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23 years of trusted experience
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Amenities
Free Estimates
YesWarranties
YesSenior Discount
5%
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Reviews
4.6221 Reviews
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Showing 51-75 of 221 reviewsAaron R.
10/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac, water heater repair
+ 0 moreThe crew from PolarBear was prompt, clean, and incredibly willing to work with me throughout the process to insure the entire install was done to my (admittedly high) expectations for aesthetics. Each day we worked through challenges they came across and the options they provided for how to work around them. The level of detail and pride in workmanship was apparent all the way down to the routing of lines and wiring to the outdoor units to make them as invisible and tight as possible. Since then I have had Polar Bear back to install a new 75 Gallon gas water heater for the home and will be using them in the spring to install another MiniSplit to condition a sunporch. Cannot recommend Joe and his team enough.
Description of Work: I needed to install Central AC in my 6,000 sqft historic DC home. With all original plaster walls, details, and wood work, and with no existing duct work or chases, this was no small challenge. I interviewed a number of companies and walked through the job with each of them. Joe Kelly from Polar Bear was the only one to walk me through on the spot the various ways they could actually perform the installation with as little damage as possible to the home and absolutely no damage to architectural elements. It was clear he and his team understood the construction of old homes in DC and had been through this many many times in the past. I chose Polar Bear to install a MiniSplit HVAC unit in my basement and 2 fully ducted zones (5 ton and 3 ton capacity) to cool the main two floors and currently unfinished attic.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$50,000
Billie M.
09/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreCustomer Service? EXTREMELY POOR! Polar Bear replaced my 24-year old unit with a RHEEM in June 2016 when the AC failed. The new AC worked fine. Then winter came! The electric bills for heating my small townhouse between Dec. and March 2016-17 were $1,637. In comparison, using the old system the previous winter, my electric bills were less than half that, only $765! After pleading phone calls, the office manager sent a service rep out twice. The first offered ridiculous, ineffective suggestions. The second tried a potential fix, but when it didn't work, Joe, the owner, refused to speak with me, discuss possible alternatives, or answer questions. I was also told by a technician that they were not allowed to call the owner to consult on possible solutions. This dragged on because after each "service" call I agreed to wait until my next bill to see if the problem was fixed. I also had the electric meter checked to make sure that was not causing the exorbitant bills. As another winter approaches, I see no recourse but to find a RHEEM rep to get this unit fixed so I can afford heat. My experience with Polar has left me disillusioned, ripped off, and angry.
Description of Work: The air conditioning part of my 24-year old HVAC system failed. As the system was old I was not surprised when Joe Kelly of Polar Bear recommended that I buy a new unit.
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Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
denise B.
08/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreCould have been better with client service and quality control.
Description of Work: They installed a system in my home for a fair price compared to the two other estimates. It was mid range and I liked the overall ease of doing business upfront. All goes well until the first summer we turn the air on and a month after we have no cooling. I call Joe, my direct contact and he immediately sends someone. They give it freon and explain that is normal in some new systems. Runs okay and I am relieved. No bill as it is within the service time. Next summer same thing, the air doesn't cool the home and this time they bill me around 284 dollars for more freon and an inspection. I call joe and say there must be something wrong. This shouldn't happen. What is going on? He says he will,get back to me he is swamped with calls. No return call and system is running okay. By summers end it is working ok , not great but not bad. Mid summer of 2016 the air conditioner isn't working again so now I am thinking joe really needs to look this over. He tells me he won't come to the house because there is an outstanding bill. He hangs up and I try calling numerous times leaving messages about the system. I have Silla air come out start of 2017 and put freon in the system and they check for leaks. No leaks found but they will come back and do a line check when it is cooler. I pay them the fees and call Joe again to ask him to check this system he installed. A month after freon is added the cooling system again goes out. Sitka finds the there is a freeze up in the line and it is likely due to improper install of the system. Polar Bear did not stand behind the system they installed when it was put in without proper attention to detail. Fine if they would correct it or be attentive to it. I feel like they sold me and then left a bad system for me to clean up. To fix this is 918.00 - which is almost all labor for a part that is less than 50 bucks. 1/3 of the cost of the original system and the hundreds of dollars in freon and inspections. Polar bear should make this right. I am sadly disappointed.
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$3,740
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Marsha F.
07/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreWe replaced both systems with super high-efficiency equipment, which is lowering our utility costs. Everything went smoothly. However, the furnace was noisier than expected. The Polar Bear tech was able to make some adjustments in the venting and we changed to solid core doors for the closet the equipment is in.
Description of Work: We needed to replace our furnace and AC unit.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$9,900
Mary Q.
06/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 morePretty good. I did ask for a quote to do some other work, which they have not given me. But they solved the problem I called them for, so I can't complain too much.
Description of Work: Wires connected to thermostat that got screwed up by another contractor.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
Michael F.
05/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreThoroughly pleasant and professional, from booking an appointment to service delivery
Description of Work: HVAC service
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
Tom F.
05/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreVery well. Joe is very kind, helpful and trustworthy. They were flexible on timing and did the job in time.
