What this Houston HVAC line is, and what it is not
When the AC quits on a muggy Houston evening or the heat will not kick on during a cold snap, you need one number that answers, not a page of ads and a string of voicemails.
Houston Air & Heating is that number for HVAC help in Houston. It is a free phone line and this website. It is not a heating and air conditioning contractor: it has no technicians, no service vans and no license, and it never repairs, installs or prices anything. What it does is answer your call at any hour, ask a couple of quick questions, and connect you with an HVAC company in your part of town that is independent and locally owned.
The HVAC company is the one that looks at your system, explains what is wrong, prices the job, carries out the work and sends you the bill. You deal with it directly. The line never charges you, and the companies may pay it a referral fee, which this site always tells you up front.
People search for an AC man in Houston, an AC unit repair in Houston, or simply HVAC Houston, and they mean the same thing: someone who knows Gulf Coast systems and can get to the house. The line is a quick way to reach one. It covers cooling and heating alike, homes and businesses, from a single window unit question to a full system that needs replacing.
How a call to the line works
You only have to talk for a minute. The rest is the transfer. Every step, including what happens when nobody picks up, is laid out on the how it works page.
- Dial the numberAn automated assistant picks up (832) 662-4107 at any hour and asks what you need help with.
- Say what is wrongTell it whether the trouble is cooling or heating, where in the Houston area you are, and what the system is doing.
- Reach a local companyYour call is transferred to an independent, locally owned HVAC company, which gets a short summary of your problem before it answers.
- Work it out with themThat company inspects, quotes, repairs and bills you directly. If nobody can pick up, your name, number and problem are passed on for a call back.
What you can call about: heating and cooling
Each service page explains what the job involves on a Houston system, what a careful technician checks and why, and what to ask before agreeing to a repair. Read the one that matches your problem, or just call and describe what the system is doing.
AC Repair in Houston
Warm air, a unit that hums but will not start, ice on the lines or a tripped breaker. How a careful diagnosis works in Houston heat and what to ask before you approve a repair.
Air Conditioning Repair
The parts of a central air system that wear out in Gulf Coast heat and humidity, what each repair involves, and when a repair stops making sense.
Emergency AC Repair (24/7)
No cooling at night, on a weekend or during a heat wave or power outage. What to do while you wait and who is most at risk.
AC Installation and Replacement
Why a load calculation matters more than the brand, what a complete replacement quote lists, and permits in Houston.
Furnace Repair
Gas furnace not lighting, short cycling or smelling hot on the first cold front. Gas and carbon monoxide safety first, then what a technician checks.
Heating Repair (Heat Pumps and Electric Heat)
Heat pumps blowing cool air, aux heat running all night, electric heat strips that quit. How Houston homes heat and what goes wrong before a freeze.
HVAC Tune-Up and Maintenance
How often to service an AC and furnace on the Gulf Coast, when to book it, and the filter and drain habits that matter most in humid heat.
Commercial HVAC
Rooftop units, offices, shops and restaurants. How commercial AC repair differs from residential and what to ask a commercial contractor.
Why Houston systems work so hard
Heat is only half of it. Houston air carries moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico for much of the year, so an air conditioner here has two jobs at once: lower the temperature and pull water out of the air. That is why a system that cools but leaves the house sticky usually has a problem worth checking, and why drain lines clog and drip pans overflow so often in this area.
Long, hot summers
Normal afternoon highs at Bush Intercontinental Airport sit in the mid 90s through July and August, based on the National Weather Service's 1991 to 2020 records. In 2025 the Weather Service office for Houston and Galveston counted 145 days that reached 90 degrees or more, beating the old record of 142 set in 2011. A system that runs nearly nonstop for months wears down the compressor, the fan motors and the electrical parts a little more every week, and a weak part tends to fail on the hottest afternoon of the week. A spring tune-up is a good chance to find that part before it fails.
Hurricane season and long outages
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and its peak falls around September 10. When Hurricane Beryl came ashore near Matagorda as a Category 1 storm early on July 8, 2024, CenterPoint Energy reported more than 2.2 million of its customers without power, and by July 19, eleven days of July heat later, it had restored more than 99 percent of them. After an outage, have the system looked at if it trips a breaker, hums without starting or blows warm air once the power returns, and read the emergency AC repair page for how to keep the house safer until help arrives.
