Peter was the best! He helped us figure out a huge AC issue and helped us to get it fixed even though we are not in the same state. The man was brilliant! Sadly Peter passed away suddenly in August 2025 and his business is closed. RIP Peter. You are missed! read more

Peter Needham Electrical & HVAC really helped me in a crucial time. Peter answered my call right away and explained in detail the necessary steps to get the job accomplished. He was very professional and kind and made this an overall great experience. They are a high value company! Thank you Peter for helping my family and I will continue to let my family and friends know that if they need anything regarding electrical and HVAC your company is who to call!!! read more

I got hung up on by Arlene after trying to make an appointment and was a returning customer with no prior issue. So unprofessional and rude! read more

Peter has been taking care of our back bay condo for the last 15 years. He is an excellent technician and problem solver. His crew does plumbing, electrics and hvac and all to a high standard. Peter also stands behind his work. They installed a new heating system for us and do all of our regular maintenance- excellent in all categories. read more

Peter Needham, owner of Peter Needham electrical is wonderful. He helped troubleshoot & solve my AC which was not working in my Master bedroom. This problem was going on for the last 20 years. I had it shown to others but they were unable to diagnose the issue. They kept saying its an issue with the duct work and it would cost a lot of money to change the duct work to reach my master bedroom. Peter was both professional and hardworking. He was persistent and used a step by step procedure to diagnose the problem. We were fortunate to have him come over to fix our HVAC issue and finally get it resolved once and for all. Thank you. read more

Had an issue with our panel and called Peter Needham for an emergency call. They were there within 45 minutes - sent two guys over who were extremely helpful and fixed things in a matter of minutes. Yes, the charges were steep (it was an emergency call after all). We couldn't afford to wait to have this rectified. read more

Called them for emergency HVAC issue. Very professional in communication. Didn't over promise or over sell. As they communicated, technician called up prior to visiting and showed up on time. The work was performed satisfactorily and got HVAC working. read more

I'm new to the homeowner game, which means I'm fine dealing with minor inconveniences that don't involve two things: electricity and explosives. Naturally, when my newly installed natural gas boiler for steam heat wasn't firing up on temp dips, I turned to the pros. A call in to Peter Needham and a thorough explanation led to a technician being sent out within days of the request, and a suggested "First Season Fireup" - a cleaning, full system inspection and maintenance advice for $190. As the system had never been used before, and I was unaware as to what caused the malfunction, I asked if we could scale back the scope should the problem get diagnosed immediately. The response was muddled under a "It's a good idea to have this done anyway" reply. The technician arrived 45 minutes after the scheduled time, and established the problem immediately: an improperly wired thermostat. Ten seconds, three twists of a driver, and the whole thing fired up like clockwork. Again, I asked "Since this is the first fire up, and the system is brand new, I don't think a cleaning is necessary. Can we just keep it to the time spent?" The answer, again: "No, it's probably still a good idea to clean it." Clean what, I'll never know. What I do know is that he was extremely polite and thorough in the explanation of the system, what to look for in seasonal operation, and how to rectify pings that plague many radiator (listen to Big Joe and Lean Back). That said, $190 for a very minor problem that took five minutes and zero parts is absolute overkill. I would have gladly paid the $30 service/diagnostic fee, in addition to time spent, which was the appropriate course of action, but I feel more than a little taken with the final tab. read more

Mr Needham, first of all the invoice is dated 11-5-21. I called on 8-23-23. That is not over 2 years. (1 year, 9 months and 17 days to be exact). I previously explained the reason why. Attack mod? I called in a calm manner trying to explain what happened (numerous time to your wife) only to get, "he will give you a call" which to this day, has not occurred. You sent a tech out unannounced who would only give my wife his first name and was vague when asked what he was doing here. I already called the inspector, read the contract, who agreed should have had a permit. Looks like I am not the only one who have had issues with your business. Your company is the most unprofessional company I have ever had to deal with. read more

Peter Needham Electrical offers amazing service and expertise. We moved to Medford this year when we bought our first home, and through all the contractors we used we felt best about Peter and his team. Arlene in the office is a constant delight and we always feel in excellent hands with Peter and Rohan, both for electric and plumbing work. For electric, they cleaned out the rust from our exterior box, fixed all the terrible wiring in the basement, extended our electric box, inspected and repaired all the sockets and switches on 3 floors, bubbled the exterior sockets, and installed our new dining room and kitchen light and appliance fixtures. For plumbing, they set up our new washer/dryer hookup, cleaned our heating system, and replaced our exterior hose. We appreciate their exceptional knowledge of their field, their professionalism, and kindness! Thank you, Peter Needham Electrical! read more

