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 Salt Lake City, UT

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

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

Meta Muse

United States · Meta Muse via a research connector · asked 2026-10-02 02:45 UTC

  1. searched new AC installation cost Salt Lake City UT 2026 average
  2. searched best HVAC companies Salt Lake City UT air conditioner replacement reviews
  3. read 3 pages
    • https://www.excellentcontractor.com/salt-lake-city-ut/hvac-contractors
    • https://www.homeyou.com/ut/air-conditioning-installation-salt-lake-city-costs
    • https://hvacloc.com/air-conditioner-installation/utah/salt-lake-city
Air-Craft HVAC's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 3

Air-Craft HVAC

excellentcontractor.com
“Serves Salt Lake, Ogden, and Provo with consistently praised customer service, technical knowledge, honesty, and transparent, cost-effective pricing.”

Instinct

Europe · Instinct over iMessage · asked 2026-10-14 14:01 UTC

  1. searched Web: new AC unit installation Salt Lake City UT quotes (DuckDuckGo)
  2. searched Web: central air conditioner replacement cost Salt Lake City Utah installed price (DuckDuckGo)
  3. searched BBB search: Valley Plumbing Heating Cooling, Salt Lake City UT
  4. searched BBB search: Western Heating Air Plumbing, Salt Lake City UT
  5. searched BBB search: All Pro Service Group, Salt Lake City UT (no profile result)
  6. searched Utah DOPL licensee lookup, business name contains Valley Plumbing (active record found)
  7. searched Utah DOPL licensee lookup, business name contains Western Heating (no matching active entity)
  8. read 12 pages
    • https://www.airprosutah.com/hvac-services/air-conditioner/installation
    • https://larsenhvac.com/air-conditioner-installation-salt-lake-city/
    • https://westernheatingair.com/air-conditioning/installation/
    • https://www.valleyplumbing.com/blog/ac-installation-cost-salt-lake-city-utah/
    • https://www.allproservicegroup.com/ac-installation-price-complete-guide
    • https://lucasheatingcooling.com/hvac-cost-guide/
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/west-jordan/profile/plumber/valley-plumbing-heating-cooling-1126-90025616
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/west-jordan/profile/plumber/valley-plumbing-heating-cooling-1126-90025616/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/west-jordan/profile/plumber/valley-plumbing-heating-cooling-1126-90025616/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/orem/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/western-heating-air-plumbing-1126-8000415
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/orem/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/western-heating-air-plumbing-1126-8000415/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/ut/orem/profile/heating-and-air-conditioning/western-heating-air-plumbing-1126-8000415/complaints
Valley Plumbing, Heating & Cooling's page as the assistant saw it
PickedNew this round

Valley Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

valleyplumbing.com
“Utah's lookup shows an active contractor licence (7971129-5501, West Jordan; classification shown only as CONTRACTOR, so HVAC scope is unconfirmed), its BBB profile is accredited with zero complaints (only 2 reviews, one negative), and its own blog publishes installed price ranges and financing (its own figures; Carrier dealer its own claim).”
Western Heating, Air & Plumbing's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 2New this round

Western Heating, Air & Plumbing

westernheatingair.com
“Its BBB profile (Orem) is accredited since 2009 with 1 complaint in 3 years and none in the last 12 months (2 reviews: a cancellation dispute and a refrigerant-leak account), and its own page claims 25+ years, load calculation, permits and a 10-year parts-and-labor warranty (its claims); no active licence was found under that name (may be registered differently).”
All Pro Service Group's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 3New this round

All Pro Service Group

allproservicegroup.com
“It publishes an install price guide on its own site with a Salt Lake-specific example and financing mentions, but no BBB profile was found and its licence was not checked, so it is the least verified pick.”
Air Pros Utah's page as the assistant saw it
Passedwas shortlisted last round

Air Pros Utah

airprosutah.com
“Its own page claims 5.0 from 230+ reviews and Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor status, but it lists no install prices or financing and neither BBB nor licence was checked.”
Larsen HVAC & Plumbing's page as the assistant saw it
PassedNew this round

Larsen HVAC & Plumbing

larsenhvac.com
“It claims licensing, Rheem Pro partnership and financing, but no prices appear on the page and neither BBB nor licence was checked.”
Lucas Heating and Air's page as the assistant saw it
PassedNew this round

Lucas Heating and Air

lucasheatingcooling.com
“Set aside (consistent with TASKs 694 and 715): its llms.txt and /agents/ page carry agent-directed text (an agent endpoint, business-info JSON, MCP link, and instructions on what assistants must not claim); not followed; its install prices are by estimate only.”

No longer recommended since the last round: site:airdesignheating.com, site:elitehvacslc.com

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 October 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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