Description of Work: The old HVAC unit was removed and the new blower installed at a 90 degree angle, and air duct was moved also to create space, a brand new heat pump was installed outside.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Mohammad K.
04/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreTheir estimate was for a little bigger unit, so I guess that might have been the difference in the cost. It was really hard to get ahold of them; like they use an answering service so the replacement took a while. And then when the technician did show up for the appointment, he arrived later than the window they had given me. But they did show up. I mean, they were getting back to me, but it was just like we were on the phone a lot. For professionalism, they were great - A. I would probably not use them in the future because so far I've been happy with the service I'm receiving from another provider. There were a couple of reviews on here for them, like negative reviews for them, and some of them were more recent.
Description of Work: This was for a free estimate on the installation of an AC unit.
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mary R.
03/2017
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreThey did not fix our problem. They were nice but they didn't really know how to fix our system and they did not tell us they didn't know how to fix it. The price was expensive.
Description of Work: We used Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating. We had an issue, but they weren't really able to fix it. They did put Freon in our system.
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$1,000
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Abby L.
12/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreVery well! My house is challenging since I have no attic or crawlspace, but they were able to do external ductwork on the roof and also put the unit up there since there isn't much of a back or front yard. They were also very creative and thoughtful as to how to minimize putting ductwork in corners that would have to be boxed out and saving as much closet space as possible. They were very respectful about cleaning up while doing the work. They also became concerned that how they seal the ducts in the roof wouldn't be good enough since my roof holds a bit of water, so they got a roofer to fully seal it ~ I really appreciated that.
Description of Work: They put in whole house AC in my 100 year old rowhouse, including all the ductwork.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$14,850
Andreas A.
11/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreI was very satisfied with their responsiveness in taking my call and setting up the appointment. Also, the technician was friendly and open to explaining what he was doing. The only hang up I have is the price I was quoted for the new thermostat. I was quoted a $189 price compared to $50-$75 that one can find online. When I asked him about that, he said that the price of $189 was right. This would be an excellent service experience if Polar Pear is more reasonable with the price of the thermostat. I understand that there is a premium to pay for the convenience of the technician having what is needed with them but charging more than 2x the retail price is opportunistic to say the least. I called the office and brought that to their attention. They said the technician quoted me what he paid for the thermostat plus taxes. I asked how come a professional in the field pays at least 2x more for a product when the retail price is between $50-75? They apologized but didn't offer any further assistance. That is why I am giving an F on price and C on professionalism.
Description of Work: I had installed a new thermostat and the heat pump stopped working. Technician diagnosed that it was the wrong thermostat for the system. He offered to replace the thermostat with the right one that he had with him. He installed the new one and the system was back on.
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$313
Courteney H.
10/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreThe service never happened because they never showed up. I called them several times this vendor never called me all calls were initiated by me.
Description of Work: The initial service were fine and price fair after the first visit is all went down hill. I called to verify second visit they had it on calendar but did not assign it my call to a tech. Had to reschedule. Later had a service call price and service was very good. I received a call 2 days later stating that I was billed wrong and had to be charged almost twice what I had already been billed. The third strike was 10-17-16 scheduled for a heat service between 1 and 3:30. I called at 2 was told by Kristina that all was well and on schedule. I felt very dismissed when I spoke to her as if I had no right to question them about when they would arrive. I called back at 3:35 and was told tech was caught in traffic, if she had knowledge of this why did she not call and let me know. She never put me on hold to check she just told me this again if she know why not call and if she did not how could she know with out checking with some one while speaking with me. I had another appointment and left home at 3:50 I was told a manager would call me as of 10_18-16 at 2:00 pm no one from this company has contacted me.
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Kent L.
10/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreJoe was very responsive in answering all my follow-up questions and requests, then scheduled the work promptly after I gave him the green light. His install techs - father and son - showed up (nearly) on time, but were very courteous & professional, got right down to business, working efficiently and neatly, then cleaned up the entire work site upon completion (including mopping!) I am very pleased with the equipment, the installation and the experience of dealing with Jesus, Joe and the Polar Bear install crew.
Description of Work: Our 11-year old A/C limped along all summer long (and last summer) with a freon leak. I called Polar Bear for a 2nd opinion and fix. A very courteous tech, Jesus, arrived promptly and evaluated the situation and explained our decision as basically between a) diagnosing the leak, then repairing and recharging the old system (est $1K to $2K), or b) replacing the A/C system with a more efficient one and with a new 10-yr warranty. I agreed to have Joe Kelly come out and provide a proposal to replace. Fortunately our furnace was still good, so he proposed a choice of new 3-ton Rheem replacement units at two different efficiency levels. Then I called another reputable local HVAC firm referred through my Costco membership who proposed comparable Lennox equipment but at an installed cost of approx. 25% more. (Consumer Reports judged Rheem units more reliable than Lennox.)
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,900
Michael F.
09/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreIt went very quickly with little disturbance and almostnomess. The two technicians were experienced and efficient. The air distribution in the house is quite good.
Description of Work: Installed central air system in an old Capitol Hill row house.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$14,400
Christina H.
08/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreGreat! 24hr turnaround in the middle of a heat wave. Technician reinstalled parts the were installed incorrectly by the original contractor and explained to me how to stop prevent the issue in the future.
