Central Heating & Air

Job was completed on time and on budget.

Charlie was referred to us by another contractor. He came with a high recommendation and we found the recommendation to be accurate! He was very prompt and professional with delivery of estimates and services. We are thrilled with the job he did and would definitely hire him again if needed.

Charlie was awesome. Got the estimate on a Friday. He was there on Monday and done on Friday. It was a big job but he got it done. If I have another HVAC job come up he will be the guy I call.

Charlie was very courteous & knowledgeable and did a great job custom building an exhaust vent for my built in microwave oven. I've tried a few handymen & another A/C installer but nobody could help me with this job. Charlie was able to take care of it easily and his price was very competitive.

Excellent. Charlie really knows his stuff and it went very well. He hit a difficult part on the install (unexpected) but completed the work without any additional charges.

After working with Charlie, I can see that he deserves every single A he has received. I called Charlie at 1:00 on a Friday and within 2 hours from my call, he had arrived at my house, diagnosed the problem and fixed it. I wasn't sure how much the repair was going to run me but Charlie walked me through the problem step by step. He was extremely professional and courteous and didn't try to get me to replace my heating unit. I would ABSOLUTELY use his services again as well as recommend him to all my friends and neighbors. He is very knowledgeable about the code, what is required and safety options. He also minimized the repair work to my ceiling so I wouldn't have to spend a lot of money fixing that. Charlie deserves an A+ in my book for the work he did today. I strongly encourage you call Charlie / Central Heating & Air Conditioning first - he will get it done right and FAST!

I called Charlie and he was available the same day. He checked out the noise and said it was the gas valve. He explained everything to me and answered my questions. He gave me an estimated cost for the repair and I decided to have him do the work. As it was already after 5pm, he said he would call the next day with the exact cost to replace the gas valve. He called the next morning and could come over even though I would not be home until 6pm. He showed up promptly at 6pm, and had the gas valve replaced before 6:30pm.The heater works great and no more clicking noise. I decided to call Central Heating and Air because their ratings on Angie's List were great. I am so glad I did. Charlie did an outstanding job and I would highly recommend him. As a single women it is great to find a friendly, trustworthy, honest contractor. I recently had a another company( that is quite popular in San Diego) come out only to tell me that my heater needed to be replaced for a cost of over $6000.00. I'm so fortunate to have called an honest contractor like Charlie to give me the real deal and not take advantage of me. I would call Charlie again in a heartbeat for any of my heating and air conditioning needs. I will also recommend him to my friends and neighbors. Kathy in El Cajon

Charlie and his assistant Jeff did a great job for us. We found his name on Angie's List, called him, and he picked up the phone right away even though he was in an attic at the time. He had a very friendly and knowledgeable manner on the phone, and was indeed like that in person. He gave me an estimate on the phone, and fixed the furnace promptly and courteously. Furthermore, he made a minor, but important repair to our hot water heater, at no charge, and ultimately billed us less than his preliminary quote. I would definitely recommend this company.

Charlie provided same day service and even arrived earlier than expected. He quickly checked out our central heating and air system, got under the house and found the internal unit filter that was causing the problem. He showed me how to get to the filter and reinstall it. Charlie also checked out the AC for proper operation and refrigerant charge. Throughout he was very pleasant while working efficiently. The charge for the one-hour service was reasonable. Very satisfied. Will use again and recommend to others.

