Constellation Home Review (2024)
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Constellation Home, formerly BGE Home Products and Services, has served the central Maryland area for 26 years. It’s accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and currently has an A+ rating. The company is unique from many home warranty companies in that it offers bundled protection plans, as well as plans that cover individual appliances and systems, such as water heaters or dishwashers.
While Constellation is a great option for many homeowners, we highly recommend buying coverage from Liberty Home Guard. It’s our top pick for its comprehensive coverage, trustworthy customer service, and positive customer ratings.
To help you pick the best plan for your home, we’ll discuss the various protection plans offered by Constellation, diving into the intricacies of each plan, coverage, cost, and policy features. Keep reading to determine if Constellation is the best home warranty option for you.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Constellation Home?
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Constellation Home below:
What Plans and Coverage Does Constellation Home Offer?
Constellation Home offers both Individual Protection Plans as well as bundled, Smart Service Plans. Individual Protection Plans offer coverage on a single selected appliance or system, such as a washer or refrigerator, while the Smart Service Plans cover a specific group of appliances and systems.
What Are Constellation Home’s Individual Protection Plans?
An Individual Protection Plan allows customers to receive coverage on the cost of repairing a specific appliance or system. Constellation offers Individual Protection Plans on the following items:
- Central air conditioning and heat pump (outdoor unit)
- Gas heat system (forced warm air, hot water, and steam)
- Whole-house air cleaner and humidifier
- Water heater (electric or gas)
- Heat pump water heater
- Tankless water heater
- Washer
- Dryer (electric or gas)
- Range (electric or natural gas)
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
What Are Constellation Home’s Smart Service Plans?
Constellation offers eight Smart Service Plans that cover a combination of appliances and systems.
- Kitchen—This plan covers three kitchen appliances: the refrigerator, oven, and range.
- Laundry —The Laundry Plan covers your washer, dryer, and water heater.
- Well Pump—This plan provides protection on your well pump system, including the drain valve, relief valve, and pressure switch.
- Water Line & Sewer Line—This plan offers protection on your home’s sewer lines and water.
- Electrical & Plumbing—The Electrical & Plumbing Service Plan covers some of your home’s plumbing and electrical components, such as exposed interior wiring, panels, leaks in exposed water lines, and toilet mechanisms.
- Select Service—This plan covers your home’s water heater, air conditioner, and heating unit.
- Home Comfort—The Home Comfort Plan protects your heating and air conditioning system and water heater.
Whole House—This comprehensive plan covers your heating and air conditioning system, water heater, washer and dryer, refrigerator, range, and dishwasher.
Note: Customers can purchase as many Individual Protection Plans and Smart Service Plans as they want. When customers choose a Smart Service Plan, they also receive additional benefits such as 10% off any heating/air conditioning full system replacement, 5% off any water heater replacement, and 10% off any products for home improvements.
- Read more: Details on Home Warranty Coverage
How Much Does Constellation Home Cost?
The cost of a Constellation warranty depends on the plan selected. For an Individual Protection Plan, pricing depends on the make and model of the appliance or system. You can request a free estimate on an Individual Protection Plan on the Constellation website.
You can view pricing for the Smart Service Plans below:
| Package | Contract Cost | Deductible |
|---|---|---|
|
Home Comfort |
$27.95 per month |
$0.00 |
|
Select Service |
$21.95 per month |
$0.00 |
|
Electrical & Plumbing |
$16.95 per month |
$50.00 |
|
Water Line & Sewer Line |
$5.95 each per month |
$0.00 |
|
Well Pump |
$6.95 per month |
$0.00 |
|
Whole House |
$51.95 per month |
$0.00 |
|
Laundry |
$14.95 per month |
$0.00 |
|
Kitchen |
$17.95 per month |
$0.00 |
What Are Constellation Home’s Service Fees?
Most home warranty companies require a service fee every time a technician comes to your home to address the system or appliance issue. With a Constellation Home warranty, a deductible isn’t required for any plan except the Electrical and Plumbing Package, which has a $50 service fee.
What Do Customers Say About Constellation Home?
Since 2012, Constellation has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and currently has an A+ rating. They are very active and responsive on the consumer reviews site, resolving all complaints filed against them. As with many top-rated companies, Constellation has both positive and negative customer reviews. Here are a few BBB reviews from Constellation customers. (Note that the company changed its name from BGE Home to Constellation Home in 2022.)