I live in Brookline, MA Price gouging and no accountability - how I would describe my experience with Peter Needham. I hired it to address the issues with my AC, which is my individual unit on the roof of the condo building. After one hot weekend I wanted to get it fixed ASAP, so did not do much research, relying on good experience with other contractors in the area. The technicians diagnosed, that the unit needed freon R22, approximately 6LB, for the price $250/LB. After the job was done - I was presented with a bill of $1999.94, which included 7 LB of freon $1750, and remaining for labor. After they left - I started checking and found that, per Angie list, the contractors may charge up to $100/LB. When I called to their office - received pretty rude and unjustifiable explanations for overcharging. When asked about warranty - was told that no warranty. Now, as the AC is barely cooling my condo apartment, I think that that the whole experience was just a rip-off. Stay away. read more

it is hard to describe the sheer incompetence of this business. I am in need of a newly installed a/c system. I called and spoke to Arlene (the receptionist?) who knows what she does, because she certainly never writes down anything. EVERY TIME I called, and I mean every time, I would need to remind Arlene who I was, what I was calling about, where I lived and what my number was. not that it mattered, I never got a call back. She never followed through with anything. It took me calling 6 times and two weeks before I had to tell her that unless someone came out to give me an estimate, that I would give up and go someplace else. Manny, their contractor who does all the HVAC installs finally came out two weeks ago. He was a nice enough guy and had some good ideas. But it was obvious he didn't have time to be at my house and he got out of there as fast as he could. He told me he'd have the estimate in a few days. That was two weeks ago. I've since called 4 times, begging for the estimate. Two days ago, I called Arlene (once again reminding her of all my details) and told her I had to have the estimate the next day. "ok, I promise, I'm so sorry! Manny is just so busy" (so many excuses I've heard, over and over). Well, yesterday came and went with no call from Arlene. She finally called today... Manny gave her an estimate (totally non-itemized of course) for $12,000. I have a 900sf house, with most of the duct work already in place. The condenser unit I would need is under $3000 at the very most. So, these idiots want to charge me $9000 in labor, and don't want to give me an itemized bill. It really is amazing how a business like this exists. Arlene might be the absolute worst receptionist I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. On top of that, clearly Manny is in way over his head and has too much work to handle. So instead of telling me they don't have time to do the work, they give me the run around for nearly a month, then inflate the estimate, either hoping I'll reject it or be desperate or ignorant enough to go along. STAY FAR AWAY FROM PETER NEEDHAM ELECTRIC read more

We've used Peter Needham and team for several services over the past year; troubleshooting and maintenance on an AC system, and emergency support for a failing circuit breaker. In each case, we've found Peter and his team to be reliable, skillful and professional. We have recommended him to our neighbors, and we will continue to use Peter's services in the future. read more

Five stars and two thumbs up for Peter Needham Electrical (don't let the name of the company fool you -- he's also a licensed plumber). After my last plumber (who was wonderful, btw) went out of business, I've been on a mad hunt to find a new one. Prior to Peter Needham, I had two horrible experiences with plumbers -- one who charged me $183 to put a $5 part in my toilet, and another who charged me $250 to tell me how dryer was broken. So, recently, when I heard that I would need a plumber to do some work at my condo, I was dreading looking for a new plumber. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, I found Peter Needham, and alas, who I hope will be my new plumber/electrician/handyman extraordinaire! I called on Friday to set up an appointment, and even though he could have gone later that same day if necessary, I told Arlene that the following week would be fine. I got the first appointment on Monday morning, and Peter showed up promptly, was friendly with my tenants, did the work as promised, and afterward, Arlene called me with an update and to arrange payment. I was able to pay over the phone and she emailed me a copy of my receipt -- how wonderfully efficient! I am so pleased with the work, professionalism and courtesy of Peter Needham. I would definitely recommend to a friend. Thanks again! read more

We've used Peter Needham for our hot water service for many years. He's helped us get the most use out of an old hot water heater, but recently, it finally gave out. Peter replaced it promptly and gave us a fair price. Afterwards, I noticed our kitchen hot water was low pressure. Peter sent his team out first thing the following morning, who investigated and solved the problem free of charge, including fixing an old valve that was difficult to turn off. His wife, who answers the phone and schedules appointments, is always nice and accommodating as well. read more

