Astro Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc.

I have been using Astro Air since 1998… great and honest family run business that Ive trusted since day one. I met Nick from Astro after another competitor tried to gouge me out of $ 600 for a $ 150 fix. Nick has always been honest and fair and I dont get stressed out wondering if Im going to get financially raped for repairs I dont need. Astro air is my Go To AC company for peace of mind.

This is the final conclusion of my series of air conditioning companies reviews. I invited about 10 companies for bids to replace our aged heat pump system. Astro Air was one of two companies that did not try to outrageously inflate the price on their first bid (see my other reviews). Astro also did not try to make fake friends with me, or bring slippers to walk around in the house. Just some good old work boots! And that seems to be their attitude throughout. Solid work for a solid price. The bid was dead-​on and practically non-​negotiable since they knew it was a reasonable price, and so did I after all the research I did. They also did not include tax and TECO rebates on their bid (they did promise to file the TECO credit for me). Once they showed up to put in the system they did a very clean job. They had to remove part of a wall to get in the large new high SEER air handler, and even that looked professional after they were done. The appropriate permits were pulled without me having to remind them. The code upgrades were installed w/​o fuss (hurricane straps, drain emergency shut off switch etc…)
The best part was that their very reasonable price was for a Trane system, not Goodman or some other no-​name stuff (some of the very expensive bidders offered after some prodding overpriced Goodman installations instead of their «prime brand»…)
Of course it is difficult to know how things will hold up directly after installation. I will update this review accordingly should there be problems down the road. At this point, I’d say: Astro Air is as good as it gets!
Here some general remarks about buying a heat pump system based on my experiences during the last three months:
1) Absolutely try to avoid buying a new system when you really need it (like in August when it is really hot and humid). If you do that they have you over a barrel and the price will be very high. Replace the thing when it is 15+ years old and develops some symptoms. The newer systems will save you a few hundred bucks per year depending on your usage, i.e. it does not make sense to wait too long and risk an August emergency replacement (which may easily cost an unnecessary $ 2000!!).
2) Buy the new system in spring or fall when most of these companies are not very busy. This gives you maximum leverage for price negotiations.
3) Price: From conversations with the various bidders and online information I learned that a 4 ton system costs about $ 2,800 retail for the hardware (single stage compressor heat pump and variable speed air handler). The price varies by about plus/​minus $ 300 per ton from that 4-​ton value. Subtract about $ 300 for a 3-​speed air handler instead of variable speed. There appears to be not much difference (maybe $ 200) between «no name» and «name» brands (like Trane, Carrier etc…). The large price differentials often quoted by «reputable» installers are pure differential pricing tactics aimed at maximizing their profits.
Installations generally take one day and two people show up (i.e. there are about 16 man-​hours + overhead to pay for). The current rate for an installation runs about $ 1500 – 2000 depending on company and reputation. Add these two numbers, and a new 4-​ton installation should run maybe $ 4800 max. Add tax and a bit of money for warranty calls that the companies have to take into account, and $ 5200 – 5300 seem to be a reasonable and fair total price for both participants in the deal. Anything higher is price gauging.
4) Stay away from companies that directly incorporate tax credits etc. into their final price. This is not a good business practice, and points towards an aggressive business style. Taxes are your business not theirs.
5) Absolutely stay away from companies that connect you to a call center somewhere to handle the initial bid appointment. Such companies have way too much overhead, and you will pay for that.
6) Negotiate for at least two years of labor-​warranty on top of the 10 year standard parts warranty. This will allow you to try out the system for at least one of each summer and winter seasons. This gives some peace of mind.
7) Pay with a cash rebate credit card. Not only will you get some money back, but you also have the protection of a credit card company behind the deal. If it turns out the deal goes sour, you can claw the money back from the credit card company. With a check this is much more difficult, if possible at all.
8) Do some research about the company on line (Angie’s list, Better Business Bureau etc…). Unfortunately, it seems people much rather rave or diss a restuarant than contractors, and there is only scant info out there about most companies. Astro, for example has pretty much no ratings out there, while BBB rates them «A», but w/​o any specific info. I guess no news is good news in this case.
9) Make sure the system qualifies for the tax rebate.
Allright, I hope this helps-​good luck with your heat pump purchase. It is quite a zoo out there in contractor-​jungle