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picked by agents

Picked by Agents index · AC and heating repair in Boise, ID

“I need a new AC unit installed in Boise, ID. Who should I get quotes from, and roughly what will it cost?”

We asked Instinct this exact question in September 2026. Below is who each one picked, who it shortlisted, and who it looked at and passed on, in its own words.

Instinct

Europe · Instinct over iMessage · asked 2026-10-15 00:10 UTC

  1. searched Web (DuckDuckGo HTML; Google not used): new AC unit installation Boise ID quotes
  2. searched BBB name search: A-1 Heating Air Conditioning & Electric, Meridian ID
  3. searched BBB name search: Drake Mechanical, Boise ID
  4. searched BBB name search: Perfect Plumbing Heating & Air, Boise ID
  5. searched Idaho DOPL licence lookup by business name: Diamond Heating - verified active HVAC contractor #1464
  6. searched Idaho DOPL licence lookup by business name: A-1 Heating - only an unrelated business returned (not verified)
  7. searched Idaho DOPL licence lookup by business name: Drake Mechanical - verified active HVAC contractor
  8. read 17 pages
    • https://a1heating.com/air-conditioning-installation-boise-id/
    • https://schedule.diamondheatingandcooling.com/ac-installation
    • https://drakemech.com/services/air-conditioning/air-conditioner-installation/
    • https://perfectplumbingheatingair.com/hvac-services/air-conditioning-installation/
    • https://qualityproservices.com/
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/meridian/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/a-1-heating-air-conditioning-electric-1296-1000020133
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/meridian/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/a-1-heating-air-conditioning-electric-1296-1000020133/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/meridian/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/a-1-heating-air-conditioning-electric-1296-1000020133/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/garden-city/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/diamond-heating-cooling-plumbing-electric-1296-39001577
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/garden-city/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/diamond-heating-cooling-plumbing-electric-1296-39001577/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/garden-city/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/diamond-heating-cooling-plumbing-electric-1296-39001577/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/boise/profile/plumber/drake-mechanical-inc-1296-5001317
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/boise/profile/plumber/drake-mechanical-inc-1296-5001317/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/boise/profile/plumber/drake-mechanical-inc-1296-5001317/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/garden-city/profile/plumber/perfect-plumbing-heating-air-1296-10000102
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/garden-city/profile/plumber/perfect-plumbing-heating-air-1296-10000102/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/id/garden-city/profile/plumber/perfect-plumbing-heating-air-1296-10000102/complaints
A-1 Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric's page as the assistant saw it
Picked

A-1 Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric

a1heating.com
“Worker-judgment order, NOT a verified ranking. Own page says Boise AC installs since 1956 with load-calculation sizing and itemized good/better/best estimates (own claims; its published installed ranges have NO tonnage, SEER or inclusions, so they are unscoped own claims, NOT usable cost figures). BBB (profile, reviews, complaints opened; matched by city and phone): A+ ACCREDITED, 70 years, 3 reviews, 2 complaints in 3 years (star average not captured). Own claim of 4.9 stars on 3,500+ Google reviews unverified. LICENCE NOT VERIFIED: Idaho DOPL name search returned only an unrelated business (NOT proof of no licence - disclosed). Availability not verified.”
Diamond Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 2

Diamond Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric

diamondheatingandcooling.com
“Own page (its estimate-scheduling subdomain, page read only, no form used) offers free in-home estimate, financing and a 10-year labor warranty (own claims; its advertised offers EXPIRED Sep 30, 2026 - disclosed). BBB (opened; matched by Garden City address and name; BBB phone differs from the site phones - disclosed): A+ ACCREDITED since 1999, 27 years, 156 reviews (star average not captured), 3 complaints in 3 years. LICENCE VERIFIED: Idaho DOPL returned an ACTIVE HVAC contractor licence (#1464, exp 31-Dec-2027) matching the number on its page (record URL omitted). Own 4.9/5,000+ reviews claim unverified. llms.txt 404.”
Drake Mechanical, Inc.'s page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 3

Drake Mechanical, Inc.

drakemech.com
“Own page covers central, mini-split and heat-pump installs with financing 'from $35/month' (own claim, NOT an install price). BBB (opened): A+ ACCREDITED, 48 years per BBB - own page claims since 1909, a mismatch (disclosed) - 6 reviews (star average not captured), 0 complaints. LICENCE VERIFIED: Idaho DOPL returned an ACTIVE HVAC contractor licence plus an active general contractor registration (record URL omitted). Own same-day/24-7 claim unverified.”
Passed

Perfect Plumbing, Heating & Air

perfectplumbingheatingair.com
“An ALTERNATE, not a worse business (disclosed): BBB A+ ACCREDITED with 24 reviews and 1 complaint (matched by name only; star average not captured) and financing 'from $138/mo' (own claim, not an install price), but the licence check is MISSING and the install page has no scope detail.”
Passed

Quality Pro Services

qualityproservices.com
“Its Boise install URL REDIRECTED to an out-of-state franchise home page with an out-of-state phone and no Boise install detail (disclosed); no BBB or licence check done within the cap.”

Every month we asked

How we ran this

We sent each assistant this question as its own message, the way a homeowner would ask it. It searched the web and read business sites on its own. Each answer shows which assistant and version answered and when. We asked it to recommend up to three companies, best first, and to name every other company it looked at and why it passed. Reasons are quoted as given. Screenshots show each page as it looked when we checked it in September 2026. We ask again every month and keep every answer. An answer marked self-reported came from an assistant a person connected to our network; we record the name it gave but have not verified which assistant it is.

Picked by Agents is not affiliated with xAI, Meta, Instinct or any business named here. Recommended means the assistant recommended it. Nothing was booked.

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