I have used Peter twice now. Last winter when it was time to turn the heat on for the first time since buying the house...nothing. Tried to get the boiler lit, but it's an old coal converted to gas thing from the 50s and I had no clue. Peter came, cleaned it out, got it lit, and lowered the pressure on it so my heating bills would be lower. Very happy! This week my hot water heater sprung a leak. Called Peter again. In an hour and a half he had taken the old one put, and put the new one in. He is very professional, thorough, and honest! I feel like he will give me his best opinion on something, and not just do what's most expensive. This is a total sidenote, but he also took care to make sure my cats didn't get outside while he was going in and out. Most professionals who come into a home don't pay attention to that. read more

I feel very lucky to have found Peter Needham's company when I first moved to Medford. We bought a fixer-upper house which needed all kinds of improvements and it wouldn't have been possible without all of the great workers Peter employs and works closely with to figure out the most cost efficient and appropriate repairs for the job. I can always easily get in touch with Peter and he genuinely wants to see our house be in a strong condition for my wife and child. This was most recently evident when a hot water valve broke this winter and our heat stopped working. I called Peter late at night and he had someone by early the next morning. I will continue to use Peter's business for all our home needs. read more

After our original HVAC guy failed to return our call and told me that it was normal for our HVAC to not be at full speed during heat waves, I called Peter Needham Electrical and HVAC. Peter is knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. He quickly assessed the situation, told us we had to turn the A/C off for 1-2 days to let the frozen unit dry, and then squeezed us in on his busy Saturday to come back and fix it. We were originally a bit confused by his management office, who kept calling my husband by a different name, but interacting with Peter himself was a pleasure. I would definitely call him again. read more

Top notch customer service. Will definitely be calling them again. I called them to assist in putting a Nest smart thermostat common wire in my Malden home. After running into some issues, Peter went above and beyond to correct it and make things right. As a homeowner I've found that locating reliable companies is rare. Peter Needham does it right. Thank you! read more

We used Peter Needham back when we lived in Medford a few years ago. *They use scare tactics to make you buy products you don't need. i.e. Our pipes were frozen and they talked us into paying to add extensions to our pipes to increase the water pressure. A few thousand dollars later ...it didn't help. We also had our kitchen sink back up and flood our kitchen in the middle of the night after they did some work that day; they returned our call a week later. Good thing I knew enough to shut off the water under the sink. Another time we had no heat and the receptionist wouldn't put in a service request; she talked us into waiting to see if it comes back next few days. We won't use them again. read more

My air conditioner broke down over night before a very hot day. Peter Needham was able to make an appointment for me 4 hours after I called. The technician(s) showed up over an hour late, no big deal, this was short notice. The technicians that came were really good, they tried to get my AC working, but it turned out I needed to replace my AC, it was 25+ years old. The 2 technicians told me multiple times I'd have a proposal that night or the next day. I waited a day and then called their front desk, I was told I'd be called back the next day. 2 days later, still no word. I guess they don't want my money? read more

Peter Needham and his team are incredible to work with. Not only are they experts in their craft, but they also take the time to ensure that you are well informed and comfortable with the work proposed and completed. We had heating and air conditioning issues and Peter and his team arrived promptly, diagnosed the problem, and put together an estimate on the spot. They were timely, courteous and respectful of my home, and my time. When I was in the process of buying a home, Peter joined our home inspector to ensure that all the Electrical, HVAC and Plumbing was up to code. The Peter Needham Electrical team went above and beyond what was expected, and I recommend them for any service needed (home, business, etc). read more

Peter and his tech came to service our NEST in our office building that was malfunctioning. After finding it had originally been wired incorrectly, they fixed that first and then trouble shot the device. He ended up reaching out to a Google Tech after we found it wasn't connecting to the WiFi and had a hardware issue. Since it's past its warranty, Peter got us a new NEST and came back this morning to install it and verified we were all up and running. They are very professional and genuine. We will definitely use them for electrical services in the future! Thank you again for the great service! read more

Peter came out personally to deal with my HVAC problem. He came the day after my call. We had a difficult and intermittent problem that Peter solved in a matter of minutes. We had been trying to solve the problem for 2 years. He guaranteed his work. Peter has a number of licenses, including plumbing and electrical, and he can solve problems that are interdisciplinary in nature. I recommend Peter highly. read more

These guys have saved us with our nightmare of a house. Whoever owned the place before did some creative, do-it-yourself wiring that is outright scary. PN electricians are always on time and do a great job, we've had them back again and again. They're also super courteous, one time in the winter they put on booties to avoid tracking salt and gravel into our house which I really appreciate. The only reason I didn't give five stars is the lady on the phone is a little hard to communicate with, you may need to call several times and be persistent. Overall these are excellent electricians and a great choice if you have a challenge or big job. read more

