NORTHERN COMFORT SYSTEMS

Friendly, courteous and worked to get the job done quickly.

Project began with the failure of our existing thermostat. Another HVAC company was called initially for service to diagnose the system failure, identified the thermostat failure and also inspected the furnace heat exchanger and found a crack. On the basis of this crack, and a potential (disputable) carbon monoxide leak, the serviceman said he had to shut off the gas to the furnace. He also quoted repair by replacing the heat exchanger and themostat and arranged for a salesman to visit to quote replacement of the furnace and, optionally ,the A/C, based on the age of the system, 21 years old. We decided to seek quotes on replacement from three providers on Angie's List: the service company noted above, another HVAC provider, and Northern Comfort Systems. All three companies reponded promptly and professionally with detailed quotes and options, but only Jeff Pittman, Northern's owner, suggested that the first thing they would do was get the new thermostat installed, furnish a Carbon Monoxide moniter/alarm and get the existing furnace turned back on until the replacement furnace and A/C were available (a weekend plus a day); this would be done at no additional cost beyond the replacement quote. This was done and very much appreciated. The Northern Comfort Systems' base quote was the lowest of the three, and options allowed us to upgrade to a, rebate-eligible, higher efficiency furnace and A/C replacement package at essentially the same cost as the next lowest company's base quote. The furnace was replaced, and functional, in one day, the A/C was replaced and functional the following day, and some additional detail work, which I requested during Jeff Pittman's standerd post- install inspection, took approximately two hours a few days later. The Northern servicemen were courteous, careful and professional; communications with the office staff were excellent.

Brandon arrived with his booties on to protect our floor. Introduced himself and I indicated where the thermostat and furnace were located. Brandon changed our filter and then went inside and grabbed his tools and a shop-vac. He proceeded to do a thorough check on the furnace, cycled the furnace several times to make sure everything was working properly, and cleaned and drained our water heater as part of the service call. This was not expected but very much appreciated. I had questions about our blower speed and Brandon took the time to explain how our high efficiency furnace blower operated with our thermostat. I couldn't be more pleased with the service provided by Brandon and Northern. I will continue to purchase the annual maintenance contract for Northern. It is a value and provides peace of mind that our HVAC equipment is in top working order.

Northern installed a new furnace about a year ago. During the install, there were issues. The tech left the shell to my old furnace off, did some work on the old furnace and then left. He said he'd come back that weekend if the furnace went out. (They had to wait until monday to install the new furnace). After he left, my carbon monoxide detectors went off and the levels of C02 in the house were lethal. Therefore, I had to leave the house and spend the weekend at a friends house. The technician never returned any of my calls over the weekend. He said he had lost his phone. The new furnace was installed on Monday. Had I not had Co2 detectors in the house, the toxic levels of Co2 could have killed me. The owner was so nice and apologetic that I decided to give them a second chance this past week (Sept. 2012). I had made an appt. to have a new humidifier installed and to have my furnace serviced per my contract with Northern. The technician showed up to start my furnace. I told him that I did not need my furnace started as it was working but that he was there to install a humidifier. He didn't know anything about that and seemingly wasn't aware that he was supposed to do a service call. I called the owner. He checked the board and then told me that yes, I was correct. They were indeed supposed to install a humidifier (vs. start up my furnace) but no one had ordered the part. I then told him that between the carbon monixide issue and their not knowing what they were supposed to do at my house upon arrival, I no longer had confidence in his company. The owner was polite and said he was "sorry I felt that way." I asked him, "do you blame me?". He replied, "no". It's alarming to have C02 levels that are toxic in your home following a service call as well as having a technician show up at your house without having the correct work order to do a job. I would not use or recommend Northern to any of my neighbors or colleagues. Finally, It is a significant inconvenience when a contractor doesn't know what they are doing at your home and you take a day off of work which goes to waste.

I got home from work on a Friday, to discover my AC not working on one of the hottest days. I called around and most places couldn't get me in til Sunday or Monday. I called Northern comfort at 8:30 and they were out by 10:30. I was so surprised they were able to come out so quickly and on a Friday night! He diagnosed the problem and fixed it in under an hour. He was very nice, informative and professional. Very impressed!! I would highly recommend this company!

This company was very easy to work with and willing to keep working on the problem until it was totally resolved.

I had used this company in the fall to replace a furnace in a rental property I own last fall, and was very impressed so when I got a call from my tenant that the A/C unit had failed, they were the first company I called. I will give NCS high marks for getting me on their already full schedule on one of the hottest days of the year, but unfortunately that is about all I can give them credit for. After waiting pretty much all day for the technician to arrive, he quickly diagnosed the issue and explained to me that the fan motor and capacitor needed replaced. He quoted me $1100 total for parts, labor and trip charge to make the repair. He advised that because the unit was 20 years old, it would probably be best to replace the entire unit at a price of approx $3K. Either way, my tenant is left with no A/C because had I authorized the repair, he would have had to order the parts and wouldn't have been able to repair or install a new unit until a few days later (this was on a Friday). Not wanting to leave my tenant to suffer in the oppressive heat I decided to get a second opinion, and boy am I glad I did. I called another company who came out the following day. They actually had the part in the truck needed to make the repair for a fraction of the cost ($149) and the a/c unit is working fine. The unit will still most likely need replaced but this experience leaves me really questioning the tactics and the costs of using a big company with too much over head to compete with a smaller company on price; and in this case quality and professionalism as the smaller company actually had the part on hand to make the repair needed right then.

