How We Work

Most HVAC companies have a “process” page that reads the same: Step 1, contact us. Step 2, we come out. Step 3, you’re a happy customer. That’s not a process — that’s a transaction.

Below is what actually happens when you hire Aegis Heating and Air, from the first phone call to the year-one check-in. Some of it is what every reputable contractor should do. Some of it is specific to how Patrick built the company in 2017 to fix the things that frustrated him about working for the larger shops on the valley. All of it is designed to remove the surprises that make HVAC projects feel adversarial — and to leave you with a system that performs the way we said it would, for as long as we said it would.

If at any point this process doesn’t match your experience with us, call Patrick directly at (385) 250-0687. He answers his own phone, and accountability stops at his desk.

Step 1 — The First Phone Call

Calls during business hours are answered live by Rachel or Marisol in our West Valley City office. Not a phone tree. Not a regional dispatcher reading from a script in another state. The person on the other end of the line can answer most questions on the spot and either book you on the schedule or — if your issue might be a thermostat with dead batteries or a tripped breaker — talk you through a 60-second troubleshoot before sending a truck. We’d rather save you a service call than pad our weekly numbers.

For service calls, we ask a few diagnostic questions on the phone:

What’s the equipment doing, or not doing?
How old is the system, and what brand?
What’s the address — so we can route the closest available technician?
Is this an emergency? (No heat sub-freezing, no AC in extreme heat, suspected gas leak, water leak from HVAC, or CO alarm activation get prioritized.)

For estimate requests, we schedule an in-home visit at a time that works for you, usually within 24–72 hours of your call.

Step 2 — The In-Home Diagnostic or Estimate

The technician who shows up at your door is the one your job is assigned to — not a sales rep who hands off to an installer. Mike Reyes and Dani Alvarez handle most diagnostic calls. Travis Hollings and Patrick handle most install estimates. Jordan Whitmer is our specialist on ductless systems and older atmospheric furnaces. If you’ve worked with one of our technicians before and want them back, ask for them by name when you call.

For Diagnostic Calls

We don’t guess. Every diagnostic visit includes actual measurements, not vibes:

Static pressure across the air handler — tells us whether the duct system is delivering the airflow the equipment needs, or whether the unit has been quietly destroying itself for years against undersized returns
Refrigerant charge verification — superheat method on fixed-orifice systems, subcool method on TXV/EEV systems. Never by gauge pressure alone, which is how unscrupulous contractors “find” non-existent leaks
Combustion analysis on gas equipment — CO ppm, O2 percentage, flue gas temperature, draft pressure. The data plate on the back of the technician’s report tells you whether the heat exchanger is healthy or whether you need a different conversation
Electrical readings — capacitor microfarads against rated value, contactor voltage drop, blower motor amp draw against nameplate
Visual inspection — lineset routing, condensate drain pitch, gas line straps, flue clearances, electrical disconnect grounding

You’ll see the meter readings as we take them. We explain what we’re measuring and why. If a system needs a repair, you’ll know exactly which component failed and why before we quote it. If a system is at end-of-life, we’ll show you the math on repair-versus-replace — current repair cost, projected near-term repair costs, energy savings from a new system, and remaining equipment lifespan — so you can make the call with real numbers, not pressure.

For New System Estimates

Installation estimates take 45–60 minutes on-site for a typical residential project. We don’t quote off square footage from your driveway. Every estimate includes:

Manual J load calculation — performed on a laptop in your kitchen, accounting for your home’s actual envelope, window orientation, insulation values, and elevation-corrected for Salt Lake’s 4,300-foot altitude. Most contractors size off square footage. That’s how houses end up with 4-ton AC units on 1,800-square-foot homes that short-cycle for 12 years until the compressor fails early.
Existing equipment audit — measurement of current air handler dimensions, plenum sizes, return-air square inches, lineset diameter and length, refrigerant type, electrical service capacity, gas meter capacity, and flue/venting paths
Ductwork inspection — supply trunk size relative to system tonnage, return-air starvation check, accessible joint inspection for leaks, insulation condition
Discussion of equipment options — usually two or three tiers based on your priorities (lowest upfront cost, best efficiency, longest warranty, quietest operation), with the tradeoffs spelled out
Modeling of rebates and tax credits — Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart, Dominion Energy Therm-Wise, federal 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit — so the quote shows real net cost, not sticker price
Financing options if you want them — explained simply, with no pressure to use them if you don’t

The written quote arrives in your inbox within 24 hours. Every line item is broken out: equipment, materials, labor, permits, taxes, financing terms if applicable. No “miscellaneous charges.” No “professional services fee” that means whatever the contractor wants it to mean. If you find anything in the quote you don’t understand, call us and we’ll explain it.

