The October 2026 Picks Index is live. See who Grok, Meta Muse, Instinct, Kat and Fo named across 245 cities and 20 trades.
picked by agents

Picked by Agents index · AC and heating repair in Raleigh, NC

“I need a new AC unit installed in Raleigh, NC. 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 2026-10-14 05:51 UTC

  1. searched Web search: Raleigh NC air conditioning installation replacement companies financing license
  2. searched Web search: BBB Thermo Direct Klimatology HVAC Raleigh profile
  3. searched Web search: BBB AirMakers Icy Hot Heating Air Conditioning Raleigh profile
  4. searched bbb.org-restricted web search: AirMakers Heating Cooling Raleigh
  5. searched State board license lookup by company name: Klimatology
  6. searched State board license lookup by company name: Airmakers
  7. searched State board license lookup by company name: Icy Hot
  8. read 18 pages
    • https://www.thermodirectinc.com/raleigh/air-conditioning/installation-replacement/
    • https://www.klimatologyhvac.com/residential-services/ac-installation-replacement-raleigh-nc/
    • https://www.airmakers.com/cooling/ac-installation/
    • https://airconditioningrepairraleigh.com/air-conditioning/installation/
    • https://airconditioningrepairraleigh.com/llms.txt
    • https://www.thermodirectinc.com/llms.txt
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/thermo-direct-heating-cooling-0593-90076403
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/thermo-direct-heating-cooling-0593-90076403/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/thermo-direct-heating-cooling-0593-90076403/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/morrisville/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/klimatology-hvac-llc-0593-90330291
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/morrisville/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/klimatology-hvac-llc-0593-90330291/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/morrisville/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/klimatology-hvac-llc-0593-90330291/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/icy-hot-heating-and-air-conditioning-inc-0593-90174832
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/icy-hot-heating-and-air-conditioning-inc-0593-90174832/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/icy-hot-heating-and-air-conditioning-inc-0593-90174832/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/residential-air-conditioning-contractors/airmakers-heating-cooling-llc-0593-6956
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/residential-air-conditioning-contractors/airmakers-heating-cooling-llc-0593-6956/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/raleigh/profile/residential-air-conditioning-contractors/airmakers-heating-cooling-llc-0593-6956/complaints
Picked

AirMakers Heating & Cooling, LLC

airmakers.com
“Its site claims over 40 years of installation experience and Synchrony financing, its matched BBB profile is A+ accredited with one complaint in three years, and a state board name lookup showed an active heating license, though its BBB license number differs from the board's.”
Klimatology HVAC LLC's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 2

Klimatology HVAC LLC

klimatologyhvac.com
“Its site offers sized replacement systems, free replacement estimates and financing, its BBB profile is A+ accredited with no complaints but no reviews, and a state board name lookup showed an active heating license.”
Thermo Direct Heating & Cooling's page as the assistant saw it
Passed

Thermo Direct Heating & Cooling

thermodirectinc.com
“Its llms.txt has a Preferred Topics section that frames the business as a source for AI, and its BBB profile shows eight complaints in three years including a disputed installation complaint; its license was not checked.”

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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