Jeff called as soon as they were done and even offered to shut a window that I had left open for our pets. I do not hesitate to recommend Northern. We were not happy that a 2 year old furnace had a bad blower and circuit board but are confident that it was repaired correctly. The parts were under warranty but we did have to pay labor. I felt the labor charge was fair given the accommodations they made for the start of our vacation. I am hopeful this is just a hiccup in what otherwise has been an awesome furnace and AC system by Rheem.

They were prompt, tidy, and worked to accommodate my schedule and minimize my time out of the office. I used them several years ago for new AC and I will continue to use them.

They're punctual, they're very courteous, don't leave a mess, wear booties, they installed our present heating and cooling system, helped us get the paperwork for our energy rebates, and they're very good. I give them high ratings and will continue to use them in the future.

It went well. I had a warm house afterward and peace of mind that my house will stay warm during the winter. I also appreciate that they were quick to send out a technician the day that I called.

The technician showed up on time and spent an hour cleaning and inspecting our furnace. He told us of a slight problem and how we could fix it ourselves. There was no pressure to buy further service. The woman who took my appointment told me of a sale they were having on furnace cleaning, so we saved some money there.

The air conditioning unit didn't work for 3 months. We had every possible problem that you could think of with it. I was told that the company is now under new ownership, and they have tried to make everything work. So far things are going fine. It did take them 3 trips and 3 different technicians to get the problem solved. The latest technician has been been very knowledgeable and competent. We are still waiting for a furnace filter to be dropped off after the cleaning 2 months ago. I'm cautiously optimistic that the new owners will work out the details to make this a reputable company. They are very polite and cooperative on the phone. However, the service did not match the rave reviews that were placed on Angie's List.

I was in the process of getting an investment property ready for a new tenant to move in when I discovered that the furnace would not come on. I had a service call already scheduled to have it maintainced by another service provider, and after the tech had spent a couple of hours trying to determine what was wrong with it he ultimately said it could be 1 of 3 things but recommended that I get a new furnace as the one I had was 30 years old and would probably need additional repairs soon. He said he was going to check to see if he could find the part he thought needed replaced but could not guarantee he would be able to find it since the furnace was so old. He also got me in touch with his sales represe That's when I decided to call and get a second opinion. I found northern through Angie's List and called them based on the number of reviews and ratings, and they have been very highly recommended by several of my colleauges. They were able to get a technician out within a couple hours of my initial call. The technician spent a few minutes diagnosing the issue and again said it could be 1 of a few costly repairs and he still could not guarantee it would get the furnace running in addition to strongly recommended that I get the furnace replaced as he deemed it was unsafe. He showed me via a video scope the inside of the heat exachanger and it looked pretty bad, so I agreed it should be replaced. Northern worked with me to get the furnace installed on the day I needed and did not try to up-sell me into some thing I did not need as this furnace was going to be installed in a rental property. I have been very satisfied with the whole process start to finish and the owner even called the day after installation to make sure every thing went as planned. The electricity was shut off just as the installers were finishing so we scheduled a follow up visit to make sure it was funcutioning properly. I would highly recommend Northern Comfort Systems to all other members, and have already referred them to another colleauge who is considering replacing their cooling system.

I doubt I've had as thorough inspection and cleaning of a furnace. Tech was well trained, professional, and took pride in his work. Would recommend and use again.

We came back to our house from a trip in June and noticed that the air conditioner was not cooling the house. With some investigation it was determined that a lighting strike was the probable cause for the compressor to stop working. I had three companies come out and give us an estimate, and we chose Northern because I felt they had the best solution. Also, we contacted them because a relative had used them in the past, based on Angie's List reports. They replaced our air conditioner and furnace control board, Unfortunately we had to endure a hot weekend because by the time the installation was finished, it was after 5:00 on a Friday, and it was determined that the control board needed replacing. That took two techs to eventually get the job done the next week, and the a/c worked fine for a couple of weeks. We then found out that the blower on the furnace was bad as well and had it replaced. In hindsight, I wish we had one of the three companies do a thorough investigation to begin with, as we probably would have had both a/c and furnace replaced. Even still, since this was covered by insurance, we are satisfied, and would recommend Northern to our family and friends. The total cost was just over $5,000, but again was covered by our insurance.

