Environmental Systems Associates Inc

We discovered our A/C was blowing out warm air and I immediately got out my Ipad and turned to Angies list because we were expecting housegusts in just a few days. I sent a message thru the site on email and they called us back promptly first thing the next morning. We were able to set an appointment for a couple days later but were still nervous because it was on a Friday and we worried the work might not be done before our guests' arrival. The technician showed up right when scheduled and did a little sleuthing, popped open the unit outside and found a wire which had shorted out. He gave us a very reasonable estimate, fixed the part and was on his way inside of an hour leaving us to finally relax in our nice cool house! Very prompt, efficient and reasonable service, so much so that we inquired about a yearly maintenance contract with them. Highly recommend this company.

After suffering through a cold winter with an outclassed-by-the-climate heat pump, I decided it was time to switch to gas heat. There was only one small problem: there was no natural gas line running to my house, even though BGE had run a line through the neighborhood some time after the house was originally built. Friends and neighbors spoke highly of Environmental Systems Associates, so in the spring of 2013, I picked up the phone and gave them a call. A polite secretary answered and listened patiently as I said "I'd like gas run to my house, and then I'd like a bunch of gas appliances installed. I have no idea how to go about doing this." She immediately patched me through to the owner, Richard Dean. Richard came to my house and listened to my broad goals: upgrading to natural gas, replacing the existing HVAC system with a new, energy-efficient gas furnace and air conditioner, switching to a gas hot water heater, installing a brand new gas fireplace, and laying the groundwork for future gas upgrades. Set on a flag lot far from the main street, I didn't know what level of effort would be required to bring a gas line to my house. Richard put together a detailed plan, recommending specific options and steering me through the multi-step process of working with BGE to have a gas line run. In addition, to help determine proper sizing of the equipment and assess other ways my house could be made more energy efficient, Environmental Systems performed a detailed whole house energy audit. There were many steps involved in these upgrades, but Environmental Systems was right there with each step, helping to make the process as smooth as possible. First, they installed a rough-in for the gas line within the house, finding an optimal path that eliminated the need to cut into drywall. Then, it was up to BGE to run a line from the street to my house. That took several months, as BGE's initial crews had great difficulty drilling through the ground. Eventually more powerful equipment was brought in; thankfully, BGE charges a fixed price to run a gas line, because rather than taking an estimated day or two, it took weeks of work. Once the gas line was run and the rough-in was pressure tested, Environmental Systems jumped into action and installed a high-efficiency Carrier Infinity furnace and air conditioning system and a high performance Bradford power vented gas water heater. The lead installer kept me informed as the install proceeded, and was very diligent in finding creative ways to make sure the appliances received proper interior ventilation despite being in a closed room in the basement. Later, Environmental Systems ran and connected a gas line to a new fireplace. Throughout the process, Richard patiently answered my questions via e-mail, providing detailed replies and frequently stopping by my house to check on things. He shared his knowledge on many aspects of home efficiency, describing steps he had taken in his own house, such as insulating his attic with foam-spray on the interior of the roof. The gas furnace was installed just in time for a frigid winter, but the cold presented a few unexpected challenges. Gas furnaces generate water as a by-product of combustion, and this water was fed into an existing pipe in the floor that runs outside the house. A heavy rain followed by a deep freeze caused the ground to freeze up, which blocked the exit point for this pipe. This caused water to back up and leak into the basement. I contacted Richard to describe the problem, and he immediately sent out a technician, who began digging and chipping through ice in freezing cold temperatures to determine the exit point of the drain pipe (which was underground). After locating and thawing out the pipe, he made some modifications to hopefully prevent the problem from re-occurring, but soon we determined the solution wasn't adequate, so Richard sent out another technician who installed a water pump and a different type of piping. That solved the problem. Despite extra work and the unanticipated expense of the pump, Environmental Systems didn't charge anything for the work or the pump. Although there were many steps and challenges to switching to gas, the entire staff at Environmental Systems made the daunting process seem easy, and they went out of their way to meet my scheduling constraints. It was clear that Richard Dean was absolutely committed to doing the work in a competent, cost-competitive, and honest way. Any time I had a question or needed information, he was immediately accessible, sharing his expertise and insight on a wide range of topics. He's a genuinely nice guy and is passionate about his business. Every single employee I interacted with was professional and met the high standards that Environmental Systems has set. Add me to the long list of Howard County residents who sing the praises of Environmental Systems; they deserve the raves.