“I own several rental properties and have had BGE Home for years. With their HVAC service contracts, service has always been within 24 hours and repairs professionally accomplished. I have had no bad experiences with them at all.” — Paul R. on 11/18/2019
“Called BGE Home Monday a week ago that we had no heat—it’s a week later and still no heat. Said they will come tomorrow to put on the new part—shouldn’t have to wait a week.” — Martha H. on 10/22/2018
How Does Constellation Home Compare to Its Competition?
Though Constellation Home is a top-rated home warranty company, there are home warranty companies that may be a better fit. Compare this company to two of our recommended picks.
Provider | Constellation Home | American Home Shield | First American Home Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Get a free quote |
Not available through This Old House |
||
|
Plan options |
Smart Service Plans and Individual Protection Plans |
3 + optional add-ons |
2 + optional add-ons |
|
Price per month |
$6–$52 |
$40–$58 |
$25–$40 |
|
Service fee |
$0, $50 |
$75–$125 |
$75 |
|
Additional benefits |
Discount on heating/air conditioning full system replacement |
Offers roof leak coverage through its ShieldPlatinum™ plan |
Covers items that have been improperly installed, modified, or maintained |
Because plan pricing varies based on where you live, the type of plan you choose, and how large your home is, we recommend getting quotes from a variety of providers.
Constellation Home Review Key Takeaways
We give Constellation Home an 8.1/10. Although the home warranty company offers a variety of plans to cover your appliances and systems, the plans are pricey for what they cover.
Their most comprehensive plan, the Whole House Package, costs over $50 per month for coverage on eight appliances and systems—that’s more expensive than the industry average for similar coverage. However, Constellation does cut down the price of their service with a $0 service fee on most plans.
While offering a 24/7 emergency service to its customers, Constellation’s regular availability just doesn’t stack up to other companies, as they only allow non-emergency service calls Monday through Saturday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. They even reserve the right to charge a $75 fee if a service call is performed outside of normal operating hours.
Another disadvantage is that coverage is limited to nine counties within Maryland.
Our Recommended Provider: American Home Shield
American Home Shield (AHS) is a veteran in the home warranty industry with over 45 years of experience. American Home Shield offers the ShieldSilver™, ShieldGold™, and ShieldPlatinum™ plans. There are also add-on coverage options available to increase your coverage. AHS is also available in 49 states nationwide, excluding Alaska.
Frequently Asked Questions about Constellation Home
Does Constellation cover pre-existing conditions?
No, according to their sample contract, Constellation doesn’t cover systems or appliances with pre-existing conditions, faulty design, or improper installation.
How do I cancel my Constellation policy?
You can cancel your contract at any time with a written notice to Constellation Home, or by calling Customer Care during normal business hours. If you cancel within the first 30 days of service and no service calls have been made, you’ll receive a full refund.
Do I need a Constellation home warranty if I have homeowners insurance?
It’s recommended that you buy a home warranty even if you have homeowners insurance to cover repairs and replacements on major systems and appliances. Homeowners insurance only covers structural damage to your house from fire, natural disasters, or theft.
Related Resources
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to score each provider objectively. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys.
We score each provider against our review standards, which include four comparison categories: coverage, value, trust and transparency, and availability and service. We rate each provider across 31 factors within these categories. Each factor is assigned a point value based on its importance to a homeowner, totaling 100 points. We then convert the final scores to a 5-star rating.
Here’s a breakdown of our weighted factors:
- Coverage (40%): We scored coverage based on included home systems and appliances, add-on options, and unique benefits. We also compared coverage caps and policy exclusions.
- Additional coverage items
- Annual coverage cap
- Home systems coverage
- Major appliances coverage
- Obstructed wall coverage cap
- Value (30%): We compared the coverage level received to monthly pricing to determine plan value. We considered premium pricing, service fees, and flexibility in customizing plan costs.
- Average monthly cost
- Cost flexibility
- Lowest service fee
- Trust and Transparency (16%): We evaluated each company’s reputation using the Better Business Bureau ratings and customer reviews on third-party review sites. We read through plan change policies, workmanship protections, and sample contract availability.
- Brand reputation
- Policy change flexibility
- Sample contract availability
- Workmanship guarantee length
- Availability and Service (14%): We award higher scores for faster claim processing and response times. We also considered service technician policies, including options to choose your technician.
- Claims process
- Guaranteed response time
- Service flexibility
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.
