DENVER GUIDE

What to ask before you hire heating and cooling help

The truck is available tonight, and the person on the phone has not asked what kind of equipment is in the closet. Hiring is a short list of questions, asked before anyone opens a panel. Who is coming, what they will inspect, whether a Denver permit is in the scope, and whether they can explain the furnace or boiler with elevation in mind.

By Mike Maziarz · Sources checked October 6, 2026 · How we write these guides

Who is actually coming

Ask whether the person on the phone is the person in the closet, and whether a subcontractor will appear instead. Ask for a name you can write down. A company can be legitimate and still send someone who cannot explain the equipment. You are allowed to ask how long that person has worked on the kind of system you have: furnace, boiler, or heat pump. You are not collecting a biography.

Ask what license or registration this scope requires in Denver, and whose name is on it. This page does not name a license class. Check the answer with the office that issues it, and with Denver Community Planning and Development if the work needs a permit. A number recited with confidence still has to match a record you can see.

Insurance is a question, not a vibe. Ask for a certificate if the job is large, and ask who it protects. You are not a claims adjuster. You are looking for a company that can produce the page without anger. If the answer is a joke, that is data.

The scope in one paragraph

Ask them to repeat the symptom you actually have, in order. A company that jumps to a new system before repeating 'the burner does not light' has skipped the visit. The written scope should say what they will inspect, what they are allowed to repair, and what they will not do without calling you. 'Whatever it needs' is not a scope.

Separate maintenance from repair from replacement. A seasonal visit that cleans and tests is one product. A repair of a named part is another. A replacement is a third. The seasonal maintenance list is what a tune-up should be willing to touch: filter access, a real heat or cool test, the drain, snow clearance, combustion safety. If they will not say which of those are included, you do not yet know what you are buying.

Ask what happens if they find a safety problem. A grown-up answer names shutting the appliance off and showing you why. A weak answer folds the safety finding straight into a same-day replacement signature. You can want the appliance off and still refuse the signature.

The elevation explanation

Denver sits about a mile above sea level. Ask whether they will look at this furnace or boiler and tell you, in plain words, if it is set up with that elevation in mind. You are listening for a willingness to explain after they see the appliance. You are not listening for a drill size over the phone.

If they mock the question, or answer with a universal rule that does not mention your cabinet, write that down. The right person can say 'I will check the setup and the burn and tell you what I find.' The wrong person changes the subject to a brand. Boilers and furnaces both deserve the question. A heat pump does not burn gas, so ask that contractor about cold-night behavior instead of a combustion orifice they should not be inventing.

The heat pump questions are the script when the outdoor unit heats: defrost, backup heat, and a long runtime that may be normal. Hire someone who will sort those before condemning the compressor. Ask them to say what backup this house has, electric or gas, after they look.

Match the trade to the complaint

Dry winter air, static, and a humidifier that may not have been opened since last year are not a refrigerant leak until someone measures something. If the complaint is dryness, say dryness. The indoor humidity notes keep that topic from turning into a cooling repair in January. A company that reaches for gauges first should be able to say why.

A cooling complaint in July is sun, airflow, and the outdoor coil before it is a new system. A no-heat complaint is the ignition sequence, the thermostat mode, and safety. Bring the notes you already took. A good visit starts faster when you can say what you heard. It does not start with you diagnosing the board.

Know the line you will not cross yourself. Filters, batteries, and snow clearance are house care. Gas valves, refrigerant, and safety switches are not. The do-it-yourself or call a pro page is the boundary to read before you hire, so you are not paying someone to undo a jumper you installed at midnight.

Paper, permits, and the price conversation

Ask who pulls the Denver permit if the scope changes equipment, and ask for the permit number when it exists. Neighboring cities do not share Denver's counter. If the house is in Aurora, Lakewood, or Arvada, say that city and expect a different office. A contractor who waves this off can still be asked to put the permit answer in the quote.

This site will not tell you a fair price. Ask how they charge for diagnostic time, after-hours response, and a return trip if a part must be ordered. Ask what warranty language covers parts and what covers labor. Read exclusions before you hear only 'warranted.' Compare two quotes only after they name the same work.

Xcel Energy may be the utility on the bill, and a red tag or a shutoff from the utility is not the contractor's invoice. If the gas is off, say so. The emergency number on the bill is for leaks, called from outside. Do not hire a company to 'check the smell' while you are still in the building.

What you keep when they leave

Ask for the findings in sentences: what failed, what they changed, what they only cleaned, and what you should watch. Ask them to repeat the elevation answer if combustion equipment was in the scope. Photograph the nameplate if they did not already. You should not need them in the driveway to remember the model.

A maintenance visit should leave the system testable by you in one plain way: you can raise the setpoint and hear a normal start, or you know why you should not. A repair should name the part. A replacement should name the permit status and what startup proved. If those sentences are missing, ask before the truck leaves. It is harder by email.

No review score on this page will pick the company. Scores are easy to fake and this site does not keep them. Your notes are the record: did they answer the questions, did the scope match the invoice, did the house do what they said it would do on the next cold night or the next hot afternoon.