Description of Work: Fix leak in AC
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$350
BRAD G.
08/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 morePolar Bear provided the lowest cost, most appropriately-sized estimate of three contractors. I checked the btu output on their proposed equipment against the square footage of the area covered by the unit. They were closest to the recommendation. The work was done quickly, too.
Description of Work: Replaced downstairs central A/C unit, both coil and exterior fan.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,600
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Roy S.
08/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreNeed a motor replaced on my A/C unit. They refused to give me a quote unless I first paid for a new diagnostic by them. I told them that I understood I'd have to have a diagnostic done by them but that I wasn't willing to pay for that if they couldn't tell me how much it would cost to replace the motor if it was the motor that needed to be replaced. Horrible customer service.
Description of Work: A/C unit motor replacement
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Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Brian D.
08/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreThe process from estimate to installation went very well. The estimator, Joe, was thorough and professional. We found their price to be about average compared to other quotes. The installation of the systems took less time than I anticipated, despite unexpected issues with street access (DC not enforcing the no parking permit Polar Bear pulled). The systems were up and running and worked exceptionally well. We recently encountered a setback with one unit when a valve broke. The technician worked methodically to discover the cause - an issue not connected to the HVAC installation, and got us back up and running anyway. When contacting the office, Katie is always helpful, professional and easy to work with. Joe and our tech, Angel, always arrived on schedule. Overall we are very satisfied with Polar Bear's installation and followup and recommend them for large projects.
Description of Work: Polar Bear installed new HVAC systems for us in a commercial townhouse building.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$40,000
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Soma S.
07/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreTheir service was very bad. The heating system they put in broke down about three or four times last winter. They came out and fixed what they were supposed to but they never really fixed the underlying issue. I called their owner to resolve the issues many times; I left about ten messages and to this day he hasn’t called back. Their hours are very bad. One of the guy that worked for them was really rude. Their price was very good.
Description of Work: I used Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating, Inc. They put in a heating system.
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$7,500
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Karin M.
07/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 morepromised call back never received, although I called twice. couldn't even schedule an estimate.
Description of Work: estimate for ductless mini split ac system
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Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Kevin S.
07/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreWonderful experience all around. Angel showed up promptly and worked quickly, and he walked me through all of my options. No hard sell, just gave me the facts I needed to make a decision. No surprises, work was done on time and I'm so happy to have my AC back!
Description of Work: Replaced AC outdoor condensing unit.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000
Maria S.
02/2016
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreI am very impressed with this company. They were able to get me in very quickly. The service provider, Angel, was amazing and very trust worthy. He was very efficient and was able to get my system up and running in no time. The fee was very reasonable and I would definitely use this company again in the future! Thank you Angel and Polar Bear!
Description of Work: changed filter and pressure switch
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$200
Response from Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc
Pritha M.
12/2015
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreIt went extremely well. On the first cold weekend of the year, we found out the hard way that the boiler was old and inappropriate for heating our house. Polar Bear was prompt and professional throughout the whole process. The employees were very knowledgeable and explained things very well. We highly recommend them.
Description of Work: The provider replaced a boiler in our house.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,000
Wendy B.
12/2015
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreJoe the owner came to do the estimate. He spent a lot of time discussing our options and his company. He was very pleasant and made us feel confident that they would do a good job for us and that the service people would be experienced and well trained. The service people were a father and son team. They were polite, punctual and very pleasant to work with. They cleaned up after they were done with the job. We were very happy with the job.
Description of Work: They replaced our boiler.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,900
Kristene B.
09/2015
heating & air conditioning/hvac
+ -1 moreOur A/C went out the day before our daughter was born, so we were in a tough situation to have construction done with a newborn. We called Joe and he came out the next day to give us an estimate. We liked him, his company and price the best. He also did the work just two days later because he knew how hot it was going to be. Joe and his crew were prompt, professional and very courteous. I highly recommend and will use them for our annual service.
Description of Work: Install new HVAC system
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,000
Contact information
1045 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
https://www.polarbearairconditioning.comService hours
Monday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMTuesday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMWednesday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMThursday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMFriday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMSaturday:
8:00 AM - 4:00 PMLicensing
Bonded
Insured
Licensed*
Trade License Number
2705149640
Trade License Locale
VA
Trade License Authority
Virginia: Contractors
Trade License Expiration
01/31/2025
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.
Service Categories
Heating and Air Conditioning,
Water Heaters,
Electrical
FAQ
Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc is currently rated 4.6 overall out of 5.
Monday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Check,Discover,Financing Available,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc offers free project estimates.
No, Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
Yes, Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc offers a 5% senior discount.
No, Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc does not offer emergency services.
Yes, Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc offers warranties.
Polar Bear Air Conditioning And Heating Inc offers the following services: Commercial air conditioning installations, replacement, maintenance & repair, thermostats, changeouts & ductwork systems, gas furnaces, boilers.
Contact information
1045 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
https://www.polarbearairconditioning.comService hours
Monday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMTuesday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMWednesday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMThursday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMFriday:
8:00 AM - 7:00 PMSaturday:
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM