HILL COUNTRY AIR
About us
Hill Country Air is a full service heating and air conditioning company specializing in repair, and replacement when necessary. The owner has 42 yrs experience and is NATE certified and certified as a Building Analyst Professional by the Building Performance Institute
Business highlights
Services we offer
Repair of all brands and models of heating, air conditioning, but will always give you an option for repair at an honest price, indoor air quality equipment. We specialize in making the repair, not trying to sell new equipment. We are highly trained in system replacement if necessary
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
---|---|---|
100% | ||
0% | ||
0% | ||
0% | ||
0% |
I cannot say enough how responsive, communicative, kind and honest this company is. They are thorough and STICK BY THEIR WORK. I will never call anyone else.
We have had no less than 3 other AC companies out to check our unit in the past 4 years. Those companies either gave us a patch or a price that was outrageous. Hill Country Air found a leak and replaced the coil (2 visits). The AC still wasn't keeping up so HCA came right back out, no charge, and found that the coil was damaged (visit 3). They got us a new coil and installed it, no charge (visit 4). The AC still wasn't keeping up so they came back out (on a holiday weekend - no charge) (visit 5) and looked for another leak. They found the second leak and fixed it - no charge (visit 6).
Thankful to have this company in my arsenal.
I liked that fast that he did not try to sell me on a new system or repairs I didn't need. I highly recommend.
I was given a discount because I used Angie's List
I called hill country air the morning after my AC unit stopped working. of course it was a hot, texas summer day when it went down. I called at 8 am and they were able to come at noon. he was punctual and went right to work to diagnosis the trouble area. my unit is 13 years old and still running cool when running. Richard, the technician and owner's father, came with more experience than I imagined after he told me his work history, retirement, and startup of hill country air with his son. he answered all my questions, while still troubleshooting the problem. he found the problem and had the part to fix it in his truck. 45 minutes and done. what I appreciated most was that he fixed the problem and didn't try to sell me anything. he warned me that the fan of the unit sounded strange and might stop working at anytime, but 2 weeks later; it still going, and I'm cool while in the dog days of a south texas summer. I WILL call them for help again when needed.
My impression is that this is an honest company who will do good work for a fair price. Nowadays that's a find. The owner / tech was patient and courteous with any question my mom raised. He even gave her an unsolicited senior citizen discount on top of a very fair price for the service.
Will use again and not hesitate to recommend.
Due to the extreme freeze/heat swings we had here, there were countless stories of heat pumps dying due to valve and cycyling problems. We had 29F one day and within 48 hours we were at 85. Was brutal on old equipment like our 20 year old air handler
and 9 year old heat pump that came with the house when we bought it back in 2010. Our heat pump burned out and we knew we needed to get a more efficient system anyhow so the time was right.
We called Richard and despite all the system emergencies in the area, he manages his calls well and got to us to do a quick review within the day. He always kept in touch and would let us know he was running late- he never left us guessing or wondering.
The first problem we had to deal with was the fact our air handler was old and Carrier no longer had outside equipment compatible with the old air handler. Richard spent a lot of time seeing if there was anything he could do and called me several times for the status of that. I eventually told him that we feel we should go ahead and just replace the air handler. I appreciate that he was trying to save us money and literally spent a lot of time on that.
The second problem was like many early 1980's small ranch type homes, it always seems they poured the slab, installed the air handler and then built the house around it. The newer, even base model, air handlers with the latest insulation and new refrigerants that we needed to fit in our small air handler closet were unavailable and not really carried by his suppliers. Richard again made countless calls and then got on the horn with the manufacturer who did have a size smaller but did not stock them- they only built them as ordered.
We were okay with that and Richard disconnected our dead heat pump but ensured our system's auxilary heat was working. He even came by, in person, late one evening after still working all his other installs/repairs to make sure we were okay. We were still dipping into the upper 30's but with us working during the day, having the aux heat strips helped take the edge off. He called to check on us two other times.
He's such an easy person to work with and we also were flexible so it was a win-win. I can't stand the precast compressor pads most units are put on outside so I wanted to pour a solid slab (needed to anyhow due to the size of the future heat pump). Richard ordered the equipment but didn't require any deposit so that allowed me to pour our new slab.
What's important to note here is that it tells you reams about how strong and established his company is with vendors and his own finances that he can order without a down payment. Some have strained relationships and you can tell if they require payment up front- that's always impressed us with any contractor. The ones that want money up front- you always worry if they are just robbing Peter to pay Paul. Not with Richard/Hill Country Air. On some unsually large jobs, I'm sure he may have to do something else.
Richard received the air hanlder a few weeks later from Trane but I wanted to gut the air hanlder closet and seal all the gaps, nasty leaks that sucked in dust from behind walls and also painted and sealed all the walls and flooring. He came out and pulled the old unit out and never rushed me.
About two weeks later, we were done and he came in and installed the new gear and ensured it worked with our NEST thermostat. He also installed a large 5" media fitler box.
Richard was EXACTLY on time by the way on each visit. I mean on time or five minutes early and always communicated. How he does that is amazing.
The new Trane gear worked perfectly and our air flow was never better and so fresh.
Richard came back not only once, but he did two additional free system pressurization, temperature, adn load tests over the nexty 30 days and he even called a third time in April to see if we were happy. On one of the visits, he replaced at no
charge our breaker that is co-located at the heat pump outside. He said he noticed it was old during install and it kept bothering him.
He's the type of person who puts his name and personal creditbility and reputation on every project. He does a lot of new construction and commercial work and we were just a small home owner with a small house but he made us feel like he was working on a much larger contract. He always worked with us on our schedules too because my wife and I both work. Richard- we felt bad for him no matter how much he said it was okay- would always come by around 7PM for his checks.
He's a rare, rare person/company and we can't praise him enough.
The only thing I need to add is that while reviewing HIll Country Air, I can't emphasize enough how important it is for customers to also be decent people. Drop that 'fast food' gimme gimme mentality and show mutual respect. It can do wonders for maintaining a good working relationship.
Too many peopled are demanding solely because they are paying the bill. But treat people kindly- it doesn't cost money but can yield so much more. Especially when you have a great person like Richard and his company- don't take that for granted- you simply do not find a business owner like him- they just don't exist like they used to.
Our air is so fresh and our electric bill has dropped massively over the same periods last year per the bar graph our electric company provides with each statement. Richard did a top notch install and went the extra mile to find something so we didn't have to tear out and frame an air handler expansion.
Well done and I give our absolute highest recommendation on Hill Country Air.
Mr. Pierce arrived on time, and when I complemented him on his prompt arrival (same day service) he explained that they are a small company and can be very responsive. He immediately went to work and quickly found the problem with our Rheem AC compressor (it was a defective starting/run capacitor). Our ten year old system is blowing cold air again! Mr. Pierce gave us a 10% senior discount even though the bill was already modest to begin with. This company is very professional, knowledgeable, and customer oriented This is the best experience we have ever had with HVAC repairs over several decades, and we will definitely call Hill Country Air the next time we need service!!!
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.