Discount Heating and Cooling

We had emergency service on our Heater and was told that the heat exchanger was cracking and that we should look into a new furnace. Our furnace and air conditioner was installed 20 years ago. So I looked on Angie's list and then contacted Discount and two other plumbers. My husband took an active part in this - as he is an Engineer - he liked the Discount people. He felt that they were very thorough in their analysis and liked their recommendations. They gave us pricing on different options and were flexible with installation dates.

After explaining to a duct cleaner the heating problems I was having in the master bedroom and bathroom (they were getting extremely warm, with one of the bathroom cabinets registering over 90), he suggested I contact a local HVAC contractor to come out and install dampers to reduce the airflow to those areas. I did a quick search on Angie's list and identified 2 contractors in the area that had "A" ratings. Discount Heating and Cooling responded to my email first, and gave a quote over the phone ($250-$355). As I had been doing a lot of work on the house and was basically tired of it, I went ahead and had them come over the next day. They did arrive on time (I think actually early), and took a quick look at the affected areas. I showed him the ducts identified by the duct cleaner as going to the bedroom and bathroom, and he "pushed" on the ducts to determine the fitness for the damper (I can only assume this was his purpose), and amazingly enough, came up with a price right in the middle of the estimate ($300). As I said, I had grown weary of all of the work, and just said ok. As it turns out, the duct cleaner had misidentified the ducts, and the HVAC "experts" did not take the effort to determine if what they were doing was correct, and ended up putting dampers on one bedroom vent and one basement vent without at all addressing the bathroom vent. In the end, this did little to resolve my problems and I ended up calling another Angie's list HVAC contractor, who a) identified design flaws in the house system, b) immediately recognized that the previous work was wrong, c) installed a new return air duct (including drilling a hole and placing a new register in the bedroom floor) and properly placed the damper on the bathroom line, all for $100 less than the "Discount" Heating and Cooling charged for two dampers. In my humble opinion, Discount Heating & Cooling is using their top rating on Angie's list as a way to make a quick buck.

They seem to understand better what I needed and they were very responsive. I am happy with their service and will use them in the future.

Technician came on time despite the weekend call. He was very knowledgeable and had the job done without any problems. The price was a little high, no discount because of weekend, but everybody has to make his living. Overall experience was very good.

The work was fine and they were professional. The price seemed competitive.

My family has owned a laundromat in Waukegan IL for 5 years now we have to units on the roof that have never worked correctly (new when we bought the business) they never ran correctly. The tech from discount came in diagnosed the problem, re wired both units (3 phase) and re wired both thermostats, and now they work great. I wish I could remember the young mans name who did the work because he deserves a raise

Doug showed up in person to go through options for new furnace and air conditioning units. The bid included pricing for several different scenarios and we reached an agreement on price and equipment quickly. Two of his employees showed up on installation day, on schedule, and proceeded to work all day to complete the work. They were very curtious, explained what they were doing and how to use the new control panel, the necessary maintenance, and left the work area very clean. They did a great job with the installation, all the sheet work is tidy and although the furnace that was removed was 50% larger than the new unit, you'd never know it, the original ducting fits perfect with the new furnace. We haven't been able to test the airconditioning since it has been too cold but the furnace is working beautifully and the guys from Discount Heating will be back out in the spring to start up the airconditioning unit just to be sure it is working well.

Our experience was great, we will definitely use them again. The technician (Chris) arrived on time and went right to work. He had no problem with me watching him work, and even took the time to answer all of my questions about the unit (it is a new house with a different system than I am used to), what he was doing, future considerations, etc. Very knowledgeable and honest. Am already planning on using them when the time comes to service our air conditioner in the spring.

The technician (I believe his name was Scott) was knowledgeable and professional. He talked me through the pros and cons of just replacing the fan, but did not pressure me. He convinced me to replace the A/C as well, explaining that a new unit would work better with the system overall. He also gave me realistic advice on sizing and type of units needed and explained that I didn't need anything fancy or huge (it's a townhouse). About a week later, when the installers arrived, they too acted profesionally. All were friendly as well. Got the install done a little over five hours I used the Angie's List discount, which I assume saved me money off of regular pricing. I financed the replacements with 90 days same-as-cash through the bank that the company is affiliated with.

They arrived on time. It was a big job so it took just short of 12 hours to complete. They were clean, wore shoe covers, put down drop cloths and when they swept up at the end of the job the basement looked better than they found it. A few weeks later there was a small leak. I called and they were on my door step 10min. after we hung up. Found the problem and corrected it right away. The owner even gave me his home phone number which I would never use but it instilled trust from the start

It was a much better experience than I expected. It went very well. Performed a good overall inspection of furnace and air conditioner and confirmed my belief that it was due to low refrigerant level (instead of telling me I needed a new "framistat"). Communicated well and did what was needed and cleaned up. Good job.