We live in a 1927 bungalow with original windows and un-insulated lathe & plaster walls. We don't need heat except for a couple months of the year, but when we need it, we need it. We wanted a system which was quiet, reasonably energy-efficient (but with a efficiency that was commensurate with our usage and the house). We selected two contractors from Angie's list (based on member reviews) and invited them to provide estimates. Charlie responded promptly to our phone call to request an estimate. He listened carefully to our concerns and helped us weigh our options. We discussed repairing our old furnace, the benefits of using our existing ductwork or installing new, the benefits (and cost recovery) of a higher-efficiency unit etc. The other contractor interviewed also was prompt, responsive, knowledgable, and actively participated in a discussion about what was best for our specific needs. When we received our quotes (both in a very timely fashion) there was a $1300 dollar difference. We then contacted both contractors to ask to some additional questions to make sure that the quotes were identical and we were comparing "apples to apples". The only difference was in the brand of furnace (the other contractor would have used a Maytag) but research showed that Nordyne makes the Maytag brand and so we assumed the furnaces were also comparable. Both contractors had excellent reviews from Angie's list. I believe we could have used either contractor and received a great job. Ultimately there appeared to be no real reason not to go with the lower quote provided by Charlie. Charlie had originally estimated one day for the whole job, but some surprises found during the installation (which is no surprise to owners of an older home) led to the job taking 2.25 days. For most of the work, Charlie had a helper assisting him. The work was neat (they covered floors with tarps) and they cleaned up after themselves daily. The installation is beautiful and the system is quiet and provides uniform heating throughout our home (~1500 sq). Charlie is nice, friendly, down-to-earth and still very professional. We actually enjoyed the process of having him in our home. Also, for those of you who own pets, he is very dog friendly and our dogs really liked him.

Charlie gave new life to my 52-year old Day & Night furnace and saved me a bundle. Previous to my purchase of the house, I had the furnace checked out by the power company; they did not red tag it but instead gave me a list of parts to be replaced. OK. After I took possession of the house, the two major heating and air companies I called to fix the furnace told me it was beyond repair, and of course tried to sell me a new furnace (and associated duct work, etc.). Dejected, I was flipping through the December issue of Angie's List magazine and a short report about Central Heating & Air in the Pages of Happiness section caught my eye-- a customer described a situation similar to mine, but with a much happier outcome. I checked the Angie's List web site for a few more reports on the company and then immediately-- and I mean within minutes-- had the owner Charlie Collins on the phone. He made room in his busy schedule to come out the next day for an estimate (and I'd called rather late on a Thursday night), and then was able to do the job the following day (a Saturday). In comparison, consider that I'd waited two weeks for an appointment with an expert with one of the major companies, only to find out the furnace had a "cracked heat exchanger," was not repairable, and I should use it at my own risk. The job took three hours, but the time really flew by. Charlie took the furnace all apart and explained everything he was doing (I ask a lot of questions). He did not see evidence of a crack in the system and attributed the scorched areas and funky pilot light to years of neglect and accumulated soot. He was able to get the furnace cleaned up and running like a charm-- it didn't even need new parts, just a lot of TLC. For my peace of mind, he made sure the only safety feature on the furnace, a limiter, was working. He also showed my how to program the new thermostat he'd installed. Very impressive service, and saved me a few thousand dollars-- at least now I don't have to jump into a purchase situation and can save my pennies until the furnace finally gives up the ghost for good. I've already recommended this company to family members, and would not hesitate at all to recommend the company to others.

Charlie was great. He is neat, personable and knowledgeable. I would recommend him to anyone. Again, he was an Angie's List pick and a good one. I am giving his name/number to the property managers who will be handling the rental house.

I cannot tell you enough good things about Charlie, the owner of Central Heating and AC. He is honest to the core, very knowledgeable, great sense of humor, and overall a very pleasant person to deal with. Last year we were falsely told that we had a cracked heat exchanger by one of the big companies (hopefully by an inexperienced technician and not due to dishonesty). We did not use the heater at all last winter, because we were concerned about safety (carbon monoxide poisoning) and we could not afford to replace the heater. Charlie fully inspected the heat exchanger, even taking the heater apart to verify that no cracks existed, and serviced the entire system. He then fixed our very questionable venting system, making sure that our heat was evenly distributed, and most importantly safe. Other companies that we called would not service our heater (it is likely 30 to 40 years old). But Charlie, having worked in the heating and construction industry for so long, was not phased at all by our heater. He literally saved us thousands of dollars. I highly, highly recommend him.

