We have received great service from Comfort Flow during all of our three years in Eugene. They installed the heating and cooling systems in our new house--for the builder when we didn't know them, and now we enjoy our heat and cooling at low cost and real precision on the thermostat. We signed up for their twice a year service plan, which is cheaper and more comprehensive than we used to get back in Pittsburgh. We are happy with this arrangement. We buy the good quality 4" (be careful--not exactly 4 inches) filters on Amazon and change it every three months. And we are just as happy with the generator they installed for us this year. If you are thinking about an emergency generator, it may be worth reading this. Consumer Reports rated Generac generators number one, and they said that installation was complicated and needed to be done right. So don't go for the low bidder. I noticed that Suzi L. thought a Generac standby natural gas generator was overpriced at around $20,000 for 100% installation in the best (not to be confused with cheapest) possible way. This generator is available on Amazon for about $5,000 for most the hardware (the 2 gauge wiring is pricy too, but above that price). Installation is the real price driver if you have it done right. None of that "act in haste; repent at leisure" buying is appropriate here. We ordered a 22 KW unit that is more than enough to power everything in out home. We can invite neighbors to run an extension cord if there is an outage (seems more likely these days with climate change). My wife and I are in advanced seniordom, and she is crippled by arthritis. We really need the heat and cooling and other electric necessities that we once took for granted. It would be a disaster for us if we lost that. And we know having this generator that instantly and automatically takes over if the grid cuts out adds to the value of our home. We got 2 bids, one a lower price, but we would have to handle the gas hook up, and they suggested a cheaper install plan that might not work so well in a time of need (like be wary of the gas line, and get a separate one right from the meter so not to starve your furnace and other gas appliances). Comfort Flow cut no corners, and we saw why they had to charge what Consumer Reports hinted at. Kyle did the initial estimate and planning, and was always there for questions. He described how the installation would proceed, and who would be involved. There would be a number skilled people coming many times over 4-6 weeks. The trenching for the gas and electric lines to the generator site (including careful replacement of the sod) cost $1600 and was nicely done by Seth and a helper from Four Seasons Landscaping. That was the only additional cost, and Comfort Flow does it that way to help keep the price down in a way that is virtually guaranteed to please. Comfort Flow works with them and recommends them based on past results. You know your breaker panel in the garage? Well they have to put in a second box of about equal size between some nearby studs. A lot of drywall got gently cut out and later put back in place--I plan to still sand a little and do a bit of touch up painting, but it looks almost as good as the original without lifting a finger. Most companies will leave a mess for you there, but not this one. The generator is at the rear of our lot, not simply outside the wall from the electric breaker box (as the lower bidder suggested)--the optimal placement if not the cheapest. And it is to code. The city inspectors were here several times at various stages, and Comfort Flow sent in pictures too, to make the inspection process safer during this covid virus time. The gas line ran from the meter to under the house thru the crawl area and out the back foundation wall to the trench that led to the back fence area. The maser electrician Mitch was here five or six times to handle the complicated wiring tasks and to oversee some related parts of the job. The heavy wiring cable went from the generator via the trench through the foundation wall, through the crawl space and attic until it could be led into the garage and behind the electric panels (now two). The gas line work was extensive, and was inspected by a city gas inspector. Kyle and Mitch were our on site contacts and we appreciate what they did. Julie, the scheduler, was very helpful in arranging all the times when workers would be here, considering our needs. She really helped make things go smoothly. Sometimes you need to go through an experience like this to understand its complexity--and seriousness (22 KW is not a play thing), and the need to get it right the first time. This is not a do-it-yourself project, and not a time to choose the low bidder and arrange for part of the work yourself. If a problem ever comes up, Comfort Flow will be there there to make things right, and not with its hand out for more money. read more