We had an issue hooking up our Nest Thermostat to the HVAC, so we called Peter Needham. We left a message with the nice receptionist and Peter gave us a call back shortly after. Since it's busy season, Peter explained he had a full day, but took the time to walk me through some troubleshooting solutions over the phone. We even FaceTime'd so he could take a look inside my HVAC to locate the blown fuse. His assumption to what happened was right and he saved me time/money from having someone physically come out. I couldn't be more appreciative for him talking me through how to get my heat working again and his team has gained my confidence in doing business with him again in the future. Thanks! read more

The guy came to install an electric oven. He charged me $400 for 45 minutes. He explained to me that he had to charge $250 for transportation. Never use this business ever!!! read more

My office had a issue with the A/C so we called Peter Needham. The company was very professional, came out right way and too the time to walk me through their process. In a matter of hours my A/C was up and running and my team was productive at their desks again! Would highly recommend! read more

Very relieved and happy I found this company to take care of a NEST service issue. They are uniquely able to handle an electrical adaptation needed for our NEST to function well. ( Added c wire). My usual HVAC company cannot do electrical and they do not seem to be as experienced with NEST. Very pleasant and efficient situation from start to finish- calling Arlene for an appointment to Darryl coming to my house and taking care of the issue this morning! I will be trying them for HVAC maintenance services in the future! read more

The office staff is totally incompetent, the young girls staffing the phones cannot read each others handwriting and called 3 times in 5 minutes to ask the same question, and the best is waiting at the apartment building main door, the office calls to tell me the tech is there and there is no such person on the roster! The tech clearly was never there, probably went to the wrong address or never showed...do you really want to trust a guy like that? I highly recommend that you call another company......this one is highly unprofessional and unreliable. read more

It's a long story so here's the basics: quoted $2700 to have six hard wired combination smoke/carbon dioxide detectors installed in the common areas of our five-unit condo association in the South End in July 2013. Needham Electric installed one hard wired and five battery operated smoke/carbon dioxide detectors. The hard-wired device was installed eight feet from the circuit breaker in a utility room which was a very straightforward job, the battery operated devices were on each landing (which I admit would have been a pain to wire, but that is the City of Boston code and what the quote stated they would do). Spoke to Arlene at Needham Electric numerous times and she was unable to help me other than to keep updating the quote so it matched the work performed ... with no adjustment to the sixteen hours of time they claim to have spent on-site. Eventually Arlene started getting upset that I was bothering her so much, although I feel I was justified in asking for answers (note: they did provide a letter stating that these battery operated devices would pass the city's fire code). Mailed a detailed letter to Peter Needham asking why it would take sixteen hours of professional electrician work for one hard wired device and five battery operated devices: never responded. Stupid me should have contested the credit card charges. If anyone wants more details contact me. (edited 5/22/14: typo) read more

Our house in Cambridge, recently renovated, had a strange noise coming from the boiler, so alarming that we turned the whole system off. We hadn't yet found someone to call for repair and maintenance and were desperate since the weather was getting cold. We feel lucky to have found Peter--just by Googling and reading some reviews and the Better Business Bureau profile, which rated him an A+. That was enough for me to give them a call out of the blue, and Arlene, the office manager, was incredibly understanding and helpful when I called--despite the fact it was last minute, she put me in hold while she called Peter who was out on a job. After just a few minutes, we had scheduled Peter in, and he was over within an hour. My father, a contractor, happened to be in town and said he was never as impressed with someone like he was with Peter, an expert electrician and an expert in plumbing, and of course heating and air conditioning. He was amazingly thorough and did a complete maintenance of our boiler, even though we couldn't recreate the noise after it had been off (there had probably been air pockets in the pipes from having been off for the summer). The price was very reasonable and more than fair, and we will now be calling Peter for all of our heating, a/c, electrical and plumbing work. read more

I called this establishment and the rep told me that she could have someone come out the next day between 2-4pm. Of course I was excited that they had the availability, so I left work early and sat home waiting. When 3:30pm rolled around I figured I'd call and see if a tech was on their way over. The young lady then informed me that she had scheduled me for the wrong day, and would I be interested in tomorrow between 10-12pm. I told her I had already taken time off work and need someone to look at my HVAC issue ASAP. She then put me on hold and came back to tell me that someone would be over as soon as they were done with the job they were currently on. An hour later I get a call from another woman, stating she was so sorry, and that she didn't know why the other young lady had told me someone would be coming out to look at my heating issue. At that point I was beyond annoyed and told her thanks I'll go find someone else. Awful experience!!!! read more

Fast, friendly, reasonably priced. The best part is knowing you can trust them and the work they do. I always recommend them.

