I called Alternative Heating and Air for a second opinion when I became suspicious of the HVAC company my home warranty insurance sent me to when my AC broke down. It took a week for that company to come out and was told I need to replace the evaporator coils They sent out a consultant/salesman two days later who seemed to discourage ordering the parts because my system is older and he presented me with a proposal for a new $20,000 unit. I thought that price seemed extremely inflated. When I called AH&A Tom, the owner came over right away. He said the first company completely misdiagnosed the problem. He said he coils were very dirty but he was able to clean them off with a hose and they did not need to be replaced. The problem was with the motor which was not blowing any air. He had the motor I needed at his shop so he went and got it, installed it, cleaned the coils and my AC was back on by one o'clock. I am so grateful! I asked Tom point blank what he would do if he were me, replace the unit or repair it and he said he would repair it because I have a good system and when it was manufactured they were built to last and they don't build them like that anymore. That made a lot of sense to me and it told me a lot about Tom. I believe he was truly trying to do the right thing for me. He could have tried to sell me a new system but he did not. I am so grateful to him for coming out so quickly and getting my AC running again. He was like the guy on the white horse coning in to save the day. Not only that but he saved me a ton of money. When I told my adult son about Tom he said "That guy is gold!!" I couldn't agree more. I will always go to Alternative Heating & Air in the future. I think my days with the home warranty people are over. read more

Jason is prompt and thorough. He has been checking our HVAC system for several years. It is no accident that one of our systems is 30 years old and performing well. With their program for recurring customers, the service is also affordable. read more

They put our Mini split system in and we have had trouble with one zone leaking water, Called them and they came out charged us $100 to sy it wasn;t their fault. All they did was shine a flashlight and show us dirt in the zone and say they would fix our trouble for over $800, give me a break. Don;t let these people take out your trash read more

had my FAU heater serviced by Alternative heating and airs technician Jason recently, cant say enough good things about him, he was fast, efficient and explained all he had done and why. would highly recommend. read more

I can't say enough good things about how amazing this company is!!! They came out to help us when our ac went out in this horrible Chico heat and really went the extra mile! Thank you Alternative Heating & Air! You officially have customers for life! read more

I called Tom at alternative heating explain that I manage a complex with 154 units and that I am currently getting bids to change my vendor and I asked if you do heat pumps he said of course I said thank you I have a current company that I need to compare with and I think I need to change and he immediately said nope not interested and hung up on me very unprofessional just lost a hundred units potentially. read more

Alternative Heating &Air has been 'my' HVAC service people since I have been in Chico (10+ years). 1st experience (maybe 8-9 years ago??): A home warranty company could not fix a furnace problem and recommended a system replacement. AH&R found it in minutes, replaced a part (less than $20). Done. 2nd experience (2 years ago??): My ancient AC was making a huge amount of noise, annoying me and my neighbors. AH&R sold me a new AC, installed exactly when they said they would, and cleared away the old machine. Installers could not have been nicer. I checked pricing -- I paid about what every other company was charging for the same unit. The installers even loved my dog. 3rd experience: (this week) I thought the venting must be blocked: low heat, and some vents seemed 'drafty'. House unevenly warmed. I have a contract with ASH&A for annual service. They came, replaced my filter and crawled around the attic checking ducts. The pointed out that a prior rodent problem was the source of some vent insulation being eaten away. We are trying the cheaper solution first--their idea. It would be very expensive to replace the damaged insulation. And it seems to be working! They could not resolve the problem of perfectly heating a house with various ceiling heights--that makes sense. And they still like my dog. No charge: covered by the service contract-- but it still seemed very thorough. Can't recommend enough. read more

AH&A rescued me when my AC went out during a scorching heat wave! They answered my frantic messages after business hours and fit me in first thing in the morning. Tom managed to get my AC running with a temporary part while he tracked down the necessary part in the meantime. Tom Vierra wins the prize for AC Hero of the Year! He's also done work at another property of mine on an older unit. I was worried I'd need to buy a new one considering its age and he had it up and running again in less than an hour and for a modest house-call fee! Tom is the the BEST! It doesn't get any better than this! read more

These guys were recommended by a family member. After inspection of Heat Pump system, we decided to go with a new unit which was installed on the outside of the house. $5k later and the system is still not working 5 mos later. Installers stated duct work damage was present under house and hot/cold air was being vented in house sub area. The owner stated he is not willing to complete work because an installer complained of spiders in the sub area of the house. Deer Creek Heating and Air is now on the way. Thanks alot Alternative. read more

Tom, the service manager is my hero. Third day into a triple digit heat wave my AC quits. Called them at 4p.m. He arrived in 20 minutes. Diagnosed and repaired the 16 year old unit and did not even try to sell me a new one. I'm so glad I purchases the maintenance agreement, great investment. Honest, competent and responsive and very pleasant to deal with. What more could I ask. read more

My parents have used Alternative Heating & Air a couple of times over the last several years. They are knowledgeable, reliable, personable, and most of all honest. They come highly recommended. read more

Look no further, this is the only company you should use for any heating and air issues!!!! I had another company come out and look at my HVAC unit that was not putting out any heat. They had told me I needed to put in a while new unit, in the amount of $8,500, because the control board was bad and the part was not available anymore. I then had Alternative come out for a second opinion, in the hopes of maybe getting a slightly lower price on a new unit. They came out and within one hour had figured out the real problem and fixed it!!! So instead of having to buy a new $8,500 unit, I only had to pay $89 for the service!!!! The most honest and reliable company ever!! I will never use anyone else ever and neither should you!!! read more

Always friendly with great affordable service. Thousands of dollars less than the others guys, very clean, knowledgeable, and offer an awesome product. read more

Twice impressed! They serviced our hvac system in 2011. We were told that our system did not need to be replaced. it seemed as if the technician was very well trained and knowledgeable. This time during the 108 degree heat wave we called and received a call back within 10 minutes. We were surprised when they could come out that same day! Very reliable, honest, top notch company! The tech had the part needed to repair our system in his truck and we had air within an hour! The cost to repair and a quote we requested for additional maintenance was A LOT lower than another well known hvac company in chico. Other company took 5hours to return my call and could not come out until the next day with a 4 hour window! Alternative Heating and Air showed up exactly when they said they would! read more

Its a solo operations and the guy who works there is knowledgeable, affordable, and friendly, not one of the potentially inexperienced techs dispatched by the larger companies. He came out to look at a central air unit that stopped working 2 weeks after I paid another company $600 for a recharge and seal. He said the superseal was old school and he had a leak detector. I was told by the previous company if the superseal didn't work I would probably have to replace the unit $5000+. Anyway, he came out and determined there was no leak at all. And the Freon was full. So what did the other company fix? The unit had iced up and needed to be defrosted, which he did by flipping on the heater for 15 minutes. Apparently the tenants had the thermostat next to the heat of the TV which caused it to run all non-stop and ice up. He explained this to the tenants, so I didn't have to, and even stopped by a 2nd time later that day at no charge to check on the operating condition of the unit. Then explained everything to me, and said I didn't need a new unit, but that mine was slightly oversized. I asked if he could switch he out with another unit in the complex. He actually agreed, and to do it for $1000. Seemed really cheap for all that work. Didn't try to push a new unit on me. I would go to him for all my needs simply because he's honest and I can trust that I wont be spending unnecessary money on repairs or replacements I don't need. read more

Love this company! I can't say enough good things about them. Our air conditioner went out and my son has a life threatening seizure disorder that is triggered by heat. They went way ABOVE and beyond to get us a new unit ASAP. Great guys, great service:) A+++ read more