InstaBidsIs my air conditioning quote complete?
Check for indoor and outdoor model numbers, a sizing assessment, duct work, exclusions, warranty, schedule, permit responsibility and a payment schedule: those are the contents of a complete written AC proposal; ENERGY STAR supports the equipment and assessment details; FTC guidance adds work, materials, completion date and price.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
Key facts
- ENERGY STAR recommends model numbers, schedule and warranty information in the written proposal.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
- ENERGY STAR recommends considering house size, insulation, windows, ducts and airflow when assessing a system.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
- The FTC says estimates should describe work, materials, completion date and price.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
- Section 489.126(2)(a) sets an initial-payment trigger, “as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price”, with permit and start deadlines and exceptions.
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
- Section 489.126(1) includes anyone performing, contracting or promising the work described in s. 489.105(3), without regard to licensure.
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
- Palm Beach's consumer checklist advises permit closeout before final payment.
Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.
What should a written air conditioning quote list?
Ask for the indoor and outdoor model numbers, equipment selection, installation tasks and warranty information in your written scope. ENERGY STAR recommends a written proposal specifying model numbers, schedule and warranty details, so attach those answers to the quote you compare.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
Use these questions to identify the equipment and installation tasks the bidder is offering; ask the contractor to resolve any diagnosis or sizing question.
| Quote line | Question to resolve in writing |
|---|---|
| Equipment | Which indoor unit, outdoor unit and thermostat are proposed? |
| Sizing assessment | What information or assessment will support the chosen capacity? |
| Distribution | Are existing ducts retained, assessed or replaced, and where does that work end? |
| Installation | Which connections, removal tasks and commissioning work are included? |
| Completion | What schedule, warranty documents and operating instructions will you receive? |
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
Ask for a separate answer where a bidder proposes replacing a component that another bidder intends to retain. Keep the response connected to the particular model or task, so a broad phrase about a complete installation does not stand in for an equipment list.
InstaBids gets you competitive written quotes without calls or home visits to bid; contractors never buy leads, and there is no fee during our pilot.
Post your requestFor a proposed split-system replacement, make an equipment pairing worksheet. Ask the bidder to place the indoor model and outdoor model on the same line and explain any retained component. Record the thermostat separately. Keep an alternative configuration in its own column until you have decided which installation you want others to quote.
Use the assessment discussion to identify unanswered questions rather than choosing capacity yourself. Ask what information is already available about the home and what the contractor still needs to examine. If the proposal relies on existing equipment information, request an explanation of how that information relates to the replacement recommendation.
An uncomfortable room needs its own entry in the request. Describe the room, the conditions under which you notice discomfort and whether you want the contractor to investigate it. Ask whether the response includes that investigation or only replacement of the cooling equipment. Keep the answer attached to the room, not buried in a general installation paragraph.
| Replacement question | Evidence or answer to request from the bidder |
|---|---|
| Which equipment is paired? | Indoor and outdoor model information shown together |
| What will happen to existing ducts? | A retained, assessed or replaced designation by area |
| What is included at the controls? | Thermostat model and setup responsibility |
| How will the installation be completed? | Proposed checks, handover and operating instructions |
| What remains undecided? | Specific assessment questions and the process for resolving them |
When a contractor changes the recommendation after assessment, ask it to identify the changed equipment and task list explicitly. Do not compare the revised response with an earlier equipment package until you have aligned the intended installation.
Which items are often left out?
Check the ductwork and assessment exclusions before assuming an AC quote covers the entire cooling problem. Treat these as questions to resolve, not a measured list of frequent omissions: ask what stays, what gets inspected and what would require a separate written proposal.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
ENERGY STAR recommends sizing in relation to the home's size, insulation and windows, plus duct checks for leaks and insulation and an airflow measurement. Ask the contractor when that assessment will happen and what information remains provisional in a remote equipment proposal.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
For a replacement request, ask about removal of the old units, access to the air handler, condensate work and thermostat setup. If one room is persistently uncomfortable, put that symptom in the scope rather than silently assuming equipment replacement includes diagnosing the room's airflow.
Mark a separate electrical alteration as a question for the bidder to assign. Request an explanation of who will handle it and whether the quotation includes it. Keep any proposed duct repair attached to a location rather than accepting an undefined allowance for duct modifications.
What should the payment terms say?
Read your payment schedule beside the equipment-order and installation stages, with the initial payment identified separately. Ask what document or completed task makes each later payment due, and keep any proposed timing change in the written agreement.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
An equipment-order payment and the installation start are different milestones. F.S. 489.126(2)(a) says a contractor who receives, “as initial payment, money totaling more than 10 percent of the contract price” for residential work must “Apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made” and “Start the work within 90 days after the date all necessary permits for work, if any, are issued”, unless it has “just cause” or the payer “agreed, in writing, to a longer period”. Ask how the equipment delivery date relates to those milestones.
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
Section 489.126(1) says “contractor” “includes all definitions as set forth in s. 489.105(3), and any person performing or contracting or promising to perform work described therein, without regard to the licensure of the person.”
