ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s (ACCA’s) HVAC Quality Installation (QI) Specification is now available for industry review. In an effort to help consumers differentiate among contractors that profess that they do quality work, ACCA has created two consumer-focused documents that describe why QI is important. These documents have been reviewed and improved on by a number of ACCA committees.

The consumer pieces are in two forms, a QI ComforTool and a QI Checklist. The QI ComforTool is a shorter checklist meant to be used as a technician leave behind. As ACCA explains, technicians or sales staff can answer questions and explain to customers why they should choose the company for a new QI-compliant HVAC system. If more details or information are needed, the technician or sales staff can use the second tool or refer the consumer to ACCA’s Website. There the customer can download a more comprehensive version of the checklist.

A QI Checklist will eventually be made available to all parties interested. This extended checklist is meant to stand alone and consequently is much more self-explanatory. It provides a recommended usage method, greater background information on the QI standard, and key terms used in the checklist.

According to ACCA, many consumers compare competing contractors for different reasons. They are often looking for information, for someone they can trust, and they are seeking value, not necessarily the lowest price. The checklists have spaces for consumers who want to compare different contractors. Those contractors using the QI will have a tool to explain what the consumer should expect, detailing the features and benefits of each QI element. Before making the documents public, ACCA is looking for members to comment on them.

For more information, visit www.acca.org.

Publication date: 12/10/2007