Freezes do happen here
Houston heating systems usually get an easy winter, so a hard freeze tends to find their weak spots. In February 2021 an arctic outbreak dropped Bush Intercontinental to 13 degrees on February 16, and the Weather Service described road closures, power outages, loss of heat and burst pipes across the region. ERCOT, the grid operator for most of Texas, ordered rotating outages starting early on February 15 as power plants dropped offline in the cold. A heat pump or furnace that has sat idle all year deserves a fall check before the first real cold front. The furnace repair and heating repair pages cover what goes wrong.
Safe checks before you call
- Thermostat: check that it says Cool or Heat and that the target is a few degrees beyond what the room reads now. A blank or faint screen usually means it needs batteries.
- Air filter: a clogged filter starves the system of air and can lead to ice on the indoor coil. Put in a new one if it looks gray and packed.
- Breaker: if the AC or furnace breaker has tripped, flip it back on once. A second trip points to a fault, so leave it off and phone for help.
- Outdoor unit: pull leaves, grass clippings and debris away so air can move through the coil.
Gas smell or carbon monoxide alarm: do not touch switches or try to find the leak. Get everyone outside first. For a gas smell, call 911 and your gas utility's leak line once you are a safe distance away (CenterPoint Energy serves much of the area). For a carbon monoxide alarm, call 911 from outside. Refrigerant, wiring and anything inside a furnace are jobs for a licensed technician.
Four questions to ask the company you reach
The company is independent, so checking it is your job. These take a few minutes and protect you on any visit.
What is your Texas ACR license number?
Any company that contracts heating and air conditioning work in Texas needs an ACR contractor license from TDLR. A company that hesitates to give you the number is a company to pass on.
What does the visit cost?
Ask about the service call or diagnostic charge before anyone drives out, and whether night or weekend visits cost extra.
What part failed, and why?
A plain explanation and the failed part named lets you compare a second opinion and understand what you are paying for.
Can I see the price in writing first?
Get the repair or replacement price written down before work begins. For a new system, ask whether the company will pull the permit your city requires.
Guides for Houston homeowners
Not sure whether you need a repair, a tune-up or a new system? These guides answer the questions people ask most, with the sources listed so you can check them.
How Much Does AC Repair Cost?
Published cost ranges for common AC repairs, what pushes a Houston bill up or down, and how to read a quote.
AC Running but Not Cooling
The safe checks to make first, what the common causes are, and when to stop and call.
AC Leaking Water
Why a central AC drips in Gulf Coast humidity, where the water comes from and how to limit ceiling damage.
Repair or Replace Your AC or Furnace?
Age, repair cost, refrigerant and efficiency: a plain way to weigh fixing an old system against replacing it.
Is an HVAC Tune-Up Worth It?
What the evidence says about yearly maintenance, who gains the most from it and when you can skip it.
What an HVAC Tune-Up Includes
A line by line checklist of what a real AC and furnace tune-up covers, so you can tell a full visit from a quick look.
How to Choose an HVAC Company in Houston
Check the TDLR license, compare written quotes and spot the red flags before anyone starts work.
Water Heater Repair: Who to Call
Water heaters are plumbing work in Texas. Safe checks, warning signs and how to verify a plumber's license.
Free AC Refrigerant Guide (PDF)
The R-410A to R-454B change explained for homeowners. A free PDF book by Maurice Johnson, one click, no form.
Towns and suburbs the line covers
Inside Houston city limits and out through the suburbs in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston counties. The line has no office in any of these places; your call is passed to an independent company working in the area you name. Each town page explains what is different there, from utilities to permit rules.
- All Houston-area service areas
- The Woodlands
- Cypress
- Spring
- Humble
- Katy
- Sugar Land
- Pearland
- Pasadena
- League City
- Missouri City
- Kingwood
- Baytown
- Conroe
- Tomball
- Friendswood
- Richmond
- Fulshear
- Fresno
Free guide to the AC refrigerant change
Systems built for the older refrigerant R-410A are giving way to equipment that uses newer ones such as R-454B, and that change shows up in repair and replacement quotes. If you have been told your working system is obsolete, or a refrigerant charge seems priced oddly, read the free homeowner's book first. It is a one-click PDF download with no form to fill out.
Check the license before anyone starts
This is the one habit that matters most whoever you hire, whether you reach them through this line or on your own.
Verify the license before work begins. Texas requires anyone contracting to do air conditioning, refrigeration or heating work to hold an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (ACR) Contractor license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Ask the company for its ACR license number, then confirm it on the TDLR license search (opens in a new tab). The line does not check this for you.
About this line: Houston Air & Heating is a free phone line, not an HVAC contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local heating and air conditioning company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. You never pay the line. Read how the line works.