has one, is whatever the board writes down. Do not budget a fee you have not seen.
A renter needs the owner. An apartment owner in a larger building may still need the board for an outdoor unit. Get that approval in writing before equipment is ordered.
A one- to four-family building is also the dwelling type NYSERDA names for EmPower+. A larger building is a different path. Confirm which one you are in before you apply. The amounts and the document list are in the incentives guide.
Con Edison's Installer Rule
Con Edison says you must work with a Participating Contractor to qualify for its air-source heat pump incentive. You can choose from Con Edison's list, or the installer can apply to become a Participating Contractor. The rebate, when the project qualifies, is subtracted on the invoice. That rule is on the Con Edison page cited in the rebates guide. It is not a promise that every installer on a list is the right one for the building. Read the scope anyway.
EmPower+ works through the contractor the program names after the application is approved. That is NYSERDA's step, described on its EmPower+ page. It is not a match arranged by this website.
Permits
When the work needs a permit, the installer should record it with the NYC Department of Buildings and show you the filing before the crew starts. Ask who is the applicant of record. Ask what happens if the filing is objected to. This guide does not print a review time, because no Department of Buildings processing clock was fetched for this page.
Ratings and the Old Heating Plant
Ask the installer to name the equipment and to show the rating that matters for this building. The thresholds ENERGY STAR and NEEP publish are in heat pumps for the New York City climate. Do not accept a verbal "it is a cold climate unit" without the model number.
If the building has steam, decide in writing whether the boiler and the radiators stay. That decision changes the scope. The emissions rules for large buildings are in heat pumps and steam heat.
Questions Worth Asking
- Will you list every zone and the room it serves?
- Who submits the Department of Buildings permit?
- Who does the electrical work, and what is their license number?
- Is a Con Edison or EmPower+ incentive on this invoice, and which published amount is it?
- What does the labor warranty cover, and for how long, in the contract itself?
- Where does the outdoor unit go, and who has approved that location?
A clear answer you can record is better than a fast answer you cannot.
What to Ignore
Ignore a price with no model number. Ignore a rebate that is not a line on the invoice or on the program's own page. Ignore a story about another building unless you can call that building and the scope was the same kind of work. Ignore any claim that a result is certain.
Ask Heat Pump Network about installers in New York City.