My 17-year-old Reliance rental water heater needed to finally be replaced, and I considered buying instead. After a couple quotes "wow, that's serious $$" I decided to see what Reliance had to offer. The water tank rep Matt noticed my owned 20+ year-old furnace/AC and suggested I speak with the HVAC rep Jason about replacing it all at the same time. "Free" installation (ya, it's paid for via the rental) and included maintenance/emergency service was a big incentive and made the decision to move to a high efficiency rental furnace/AC easy. I'm a very "handy" type, so realize the latest tech is not home-fix-it anymore. Other than filters, you can't even buy the parts without a certification.
The furnace/AC installation was fairly involved, all the sheet metal from eye-level down had to be pre-fabricated and significant on-site custom fitting done. Jeff and Dan had a friendly professional attitude and the install is tidy and functional. John installed the water heater after Jeff and Dan left, with the same level of skill and care. The workspace and walkways were left clean. Well done.
Renting definitely costs more than buying... IF there are never any non-warranty repairs required. So like any "insurance" policy, the Reliance deal cost more money in return for peace of mind.
We'll see how much the lower energy costs save us, but no big promises were made.
A very positive experience from a very knowledgeable and professional group.