The overall experience was good, except for a few hiccups. The home we bought is older (1930's). I asked a total of 4 heating/cooling companies for estimates from the four best rated heating/coolling companies based on Angies list recommendations from clients. The first thing I want to point out, in my opinion, is that not a single estimator did an official load calculation from any of the companies, and was probably needed for my house based on age. I will point out the reason for this later. They did some basic measurements of the return vents to make sure they could reuse for the new heater, counted supply's and returns, and that was it. Only one suggested at the time to install at least one more return in my upstairs for cooling purposes, as per the quotations I received. I liked Doug from Discount from the beginning. He stated reasons for wanting the units that I eventually installed that I could easily understand and make sense of. He was always available by phone and email, and gave very quick responses. He also quoted some of the best equipment out there instead of just trying to go cheap for my business. The installation happened right on time, and took most of the day. Installers were very friendly, and since I am nosy I had a lot of questions they answered professionally right away. The looks of the installation after it was finished was very good. They didn't even complain (to me) after they had to go into my tiny crawlspace. After the installation, it was still cold outside. It turned on the heater, and had a malfunction per the thermostat. After resetting the heater and trying again, same problem. Called Discount, Doug called back quickly and asked for a reset again. Still same result, and he was coming to look for it. While waiting, discovered the gas was turned off to the heater, which I turned on and it was fine. When I explained this to Doug, it was suggested after he called his installers that my 3 year old was the culprit. No sense of arguing, who truly knows (though it didn't happen again). Then came the 90 degree days with high humidity. The downstairs was wonderful. The upstairs was unliveable, about a 15 degree difference. Doug come out on a Saturday, and we both came to the conclusion that it was lack of returns to take the heat away from the ceiling upstairs, and suggested at least 2. Load calculation would have came in handy, at the time of the first estimate. Saving up money for the return installations now. One more issue. After my estimate, and agreed upon price, I found on Angies list a $400 off complete installation coupon. After presenting to Doug, at first was told it shouldn't be out there, and he was going to have Angies list pay for or remove. Later, it was changed on Angies List to say "must be presented at time of estimate", and per Doug could not honor it. Draw you own conclusions about the coupon. Still a great deal, and would highly recommend Discount Heating.

Our air conditioner fail. Intially, the company tried to repair the air conditioner. They replaced a part which was about 300 dollars. It worked for a few days, and then failed. John came out and took another look at it again. He recommended that the unit be replaced. It is unclear to us whether the unit could have just worked with just more repair. The old unit was replaced that day with another newer more energy efficient unit but the work did cost us significantly more than we anticipated ($3000) and this was a negotiated price. This company is not the most price competitive. It definately needs work in this area. Each time they come out, the company charges a fee of $89.

The woman who took our call could not have been more pleasant. The original appointment was scheduled within two days. Chris was on time, checked everything out and then explained everything that he found. He perfomed all the work on that day except the install of the disconnect box which had to be ordered. He told me how much everything would cost. The day he installed the box, it was raining and he worked approximately 1.5 - 2 hours outside in not too pleasant conditions. He was very careful to cover his shoes when he came inside the house to check the thermostat. He was very polite.

All technicans were very professional and friendly. They were right on time to both appointments and were very clean and efficient.

No problem getting an estimate. Arrived as promised to do the work. Came back in the spring to start-up the air conditioning. Did a good job, on time, and at the estimated price.

Very pleased. The tech gave me several tips on how to best work the humidifier and the heating system. He took the time to fix a portion of the duct system that had been dented and therefore inaccessible. He was prompt, knowledgeable and professional.

We were very pleased with the job they did. No more leaking around the furnaces, and they are running great.

We were having problems with our furnace. A company came out and quoted approximately $500 in repairs. We had planned on replacing the furnace in the near future and decided now would be the right time in light of the high cost to repair the old furnace. The company that came out quoted a new furnace at $5100. I thought that the price was high based on some research I had previously done. I decided to call Discount Heating and they provided me with a quote over the phone of $3900 for the exact model quoted by the other company. I asked if they could come to my home and verify the cost. Steve was there in 30 minutes and confirmed the price. They were able to order the furnace and install it the next morning. They were extremely nice and did a wonderful job. They laid out tarps to work on and cleaned up after they were done. Steve called a few days later to make sure everything was handled to my satisfaction. Couldn't have been a better experience.

Communication with the company was a breeze, and scheduling was easy. The main office called me on the cell phone to let me know when the technician was on his way, and the service technician was punctual and courteous. All my questions were answered eagerly and intelligently. An assessment of the HVAC system determined that a minor duct issue in the attic was not worth repairing (getting to it is a major issue), the solenoids on both of the humidifiers were not functioning, and a noisy inducer motor needed replacement. The solenoids were replaced under warranty, the motor not. On the second visit to do the replacement work the service tech was again just as prompt and courteous. He worked efficiently, leaving no mess, and made sure I had no outstanding questions. I heartily recommend Discount Heating based on my experience with them. The price may be a bit higher (didn't comparison-shop), but the 5-year warranty and the high quality of service seem worth it.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied. While I wish they had the part, I understand. Their professionalism and workmanship were excellent.

THEY CAME WHEN THEY SAID THEY WOULD AND CALLED ON THEIR WAY TO MY HOUSE. THEY GAVE ME ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE MY AC RUN BETTER AND DID A GOOD JOB. THEY DID WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD.

The experience was very good. They came out and installed the system, but it wasn't working right when they installed it. The guy came out right away when we called in to tell them. They checked it out, found that it was a manufacturer defect. Though it wasn't their fault, they took their time to resolve the issue, and they had to set up an appointment to get the manufacturer, even though it took their time. I got a bid from a competitor that said I only needed one unit, but they came to do the bid, and told me that I needed two units. They were honest and risked losing my business rather than giving me less than I needed. They were easy to trust.

Discount scheduled our appointment for two days after call; technicians arrived on time; very friendly and knowledgeable; spent over one hour on tune up, filter replacement and duct inspection. Very thorough in their work, final price was less than estimate and very price competitive.

They were very honest, up front and reasonable. They provided good solutions and options. We had another company come out to look at the unit first, they didn't provide options and advise like Discount did and tried to sell us more than what it turned out we needed.