The company has done work for us before, so I knew that they would do an excellent job. They did not disappoint. It started off a little rough--there was some miscommunication with the workers (they didn't know that I had to leave at a specific time to pick my son up from school) and were a bit late to begin the work. I called the office and the woman I spoke to was very nice and professional--she figured out what was going on and assured me they would be there very soon. I was a little worried, but then five minutes later, one of the owners pulled up in front of my house. He'd rushed right over to wait for the men, so that I could go pick up my son. As I was pulling away, the workers arrived. They were very thorough and professional. They worked steadily, and when one man hurt himself and had to be rushed to Urgent Care, more men were dispatched to my house to make sure the installation was completed. After they finished, they completely cleaned up everything. The laundry room (where the inside unit was replaced) actually looked cleaner than when they began the job. Before leaving, the man in charge went over everything we needed to know: what we needed to be aware of for the outside unit, how to change the filter and clean the inside unit, and how to work the new high-tech control panel. He was very patient at explaining everything (even to my very interested eleven year old son). I was very impressed by the focus and determination to do a good job. It was exhibited by everyone I dealt with: the man who first came to diagnose the problem with the old unit, the owner who came to give estimates on new systems, the office worker I spoke to on the phone, the other owner who made sure I could pick up my son, and all the men who came to do the actual installation. I could tell that their reputation really matters to them--they truly want every customer to be satisfied with their work. I can honestly recommend this company.

I got discounts on the replacement equipment, and i got a discount for being a maintence customer too.

They came out for an estimate on our particular situation and were able to perform the work that same afternoon. Also, Bob was incredibly helpful in assessing some other airflow situations in the house and provided some valuable advice about our attic and other weatherproofing that we could do.

Provided suggestion for future maintenance.

They have a remarkable degree of professionalism. I had the job done maybe 6 years or so, but anyway, we wanted to get a number of quotes for a new heating and air conditioning system. There were a lot of companies that came with a very surprising quote. But anyway, Environmental Systems has this older fellow in his late 60's probably and he was nicely dressed. The thing that impressed me is two things. First of all, he gave me his business card and he was president of the company. And the second thing is that the proposed plan was extremely detailed as to what is exactly to be installed and how it's going to be installed. It is very specific as to down the details even to what will be cleaned after the job is completed. Their price is competitive as well.

I called in the morning and had a tech out between 9-noon the same day. He was very nice and explained everything to me. Going to have someone call me to quote some other things I need to get checked out. Over all I was very satisfied with tech, price and company.

Replace furnace and AC unit. Great work. Responded immediately to a scheduling mix up and did high calibre work. Highly recommended!

Replaced gas furnace and outdoor a/c unit.

One of the owners, Richard Dean, came to my house to give an estimate. I had already done quite a bit of research and pretty much knew what I wanted. Mr. Dean answered my remaining questions, explained some options and other financing details, and sent me a proposal. We got three estimates total, and while all of the prices were fairly close, ESA's was a little bit lower. That fact, other Angie's List reviews, and the knowledge and professionalism of Mr. Dean (he even corrected an incorrect statement about how the installation would be performed made by another estimator) lead me to choose ESA, and I definitely made the right choice. After I signed the contract, Mr. Dean and another employee returned to take additional measurements so they could fabricate the metal transition ductwork before installation. Mr. Dean also recommended an upgraded Aprilaire high-efficiency filter and emphasized how much better it was than the stock filter. The additional cost was nominal, and the replacement filters are very reasonably priced and last much longer than regular ones, so I am happy that he recommended it. On installation day, ESA employees descended on my house. I think that there were eight people here at most at some point during the day. They worked quickly and finished the entire job (except for the gas supply piping, as the gas service and meter were not yet installed) by the end of the day. They ensured that my existing steam humidifier worked correctly with the Infinity controls even though they don't sell that brand and were not familiar with the unit. Everyone was friendly and took the time to answer my questions. They came back a few months later to install the gas supply piping from the future meter location to the furnace and then a final time to connect the meter to the gas piping. Mr. Dean helped guide me through the process of applying for new natural gas service from BGE, and he monitored the progress of the installation in order to get our gas connected and heat on as soon as possible. All I will say is that if you are getting new gas service installed on which you will depend for heat, apply to BGE as early as you can because they will take much longer than you think to install it. I sent in the application in mid-July, and they finally installed the gas line and meter in late October. The price listed is for a Carrier Greenspeed modulation furnace, Infinity 17 air conditoner and matching coils, Infinity touch thermostat, Aprilaire 2200 series filter, and all new gas and exhaust piping. The price also includes a Carrier rebate of $1100, which Carrier offers periodically. There is an additional BGE/Empower Maryland rebate of $900 for this system and possible Federal tax credits, neither of which is included in the price. If you get an estimate delivered via email and don't receive it within a few days, call them. I did not receive the first estimate due to a problem with my email filters, and I had to ask them to re-send it. I'm very happy with the work and service of ESA, and I would absolutely use them in the future for HVAC or other services.

