The line exists to do one thing well: get your heating or cooling problem in front of a local HVAC company quickly, at any hour, without you having to search for one.
It is not an HVAC company, and nothing on this page should read as if it were. It has no technicians and no trucks, holds no contractor license and never repairs, installs, services, prices or schedules anything. Everything that happens at your house is between you and the HVAC company.
Each step of the call
- You dial (832) 662-4107. An automated assistant answers. It answers the same way at noon on a Tuesday as at 3 a.m. on a holiday, every hour of every day.
- It asks what you need. This number also takes Houston roofing and pressure washing calls, so the first question sorts your call. Say it is about heating or air conditioning.
- It asks briefly what is going on. One or two sentences is plenty: "The AC is running but blowing warm air in Pearland," or "The furnace clicks but will not light." Mention your part of town too.
- You are transferred. Your call is handed to a Houston-area HVAC company that is locally owned and independent. That company gets a quick summary of your answers before it comes on the line.
- You talk to the company. From here it is a normal conversation with a contractor: when someone can come, what the visit costs, and what to do in the meantime.
- If nobody can answer, your name, callback number, area and problem are passed along so the company can call you back.
What to have ready when you call
None of this is required, but it helps the company you reach understand the job faster and ask better questions.
- Your town or neighborhood, and whether the property is a home or a business.
- Cooling problem or heating problem, plus the type of heat if you know it: gas furnace, heat pump or electric strips.
- What the system is doing: no air at all, warm air, water on the floor, ice on the copper lines, a breaker that trips, a noise or a smell.
- When it started, and whether anything happened first, such as a storm, a power outage or a freeze.
- Roughly how old the system is, if there is a date on the outdoor unit's label.
Before you call, a few safe checks can save a visit: confirm the thermostat is on Cool or Heat with working batteries, look at the air filter, and flip a tripped breaker back on a single time (a repeat trip means stop). Leave refrigerant, wiring and gas parts alone. If you smell gas, get out of the house first and call 911 and the gas utility from outside. If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get every person out, then dial 911.
Who does what
Two different parties are involved, and it helps to know exactly where one stops and the other starts.
The line
- Answers your call any hour
- Asks what you need and what is going on
- Hands the call to a local, independent HVAC company
- Sends your details on for a call back when no one picks up
- Never charges you
The HVAC company
- Talks with you and arranges any visit
- Inspects the system and explains the problem
- Sets and quotes its own price
- Carries out only the work you approve
- Bills you directly
What the line does not do
It does not diagnose your system over the phone, recommend a repair or a replacement, quote prices, book appointments or follow up on the job afterward. Rating companies, gathering reviews and overseeing jobs are not part of what it does either. It also does not check the license of the company you reach. That last one matters, so it gets its own section below.
Who pays whom, and the referral fee
You pay the HVAC company for the work it does, at the price it quotes you. You never pay the line. The companies that receive calls may pay the line a referral fee, and that fee is how a free line stays free.
Because money can change hands between the line and the company, check the company as carefully as one you picked out of a search result yourself. Get the diagnosis in plain words, get the price in writing before work starts, and find out whether fixing the current system is an option before discussing a replacement. You can always say no and get a second opinion.
Your checks: the TDLR license lookup
Heating and air contractors in Texas are licensed by TDLR, the state's Department of Licensing and Regulation. Under the state's definition, performing or even offering to perform the installation, repair, maintenance or service of heating and cooling equipment counts as contracting, so a company that does this work needs the license. Technicians who help a licensed contractor must be registered with TDLR as well. Checking takes about a minute:
- Ask for the number. Ask the company for its Texas ACR contractor license number. It should be easy to give.
- Open the TDLR license search. Search for the license number or the company name.
- Read the result. Confirm the name matches the company or the person responsible for it, and that the license is active and not expired.
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.
If something goes wrong with licensed work, TDLR takes complaints through its online complaint system, and its complaint form says a complaint has to be filed within two years of the event. Having the company's name and license number written down makes a complaint possible to investigate.
Good questions once you are connected
- What does a service call or diagnostic visit cost, and does it go toward the repair?
- Is there an extra charge for nights, weekends or holidays?
- What is your Texas ACR license number?
- Will you show me the failed part and explain why it failed?
- Can I have the repair price in writing before you start?
- For a replacement: will you do a load calculation, and will you pull the permit?
For comparing quotes and spotting red flags, see the Houston HVAC company guide. The AC repair cost guide explains what drives the price.
Your information and privacy
The details you give on the call are used to connect you with an HVAC company and, if needed, to pass along for a call back. What is collected and how it is handled is set out in the privacy policy, and the terms of use cover the rest.
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.