In August, we replaced our two 20 year old furnaces through Northern Comfort Systems. We also required that some duct work be done (some of the duct work had rusted and rotted and we were heating/cooling the garage and crawl space) and that the plenum for the furnace be replaced. Jeff Pittman came to the house promptly on our scheduled meeting day and provided me with the only coherent, comprehensive review of our duct work problem and how to solve it. (It required some custom fabrication be done.) The other two companies we received estimates from did not even understand what the real problem was and made completely outlandish recommendations although their sales reps were very pleasant. Josh and Issac who installed the furnaces did outstanding work and I feel completely confident in their installation. Jeff was responsive, pleasant and extremely easy to work with. I felt he really listened to my lay explanation of our problem and valued it. Natalie and the other office staff were accommodating and pleasant as well. I thoroughly, completely and whole heartedly recommend Jeff Pittman and Northern Comfort Systems and am extremely glad we chose them to do our furnace(s) replacement. Finally, he was very competitive price wise and returned to our home to insure that we werer completely satisfied with the work. Overall, an outstanding, refreshing experience.

I had a proposal from Northern Comfort Systems (NCS) in 2010. This company was rated well on Angie's List (under previous ownership) and the salesman, no longer with NCS, was impressive. In May 2011, Jeff Pittman, the owner, came out to close the sale and the negative experiences started from there. He ordered the incorrect furnace twice. The installer, I would learn, had only been with NCS a month and prided himself on Jeff not supervising his work. The installer had an assistant the first day. The first thing he asked when they arrived - late - at my house was "What are you going to do with your old furnace? Does it still work?" This was offputting - as I thought, perhaps I do not need a new furnace. At any rate, this guy spent the first day dismantling my old furnace to give to his church. These guys were late each day and messy beyond belief. After the first day, I discovered they installed a furnace with less BTUs and lower efficiency than I ordered. They left the boxes in the garage. (The yellow Energy Guide sticker should remain on the appliance.) This installer was quick to remove and toss the sticker. This mess started on the Thursday before Race Day and was to be completed by Friday PM. By Friday at 4pm, the installer announced he was leaving and he was not done. Monday was a holiday. Saturday I discovered a hole in the slab insert between the wall and the furnace and the pipe to the gas water heater was not capped. The final straw for me was that Pittman did not return my calls till Monday. By then I was done. Tuesday they removed their equipment. I learned a lot from this experience and am not pleased to rate any company with an F. Angie's List is great, but you have to do your research and pick a company with long time ownership and technicians. Ask for references. If your salesman is good and he quits - pay attention. I had an entirely different and positive experience with the new company that finally installed my new HV/AC system.

I called and was not happy that if they installed it why there would be a service charge. I had an early morning appointment but they called and asked if they could come a couple hours later since someone else's air conditioning was out and it was VERY HOT. I said that was no problem, I would just change my schedule. A very polite and professional tech named Ron came out and went from one end of the crawl space to another and did not see any problems. He checked all of the registers and asked for the fan to be turned on. There was absolutely nothing wrong. He went back under the house and still nothing. He said that the only thing that was hanging was a dryer vent. Ron was very thorough, patient and explained everything to me and didn't leave until all of my questions were answered.

My AC was not functioning very well. Thought it was low on freon or whatever the new gas is. Technician found that there was not enough freon to even register. It would cost about 6 + hundred dollars just for a recharge and there was an indication that there was a leak at the compressor. The system in place was manufactured in 1996 so there was a decission to be made either repair for about a thousand bucks or replace. I chose to replace with a top of the line system. I had some after thought about the decission but now the system is in it is working very well I think the correct decission was made. Time will tell. Hoping for a reduced electric bill.

Jeff and his entire staff were excellent and we are completely satisfied with all of the work. The system is just perfect for our home and Jeff made sure we had what we needed and nothing more. You cannot beat these guys for the price and quality that they deliver, I can assure you of that. There is no one better in the business and I highly recommend using them for all of your HVAC needs!

Overall we had a good experience with this company and would recommend them to others.

I noticed the air conditioning was not working. Ron came out and assessed my current 12 yr old system. After going through the old unit I decided to go with a new unit rather than fixing. Rod did give me the option (very rare since other companies will just push you into a new system) and I liked that. We sat down and went through the different options (weighing the price/quality/efficiency) we went with the new Heat Pump System. Within the week we had the new one installed and it works great. I had a ton of questions throughout the process and there whole team (especially Natalie) answered them all. From my experience they are a big enough company to handle everything but also "small" enough to take the time to make me completely happy about such a major purchase. I would recommend this company for anything including repairs and major replacements!

We have dealt with them for a while. They came to service our air conditioning. We had a leak in the line and the outside condenser unit which was 12-years-old had to be replaced. They worked with us really well so that we didn’t have to replace the entire unit. It worked out in our benefit. They did a great job and were in and out in one day. We were very happy with them. We have recommended them to other people as well.

Everything went very well and quick. On Tuesday morning Roy came out and verified that the old system (original 16yr old heat pump) had moved on to a better place and it was time to replace. That same day I received the quote for a new system and they were able to find an opening in the schedule two days later. It took Roy a day to get the system installed and he did an awesome job. He didn't mind me hovering around asking questions. Being an engineer myself I'm very curious about how things work and operated. I especially liked that no matter who I talked to, it seemed like everyone was on the same page and knew what was going on.