Source: Florida Statutes section 489.126, read 14 October 2026.
Ask whether delivery, installation and completion are separate milestones in this proposal. Record what happens if an equipment substitution is proposed and how your written decision changes the schedule. Resolve that process before you treat a model list as settled.
Keep scheduling questions concrete. Ask when the existing equipment will be removed, when replacement equipment is expected on site and how the household will be told about interruptions. If access requires an association or another property's cooperation, ask who arranges that permission and how the proposed dates depend on it.
Does the quote say who pulls the permit?
Ask the AC bidder to name the person or business responsible for the permit application and inspections in your written scope. Give the property's exact jurisdiction and request a written explanation if the proposal treats the installation as not requiring a permit.
Palm Beach's contractor guidance advises making sure a permit is obtained when applicable and waiting for closeout before final payment. Use that as a completion question, not as a permit determination for every Broward or Palm Beach address.
Source: Palm Beach contractor directory, read 14 October 2026.
For an air-handler and condenser replacement, ask whether the application describes both pieces of equipment. If duct or electrical alterations are added, ask the contractor whether the application needs to reflect them. Keep the permit response with the final equipment schedule.
Florida's owner-builder disclosure in s. 489.103(7) says: “I may protect myself from potential financial risk by hiring a licensed contractor and having the permit filed in his or her name instead of my own name.” Ask for the permit to name the contracting business.
Source: Florida owner-builder disclosure, section 489.103(7), read 14 October 2026.
How does InstaBids work, in one paragraph?
Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contractors who take part estimate from your photos and a written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Source: How InstaBids works, read 14 October 2026.
Contractors in your trade see the scope card, your photos and your 5-digit ZIP code.
Source: How InstaBids works, read 14 October 2026.
Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.
How can I compare it with other written quotes?
Compare the equipment selection and installation boundaries before comparing the responses as a whole. Ask each bidder to identify the model numbers, duct work, assessment steps and warranty documents, with exclusions beside the task they affect rather than in an unexplained note.
Source: ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance, read 14 October 2026.
Source: FTC estimate and insurance checklist, read 14 October 2026.
Create a comparison sheet with a row for the indoor unit, outdoor unit, thermostat, ducts, condensate work, electrical interface, permit and completion documents. Mark each response included, excluded or unanswered. Ask about an unanswered line instead of deciding that a shorter quotation must include the same work.
If a bidder proposes a different capacity or retaining a component you expected to replace, request its explanation before comparing the proposal with the others. Update your scope only after deciding which project you want priced, and record the equipment package you want quoted.
For two competing equipment packages, separate the comparison into equipment pairing, distribution and installation. A model substitution may leave duct work unchanged, or the alternative may include a different duct assessment. Ask which is true before comparing the complete totals. Keep the indoor and outdoor identifiers together, and attach the bidder's explanation of retained components to that package alone.
If one proposal addresses an uncomfortable room and the other only replaces the units, bring that difference back to the requested outcome. Decide whether you are requesting investigation of the room in both offers. Record how each contractor intends to establish what work is needed, what information remains outstanding and which written response will follow the assessment. You do not need to choose the system capacity yourself to identify that the two offers answer different questions.
Use an equipment-package comparison when the model lists differ. Ask the bidders to fill the unanswered cells before deciding whether a difference is an alternative you want or a missing part of the installation.
| Difference between AC proposals | Question before comparison |
|---|---|
| Both units replaced versus an indoor unit retained | What equipment pairing is each contractor proposing, and what assessment supports retaining the existing component? |
| Existing thermostat versus new controls | Is setup and instruction included, and does either response leave a control decision unresolved? |
| Duct inspection versus duct replacement | Which areas are being examined or changed, and what information supports a replacement recommendation? |
| Equipment-only response versus comfort investigation | Does either offer include assessing the uncomfortable room described in your request? |
| Different capacity recommendation | What home assessment underlies the selection, and what remains provisional until that assessment occurs? |
| Different warranty description | Which equipment and installation documents will each contractor provide, and which promised terms need clarification? |
Keep your decision about the desired installation separate from the bidders' recommendations. Once you choose the package to request, use those same component and assessment boundaries in the competing scope.
Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.
Home jobs in Broward and Palm Beach counties. InstaBids is new in your area, so finding contractors can take longer, and a request may get no bids.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.
Sources for the facts on this page
Read ENERGY STAR's equipment and assessment guidance with the FTC's written-estimate advice, then consult section 489.126 for the residential payment trigger and its exceptions; the county source provides a permit-closeout reminder rather than a universal permit rule.
Sources checked: 14 October 2026.
- ENERGY STAR heating and cooling proposal guidance.
- Pilot FAQ, checked 14 October 2026.
- FTC estimate and insurance checklist.
- Florida Statutes section 489.126.
- Palm Beach contractor directory.
- How InstaBids works, checked 14 October 2026.
- Florida owner-builder disclosure, section 489.103(7).
Parent: InstaBids home.