The Thing to Know Before Anything Else
Financing should not change what the job costs.
In a lot of the industry it quietly does. Lender fees get absorbed into an inflated system price on financed jobs, which means the person paying cash is subsidising the person paying over time, and neither of them is told.
Our price is the same either way, and the reason you can verify that rather than take our word for it is that TrueQuote AI publishes it. Price the system online first, then have the financing conversation separately. If the two numbers match, the claim holds.
That is also the right sequence for a different reason: it is much easier to evaluate a payment plan when you already know what you are buying. AC installation starts with a load calculation, and financing is the last decision, not the first.
The Three Lenders
GreenSky. The most established of the three in home improvement lending, with the widest range of promotional term structures. Typically the best fit on larger replacements where a long promotional period materially changes the monthly figure. Application is a soft pull to see offers, and approval usually returns within minutes.
Wisetack. Built for the situation a failed compressor creates. Fast, no hard credit pull to see options, and terms sized to repair-scale amounts rather than whole-system amounts. Frequently the most accessible option for applicants outside prime credit bands, and the natural fit when the invoice is a few thousand rather than five figures.
Goodleap. Focused on sustainability-oriented home improvement, which makes it a natural pairing with heat pump conversions, high-efficiency replacements and projects where rebates and tax credits form part of the plan.
Prequalify with all three
It is a soft pull each time, so it costs nothing but a few minutes. Credit profiles are individual and the lender that suits your neighbour may not suit you.
What the Monthly Figure Depends On
We are not going to publish a payment table, because doing so would require inventing an interest rate and a term that we do not set. The lenders do, and they change.
What we can tell you is what moves the number:
| Input | Effect |
|---|---|
| Financed amount | The obvious one, and the one rebates reduce |
| Term length | Longer term, lower payment, more total interest |
| Promotional structure | Deferred or reduced interest periods change the arithmetic substantially |
| Credit profile | Determines which offers are available at all |
| Down payment | Reduces the financed amount directly |
The most useful lever is the first one, and it is frequently overlooked. Utility rebates reduce your net cost, and where a rebate is paid before or shortly after installation, it can be applied against the balance. Rebates that lower the financed amount is worth reading before you fix a term.
What Each Application Needs
The requirements are broadly similar across the three:
- Identity verification and Social Security number
- Current address and housing status
- Income information, sometimes with documentation on larger amounts
- The project amount and contractor details, which we supply
Approval is typically minutes rather than days. In a genuine emergency we can begin the diagnostic and repair conversation while an application processes, rather than making you sit in a hot house waiting on paperwork.
Questions Worth Asking Any Contractor
- Is the price the same if I pay cash? (Ask directly, and ask to see it in writing.)
- Is checking my options a soft pull or a hard pull?
- Is there a prepayment penalty on this product?
- What happens at the end of a promotional period?
- Who holds the loan, and who do I contact about it later?
None of those are unreasonable and all of them are worth knowing before signing. Terms and rates are set by the lender, not by us, and we do not receive a different price depending on which one you choose.
If you are still at the stage of working out what the job costs at all, installation cost has the real ranges, and TrueQuote AI has the number for your specific house.