Terrible. After already having been out to assess the situation with our water heater a few weeks ago and providing a temporary solution, we called him back in for the "real fix" that he recommended. He showed up today, told us that he didn't remember what our situation was and that he didn't have the necessary parts (we reminded his team about our situation when we made the appt and said he would need to order parts), and then left. He said that he would call in a few hours and would be back later in the day. 6 hours later, after not having heard from him, we called him. His assistant told us that he was on another job and would need to come back another day. Not acceptable. We took the day off from work to attend to this, and he wasted our time. He didn't even have the consideration to talk to us himself. Definitely not recommended. read more

i was looking to install central air conditioning, so I scheduled an appointment. The guy never showed, never called the day of the appointment, nor followed up after. I'll be doing business elsewhere. read more

I'm really surprised reading the reviews on here. I've known Arlene and Peter for many many years, and I cannot speak highly enough about them or their business. Peter's knowledge is overwhelming - he can and will provide solutions and services the competition will shy away from. Like any business, things happen, appointments get mixed and estimates get lost. But it's how they treat their customers and sheer work quality that keeps myself and many others coming back. Contact Peter directly and I guarantee you will be more than satisfied with the outcome. read more

Do not use this company. I had to contact them for a simple garbage disposal install. All piping and electrical placement on old unit was identical to new unit going in. So it was just a matter of taking out the old one and installing the new one. No major plumbing or electrical work required. New unit was a badger 5 garbage disposal which retails for around $80. They supplied unit. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to install. Then they charged over $350 for it all!!! So you can do the math on that one. Oh and heres the kicker. The person who installed the garbage disposal never punched out the plug for the dishwasher hook up on the disposal. A classic mistake that should not be made by any plumber. Never mind one that believes their service to be worth $250 an hour. Also, the receipt they gave me is this nice fancy big piece of paper with boxes dedicated to itemizing and explaining work done and how long the work was done for. Well, they dont feel the need to fill the majority of that out. They just right the astronomically high total and a quick little note about what they did. I can appreciate good work. And I have always been a firm believer in the saying "you get what you pay for". However, there is paying a high fee for quality service, and then there is getting ripped off for sub par service. Peter Needham electrical, you fall under the latter. Consumers beware. read more

although the service was good, i was truly put off by arlene's refusal to itemize a bill so i would know how the dollar amount was figured. very unprofessional! what company, store or service people don't tell you what you are paying for? read more

I called Peter Needham Electrical for an emergency call on a Saturday. They came out within the 2 hr time span given and the tech was super nice and informative. However, I get a call from Arlene on a Sunday...yes, Sunday, at 10am and she says in the VM "This is Arlene, you didnt pay your bill yesterday on a COD I need to know today how you are going to pay for that. You were told to pay that day. I am not working today but leave a message with my answering service." I returned the call right away and told the answering service the tech had my card, wrote something down and I shouldnt have to give twice. None the less it's Sunday and Arlene supposedly is not working, so how can she run the card. No sooner than 5 mins goes past and it's a call from the same #. I pick up this time and Arlene says well you didnt pay your bill and it needs to get taken care of today. I explained the situation and I also told her it is Sunday morning and I would appreciate her not calling me then. She proceeds to tell me she works on Sundays. I told her I do not and its rude, plus she just told me in a VM she's not working so which one is the lie, working or not working? I told her to look into where my card was written down. No sooner than 5 more mins the tech from Sat calls. I already told Arlene how rude it was on Sunday to call and harass about money, yet she proceeds with having another call! Of course I am not answering anymore calls. He was nice about it and said he must have not written it down and he apologizes in the VM. I never got an apology from Arlene! Then after working a 6-6 shift on the following Monday I get out of work to hear 2 voicemails from Arlene which are rude as could be about me not paying my bill it such a degrading demeanor and attitude and how I refused to pick up the call from the tech Sunday. Clearly she didnt hear me when I told her Sunday is rude to call on to ask for money. Is this lady running the company? If the boss of Peter Needham would like to listen to her VM's I have them saved and be my guest! She has no customer service skills. If you can avoid her, I'd use the company, but she's the reason I wont go back! read more