Last weekend our old 1981 Lennox central-air compressor abruptly stopped. After 30+ years of great performance we assumed it had finally given up (no complaints). I called Tuesday afternoon and Charlie said he would be out the next day. He arrived at 8AM Wednesday morning and by 8:45AM he had: repaired the compressor changed the filter topped off the freon charge cleared the clogged condenser drain. Grand total for all four services? $100. We are unbelievably pleased and STRONGLY recommend 'Central Heating and Air'. Thanks Charlie ! Edward Morris El Cajon, CA

One other note, I called on a Saturday morning and he was highly recommended on Angies List. He was on the 52 and returned back to North County in order to make his visit. Nice work!

Charlie was very professional. After he did the necessary checks he pointed out the problems with the A/C unit and furnace and fixed it. He had very good suggestions for decreasing heat coming from the attic and am considering this. I would not hesitate to call Charlie again.

Our air conditioning unit was not working. The unit outside our home was not doing anything and our house was so hot. I called several AC repair companies before finding Charile (Central Heating and Air) on Angie's List and the earliest anyone could come to my home was in five days and one company even had a two week wait. Charlie came the very next day before 12N and I called the previous day before in the afternoon. Charlie arrived on time, he was very professional, and knowledgeable about his work. My house was already cooling before he walked out the door. The capacitor inside our outside ac unit was not working and he put in a new capacitor for $150 total. I strongly recommend him and I'll be putting a note to my Chula Vista friends on my fb page recommending him. Thanks Charlie and Angie's List!

Charlie responded same day to our request for AC repair. He was prompt, and prepared. Even tho it turned out there were multiple issues involved in our repair, Charlie quickly knocked them out one by one, including condenser parts and a failed thermostat. We were extremely impressed with his professionalism, helpfulness and reasonable cost. I would highly recommend this company,

I am very pleased with the work that was done. It was a professional experience all the way around. I will definitely call again with any heating or air conditioning problems.

I give Mr. Collins a lot of credit for being very knowledgable about furnaces, and also honest in that he quickly pointed out that there was a good possibility that we didn't HAVE to replace the furnace. He was the only contractor to offer that option, and the relocation went well and we've been very happy with the work that he provided. We have a new return on the upper floor, and he also fixed an open duct that we'd had trouble finding a cover for, as previous contractor had installed a floor duct piece in our ceiling. I would definitely recommend Mr. Collins.

We had numerous estimates to repair our floor heater. Charlie Collins at Central Heating & Air was the most sincerely pleasant, professional and thorough of those that came to our home .. AND he had the lowest estimate. Come work day, the work was done thoroughly with complete clean up. Our heater had always had an odd smell but now it works completely quiet without any kind of odor .. thanks Charlie!

We called Charlie who quoted us $125. to dismantle part of the heater to determine if the heat exchanger was indeed cracked. Charlie checked it out, cleaned the furnace, said it was fine, no cracks. He voluntarily lowered his price to $90 because it took him less time than he figured. The furnace is working as good as new. This is a refreshing experience. Highly recommend.

Charlie is truly an excellent professional who enjoys his work and likes people. He was punctual, warm, friendly and communicative. He explained every thing he did in detail and was a pleasure to meet. We'll call him again when we install the next furnace and recommend him highly to consumers.

Charlie was terrific. Easy to reach, punctual, and he was very helpful in finding a unique solution to placing the furnace and ducting under the house (we love it - so quiet and extra closet space). He got the job done even with extra work involved. Highly recommended!!

Called Central Heating and Air after reading the reviews from other customers. Charlie was nice and professional over the phone. He agreed to call back later in the day so we could set a time for the following day (09/21/10). He called back when he said he would and showed up the next day prompty at the arranged time. He checked out my old wall furnace, told me what was wrong and fixed all in an hour. Gave me tips for the future and even shared how we can take the cover off an paint it (as we had wanted to for some time). Charlie was professional, personable, and responsive. I have already given his number to friends at work