Step 3 — Patrick Reviews Every Estimate

Before any quote leaves our office, Patrick reviews it. He’s looking for three things:

Did we size the equipment correctly? Oversizing is the most common HVAC mistake in this valley.
Did we miss any code issues — flue clearances, gas line capacity, return-air sizing, electrical service — that need to be addressed as part of the install?
Is the price fair? Not the cheapest. Fair. Cheap quotes usually mean someone is cutting corners on materials, labor, or both.

If Patrick has a concern about the quote, he calls the customer directly. This is rare — our techs are good at what they do — but it’s part of why every Aegis customer effectively gets a second set of eyes on their project at no additional cost.

Step 4 — The Service Agreement

If you decide to proceed, we send you a written service agreement. It specifies:

Exact scope of work, line-itemed
Specific equipment make, model, and specifications
Total project price, including taxes and financing if applicable
Payment schedule and terms
Estimated start and completion dates
Equipment manufacturer warranty terms
Aegis labor warranty terms (in writing, not “ask us later”)
Any conditions or contingencies

You sign — electronically or in person — and we lock in your install date. No verbal commitments, no handshake deals on $12,000 projects. Everything in writing protects both of us.

Step 5 — Pre-Install Coordination

Before your install date, Rachel or Marisol coordinates a few things behind the scenes:

Equipment ordering and delivery — most equipment is available within 3–7 days; specialty equipment (variable-capacity heat pumps, oversized commercial units, certain ductless configurations) may take longer
Permits — we pull all required municipal permits for the work. Permit fees are included in your quote.
HOA approvals — if you live in a community with HOA requirements for exterior equipment (heat pumps, condensers, lineset routing), we help you submit the required documentation. We’ve worked with most HOAs in the valley and know what each one needs.
Utility coordination — for gas line modifications, we coordinate any required Dominion Energy involvement
Install team assignment — Travis Hollings is our lead installer on most residential work; Cole Bennett on ductless and tight-retrofit jobs; Patrick on larger residential and commercial projects

You get a confirmation 48 hours before your install date with arrival window, the crew assigned, and what to expect.

Step 6 — Install Day

The crew arrives within the confirmed arrival window. Drop cloths come out of the truck before tools do. Shoe covers go on at the door. The work area gets staged — old equipment removed and loaded for haul-away first, new equipment positioned, materials staged.

Most residential full-system installs are completed in one day. Some larger projects (ductwork modifications, ductless multi-zone systems, dual-fuel installs requiring new electrical or gas work) run two days. Commercial rooftop changeouts are typically scheduled around the business’s operating hours, often a weekend crane set.

During the install, our crew works to standards most homeowners never see — and that’s the part we care most about:

Lineset routing — straight, properly supported every 4 feet, sealed at both penetrations, no kinks or sharp bends that restrict refrigerant flow
Custom sheet metal fabrication — Travis fabricates plenums, transitions, and return drops on-site to fit your specific equipment. No tape-only joints; every seam is mastic-sealed.
Gas line strapping — every 6 feet on horizontal runs, properly grounded
Flue termination clearances — verified to Utah Mechanical Code for adjacent windows, fresh air intakes, and property lines
Condensate pitch — minimum ¼” per foot, supported, with proper drain trap
Refrigerant line preparation — flares torqued to manufacturer spec (½” SAE to 26 ft-lbs, ⅝” to 38 ft-lbs), nitrogen purge during brazing, vacuum pulled to 500 microns and held
Wiring — labeled, routed cleanly, secured to manufacturer specifications, low-voltage and line-voltage separated

Before the crew leaves, the work area is cleaned. Old equipment is hauled away. Drop cloths come up. Shop vac runs over the install area. You shouldn’t be able to tell we were there except for the new equipment.

Step 7 — Commissioning

An HVAC system isn’t really “installed” until it’s commissioned. Commissioning is where we measure whether the system is actually performing the way we promised it would. Every Aegis install is commissioned and documented:

Static pressure — measured at the air handler against equipment specification (typically 0.5″ w.c. for residential equipment)
Refrigerant charge — verified by superheat or subcool method, depending on system type, at the actual operating conditions of your home that day
Airflow — measured at each supply register and return grille if requested, balanced if needed
Combustion analysis on gas equipment — CO ppm at high-fire and low-fire, draft pressure, gas pressure at the manifold, temperature rise across the heat exchanger against manufacturer specification
Electrical readings — amperage draw on the blower motor and compressor against nameplate, capacitor microfarads at rated value
Thermostat configuration — staging programmed correctly for your equipment (single-stage, two-stage, modulating), heat pump balance point set, dual-fuel changeover temperature configured
System cycle test — heat call, cool call, fan-only, emergency heat (if applicable). Each verified to operate as designed.

You get the commissioning data emailed to you at job completion, along with photos of the finished install. If anything in the commissioning is outside spec, we don’t leave until it’s corrected.

Step 8 — Walkthrough and Handoff

Before we leave, the lead technician walks you through the new system in plain English:

How to operate the thermostat (especially if you’ve upgraded to a smart thermostat or a model with new staging logic)
Where the manual disconnects and breakers are
How to change filters, how often, and what filter to buy
What the manufacturer warranty covers, what our labor warranty covers, and how to claim either one
What seasonal maintenance schedule we recommend
Common questions you might have in the first few weeks

You also get a written packet — installation paperwork, manufacturer warranty registration confirmation, our labor warranty in writing, commissioning data, photos of the finished system, and a list of every component installed with serial numbers.

Step 9 — Warranty Registration

Most major HVAC manufacturer warranties require registration within 60 to 90 days of installation. Miss the window, and a 10-year warranty becomes a 5-year warranty. We register every warranty on your behalf within a week of install, send you the confirmation, and keep a copy in your customer file in case there’s ever a dispute years down the line.

We also file applicable rebate paperwork on your behalf — Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart for qualifying high-efficiency equipment and smart thermostats, Dominion Energy Therm-Wise for qualifying high-efficiency furnaces and combination systems. Most rebate checks arrive in 6–10 weeks.

Step 10 — 30-Day Check-In

About 30 days after your install, Marisol calls or emails to check in. The questions are simple:

How is the system running?
Are there any operational questions that have come up?
Is the thermostat behaving the way you expected?
Anything we should come back out to address?

If there’s an issue — a noise that wasn’t there at install, a temperature differential between rooms, a thermostat setting that doesn’t seem right — we schedule a follow-up visit at no charge. This is part of the install, not a separate service.

Step 11 — Ongoing Maintenance and Year-One Tune-Up

Your first seasonal maintenance visit is typically included with most install packages. We’ll schedule it at the appropriate time — fall furnace check for a heating-season install, spring AC check for a cooling-season install. Subsequent maintenance is available either pay-as-you-go or through our maintenance plans, which include twice-yearly tune-ups, priority emergency scheduling for plan members, and discounts on parts and repairs.

Most manufacturer warranties require documented annual professional maintenance to remain valid. If you skip maintenance and a major component fails in year 7, the manufacturer can — and often will — deny the warranty claim on the grounds of inadequate maintenance. We don’t push maintenance plans because they’re good business for us; we push them because they’re the cheapest insurance available on a $10,000–$18,000 system.

What This Process Costs You in Time

Phone call to schedule: 5–10 minutes
Estimate visit: 45–60 minutes on-site, plus a 24-hour wait for the written quote
Signing the agreement: 10 minutes by email or in person
Install day: One day for most residential projects; you don’t need to be home if you’ve authorized work, but most homeowners prefer to be present
Walkthrough: 15–20 minutes at job completion
30-day follow-up: 5-minute call

Total customer time investment for a typical residential install: roughly 2–3 hours over the life of the project, plus install day itself.

What Sets This Process Apart

Real measurements at every step. Static pressure, superheat/subcool, combustion analysis, amp draws — not eyeballing the equipment and quoting from intuition.
Manual J load calculations on every install. Most contractors don’t. Most homes get oversized equipment as a result.
Patrick reviews every quote. Built-in second opinion from a NATE-certified contractor with 18+ years of experience.
Line-item written quotes. No “miscellaneous” line items. No surprise charges on the invoice.
No commission-based sales pressure. Our technicians aren’t paid on what they sell. They’re paid for diagnostic accuracy and customer retention.
Commissioning data emailed to you. You have the measurements that prove your system is performing to spec. Useful for warranty claims, useful for the next contractor years from now, useful if you ever sell the home.
30-day post-install check-in. Included in the install. Most contractors disappear after the invoice clears.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a typical HVAC installation take from first call to install completion? For a typical residential furnace or AC replacement, the timeline is usually 7–14 days from your initial phone call to completed install. That covers the estimate visit (within 24–72 hours), the 24-hour quote turnaround, your decision time, equipment ordering (3–7 days for standard equipment), and the install day itself. Emergency replacements during peak heating or cooling season can sometimes be expedited; specialty equipment installs can run longer. What’s a Manual J load calculation and why does it matter? Manual J is the industry-standard method developed by ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) for calculating the actual heating and cooling load of a specific home. It accounts for the home’s square footage, window type and orientation, insulation values, infiltration rate, internal heat gains, and local design temperatures. A properly sized Manual J calculation produces equipment recommendations that match the home’s real load — not a rule-of-thumb estimate based on square footage alone. Oversized equipment short-cycles, fails to dehumidify properly, costs more to operate, and wears out faster. At Salt Lake’s 4,300-foot elevation, accurate sizing matters more than at sea level because thinner air affects equipment capacity. Why do you measure static pressure during a service call? Static pressure across the air handler is the single best diagnostic indicator of duct system health. Manufacturer specifications for most residential equipment call for total external static pressure of around 0.5″ w.c. If we measure 0.8″ or 1.0″ w.c., the duct system is restricting airflow — usually due to undersized return air, a dirty filter, kinked flex duct, or undersized supply trunks. High static pressure causes blower motors to fail early, reduces system efficiency, and prevents proper refrigerant charge. Most contractors skip this measurement. We never do. What happens if you find unexpected problems during the install? If we discover something during the install that wasn’t visible during the estimate — a damaged section of return duct, a non-compliant gas line, a corroded flue, an undersized electrical disconnect — we stop and provide a written add-on quote before proceeding. You decide whether to authorize the additional work. We never add charges to your invoice that you didn’t authorize in writing. The original written quote is the price you pay for the original scope. What’s commissioning, and why does it matter? Commissioning is the set of measurements taken at install completion that verify the system is actually performing to design specification. It includes static pressure, refrigerant charge, airflow, combustion analysis on gas equipment, amp draws, and thermostat staging configuration. Without commissioning, a brand-new system can leave the contractor’s hands with an undercharge of refrigerant, an oversized filter restricting airflow, or a combustion setup producing elevated CO — none of which are visible from the thermostat. We commission every install and email you the documented measurements. That data is also useful for future warranty claims and for any contractor who works on the system years from now. Will the same crew that estimated my job also install it? The lead person on your estimate isn’t always the same person who runs the install crew, but the assignment is deliberate, not random. Patrick or Travis typically handle install estimates. On install day, Travis or Cole lead the residential install crew; Patrick is on-site for larger residential installs and commercial projects. We post the assigned crew to you in your 48-hour install confirmation so there are no surprises about who’s showing up. Do I need to be home during the install? Most homeowners prefer to be home for at least part of the install — particularly for the walkthrough at completion. It’s not required if you’ve authorized us to work in your absence (usually documented in the service agreement). For commercial work, building access arrangements are coordinated in advance with property management. If you can’t be present, we can email you commissioning data and the system walkthrough via video.

Ready to Start the Process?

Whether you need a diagnostic on a system that’s misbehaving, an estimate on a new install, or a second opinion on a quote you’ve received elsewhere, the process starts with a phone call.

Phone: (385) 250-0687
Email: info@aegisheatingandair.xyz
Address: 4454 Manhattan Ct, West Valley City, UT 84120

Office Hours

Monday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Holidays: Closed (emergency line monitored)