Searching for emergency air conditioner repair or 24 hour AC repair in Houston, TX usually means the system has quit at the worst possible moment, such as after midnight, over a holiday, or in the middle of a heat wave. This page helps you decide how urgent it really is, keep everyone safe while you wait, and handle the special case of a storm or power outage.
The Houston Air & Heating line is answered around the clock by an automated assistant. It asks what is wrong and where you are, then transfers the call to an independent HVAC company based in the Houston area. That company decides when it can come, sets its own after-hours rates, does the repair and bills you. The line itself costs nothing.
When a broken AC is an emergency
The question is less about the equipment and more about who is in the house and how hot it is getting. Use these two lists to decide.
Call for help now
- Someone at home is an older adult, a baby or young child, chronically ill, or on medicines that affect how the body handles heat
- Anyone shows heat illness signs (see the table below)
- Indoor temperature keeps rising into the 90s with no cool place nearby
- Water is coming through a ceiling or wall
- A burning smell, smoke, or a breaker that trips again after one reset
Can often wait for daytime
- Everyone is healthy and the house is warm but tolerable overnight
- The system still cools a little and only falls behind in the afternoon
- A noise or smell that is new but not burning, with no other symptoms
- You can stay with family or somewhere air conditioned for the night
The Houston Health Department advises that higher risk groups, including adults 55 and older, children under 4, and people with chronic illness or on certain medications, stay in air conditioned buildings during the hottest part of the day. If that applies in your home, treat a dead AC on a hot day as urgent even if nobody feels sick yet.
Heat illness signs to watch while the AC is out
From the CDC's guidance. Heat exhaustion can turn into heat stroke, and heat stroke can kill. When in doubt, call 911.
| Condition | Signs | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Heat exhaustion | Heavy sweating; cold, pale, clammy skin; fast, weak pulse; nausea or vomiting; muscle cramps; tiredness or weakness; dizziness; headache; fainting | Move to a cooler place, loosen clothing, use cool wet cloths or a cool bath, sip water. Get medical help if the person vomits, gets worse, or symptoms last more than an hour. |
| Heat stroke | Body temperature of 103 degrees or higher; hot, red, dry or damp skin; fast, strong pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; passing out | Call 911 right away. Move the person somewhere cooler and lower their temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath. Do not give them anything to drink. |
While you wait for the technician
- Protect the equipment. If you see ice on the copper line, hear the outdoor unit humming without the fan turning, or smell burning, set the thermostat to Off. Running a failing system can make the repair bigger.
- Do the quick checks once. Thermostat mode and batteries, the air filter, and a single reset of a tripped breaker. The AC repair page has the full triage table.
- Cool people, not the house. The CDC recommends cool showers or baths, and says to use fans only while indoor temperatures stay below 90 degrees; above that, a fan can actually raise body temperature.
- Block the sun. Close blinds and curtains on sunny windows, skip the oven and dryer, and move to the lowest floor of a two story house.
- Drink water regularly, and check on older relatives and neighbors instead of waiting for them to say something.
- Go somewhere cool if it keeps climbing. CDC notes that even a few hours a day in air conditioning lowers the risk of heat illness.
Cooling centers in Houston and Harris County
When the City of Houston activates its heat emergency plan, city libraries and multi-service centers have served as cooling centers during their regular hours, and residents can call 311 to find the nearest one or request a free ride there if they lack transportation. Those city buildings are open to the public during business hours even without an activation. Outside city limits, Harris County posts cooling center locations on ReadyHarris.org. Anywhere in Texas, calling 2-1-1 can point you to local help.
Hurricanes, outages and generators
Some Houston AC emergencies are really power emergencies. Hurricane Beryl came ashore near Matagorda as a Category 1 storm on July 8, 2024. CenterPoint Energy reported outages for more than 2.26 million of its customers at the peak, and it took about nine days, until July 17, to get power back to more than 98 percent of them. In the weeks that followed, the Associated Press reported that Texas deaths tied to the storm had reached at least 36, including people who died in homes left without air conditioning in the heat.
No HVAC company can fix a grid outage, so plan the cooling part of your storm kit ahead of time: a place to go, a way to get there, and a way to check on anyone vulnerable.
Generator safety. Carbon monoxide from a generator can kill within minutes, and you cannot see or smell it. The CDC and the Consumer Product Safety Commission say to run a portable generator outdoors, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, with the exhaust pointed away from the house. Never run one in a garage, carport, porch, shed or basement, even with the door open. Put battery powered carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home. If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911.
When the power comes back, let the system restart on its own schedule. If it runs but does not cool, trips a breaker, or the outdoor unit sat in floodwater, turn it off and call for an inspection rather than running it to see what happens.
Renters: who has to fix the AC
State law sets the baseline. Section 92.052 of the Texas Property Code obliges a landlord to work diligently on repairs to conditions that materially threaten the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant. The duty kicks in after the tenant reports the problem, provided the rent is not past due. The duty does not cover damage caused by the tenant or the tenant's guests, other than normal wear and tear. If your lease is in writing and requires written notice, give it in writing; keeping a dated copy is wise either way.
The City of Houston went further in 2026. On August 19, 2026, City Council passed an ordinance requiring landlords to provide and maintain working air conditioning in rental homes and apartments, closing an older exemption for units with window screens. Central air is not required; window or portable units can qualify if they meet the city's temperature standard. News reports say landlords were given a grace period of a few months to comply, and that enforcement runs through the Houston Health Department, starting when a tenant calls 311 to request an inspection. Suburbs outside the city limits set their own rules.
This is general information, not legal advice. Texas tenant rights groups and legal aid offices can help with a specific dispute.
Why after-hours AC repair can cost more
A company that sends a technician at 2 a.m. or on a holiday is paying for someone outside normal hours, and supply houses are often closed, so a needed part may not be available until morning. Many companies add an after-hours fee for that reason. There is no standard amount, and the line does not set or know any company's prices. Ask before anyone is sent:
- What is the after-hours visit fee, and what is the diagnostic fee?
- Is either fee credited toward the repair?
- If the part is not available tonight, what is the plan?
- What is your Texas ACR license number?
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.
What to say when you call at night
The assistant passes a short summary to the company, so a clear description helps it decide how fast to come and what to bring. Have this ready:
- Who is at riskSay plainly if an older adult, infant or someone ill is in the home.
- What the system is doingNot starting, running warm, iced lines, water leaking, burning smell, breaker trips.
- What you already checkedThermostat, filter, breakers.
- Where you areYour part of the Houston area and the best callback number.
If the house can stay safe until morning, saying so lets the company offer a daytime slot at regular rates. If it cannot, say that too.
After the immediate problem is fixed, the air conditioning repair guide explains what each part does, and a yearly tune-up before summer can catch worn parts before they fail on the hottest night of the year.
- 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.
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.