I have a maintenance contract with them so they do service work twice a year for me. I like them and hte folks that they sent are always courteous. They do their work and they explain the things that was wrong. I have had them in the past to do estimates as well as to replace the AC unit in the past.

The came in a timely way, provided great info and a reliable estimate, followed through on the work they'd promised, and did so even more quickly than they'd said. Highly recommend.

The technician was punctual, VERY patient and answered all of my questions expertly. He gave us great recommendations and were very satisfied with the service we received. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants an honest and trustworthy company. They have a customer for life.

Environmental Systems stated they would send someone out between noon and 2:00. Terrence Morgan was the technician that was at my door around 12:30. He was polite and professional. He could not, however, gain entry to the access panel of the outdoor units due to this beautiful detailed arts and craft railing that my husband had built to hide the air conditioner. Terrence went above and beyond. I believe most people would have said "take down the fence and I will come back another day" and charged for the visit. Or they would have just ripped it apart, Terrence unscrewed the individual rails, kept the pieces in the right order and fixed the dual com-buster. When he came in to tell me that the job was complete, I thanked him profusely for not destroying my husbands "art" and asked where he put the screws. He just looked at me and said "I put it back together". He went above and beyond. I will never use any other company but Environmental Services after today.

They are nice and send you reminders.

ESI has replaced one of our AC units and is now under contract for both units for service. We find them reliable and punctual and would recommend them.

They were really good. They tended to be more expensive but, I took 4 estimates and bargained to get a 10 year warranty on labor. They brought in eight trucks and they were done in 4 hours. They had another team come in and tell us how to use the thermostats and inspectors came out and checked everything. They were very professional.

Paul, the technician for this visit, reviewed the system and offered to adjust the settings unless I preferred the current levels. He answered my questions and gave me names at ESA for follow up.

Had 3 estimates and told them all I want a solution for cooling the 2nd floor. Was given 3 very different ideas, but ESA was not only the most reasonable, they really listened to what I was saying, and solved the problem in the most efficient way. Finished the job in one day. Money well spent - could not be happier with result and would definitely use them again.

The owner came out to run through the details of the install. The following day the technicians installed the A/C and coil. Everyone was very professional and courteous and the A/C is running smoothly.

They are the best company I've ever dealt with.

Paul came exactly on time, greeted the 2 dogs, and completed the work. We sat down afterward and discussed his recommendations. I did notice that after he left, he turned off the light in the basement and shut the door to the water heater room. Too many techs forget these courtesies.

It went great. Since the outside unit was 15 plus years old, I had a pretty good idea that it was beyond repair. A tech came and checked it out while I watched and he explained his thought process. Based on his efforts I decided to ask for a quote for a replacement system. The next day one of the owners called to discuss options. He spent about 30 minutes on the phone going through the options and costs. I thought about it for a day and called him back with my choice. They scheduled me a convenient time for the work and showed up on time. They were very careful during the install which required a little custom venting to fit in to the available space. They finished the install earlier than expected including clean up and explaining the new thermostat controls. It has been a month now and I am very happy with the system and its performance.

Frank H. Came when he was supposed to and went right to work. He discovered a problem with the BGE Peak Rewards moniter box that BGE installed on the AC unit. BGE blocked access to the low pressure bib that is used for testing the low pressure. I called BGE as suggested by Frank and BGE will be coming out to fix the problem at no cost to us. Frank was very clear in his explanation of everything he did. Another great experience in dealing with ESA!