Air Group

Another company (Gold Medal) had previously come to do a tune-up on my old furnace then tried to sell me a new furnace on the grounds that the heat exchanger was deteriorating and was in danger of leaking carbon monoxide. Instead, I called Air Group who did a more thorough job taking apart, tuning and cleaning the unit. They then did more extensive testing of the heat exchanger and CO levels. They assured me that the old furnace was good for a few more years, and it?s now happily heating away. After my experience with the other company, it was a relief to deal with the honest, competent and reliable people at Air Group.

We had 23 year-old twinned Lennox Pulse furnaces, with two condensers (one was replace about 8 years ago). One furnace was not working at all and the other's blower motor was not working at full capacity. In addition, we had some air conditioning problems over the summer. We had been told by our regular company that it was not recommended to repair them both because of the age of the systems and repair costs. We solicited proposals from 5 companies, including the one we had been using for our annual service. Air Group came in with one of the best prices and our sales person, Alex, was very responsive to all of our questions. He also took care of getting the town permits and the paperwork for PSE&G rebates. By the time we decided to use them, their schedule had become more full, so we had to wait 10 days for our installation. We picked up a few space heaters to supplement our limping system and patiently waited. Friday at 7:30 am, as scheduled, they pulled up with 6 small trucks and one big one (I'm still not sure how they backed the big one down the driveway) and a full crew. In no time they pulled out the old equipment and began the installation. By the end of the day it was all installed, everything was cleaned up and, most importantly, it worked! They walked us through the system parts and showed us how the new thermostat and humidifier worked. The only thing left to do is get it inspected by the town.

Air Group is by far the best contractor that has ever done work for me in 25+ years of homeownership. It started with their salesman Alex Fonseca. He returned my initial call to set up our initial meeting right away. He came tothe house and sized up the problem we were having immediatly and recommended a solution. I had called other HVAC companies to do the same and Air Group was initially not the best price. After discussing this with Alex he was able to beat the competitors and was awarded the job. The job was scheduled for the following week. On the first day 7 Air Group trucks showed up exactly on time and immediatly went to work. They covered everything in the work areas with drop cloths and tarps to keep thinkgs clean. They all wore shoe covers to keep the floors from becoming marked up. They had scheduled 2 days to do this portion of the job, which I would have bet they never would be successful in meeting. Not only did they meet it they did more than expected in this period. They were scheduled to come back 1 more day to complete the A/C portion of the job. Once again, they were here exactly when they said and finished the job on time. These guys were working in very difficult locations in the house- a craw space that is maybe 2 feet high, a low attic, and one guy even stuffed himself in a space between the sheetrock wall of the basement and the cement block wall in order to guide the gas line so they wouln not have to make holes in the walls, which would have been the easy way to do it. They left the house spotless and took all of the trash away with them. They did all of the paperwork to file for building permits and utility rebates. They even sent a man out at no charge to repair an electrical problem that was actually the result of a previous contractor. The men they sent out were professional and knowledgable and were a pleasure to have in my house. When the building inspectors came out to inspect the work there was not a single issue that needed to be adressed. In fact almost every inspetor had nothing but praise for the work this company does. I have to say that I am not the type of person who usually does this type of review and endorsement but I was so impressed by this company I could not help but feel that I wanted to let everyone know just how good they are. I would not hesitate a single second to recommend this company to anyone.

We have a 3,300 sq ft English Tudor home built in 1986. It has cathedral ceilings and lots windows, and has been very drafty, with huge gas & electric bills for over 15 years. As recent retirees, before we give up on NJ, cash out and move to Florida, we wanted take one last stab at making our home liveable year-round, and perhaps totally energy efficient. This spring, we became interested in the "New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star" program which aims to knock 25% off energy usage and begins with the Federal energy tax credit (maximum $1,500) for all kinds of energy saving home improvement. A product of Obama's Stimulus, there are dozens of small contractors in NJ trying to get a piece of the Home Performance/Energy Star program. We talked to 2 other companies, but they both turned out to be too small or too inexperienced to do the job we wanted. One, which is a national chain but a start-up with no experience in NJ, alerted us to possible NJ State energy refund (max $3,000) and Energy Finance Solutions (EFS), a Wisconsin based company that coordinates with public utilities in some 37 states to provide INTEREST FREE, unsecured, 10 year loans to qualified home owners. Unfortunately, that company fired their sales rep shortly after he made us a very attractive offer, and then they just dumped us. EFS's website however lead us to Air Group, as they are the HVAC company in NJ that has provided EFS with the largest number (well over 200) of these type deals. Extensive conversations with Angelo, the top sales rep at Air Group, and review of some 35 generally excellent ANGIE'S LIST ratings convinced us to go ahead with Air Group. The kicker in the NJ Home Performance program is that the HVAC company has to be able to demonstate that they can reduce the home's energy usage by 25%. To do this they perform an enegry audit including a "blower door" pressurization test on the home (cost $395) & go over the entire attic, basement, fireplace & windows to find leakage spots where the home is losing warm air and letting in cold air. After about 3 weeks, AG called to say we were approved for the total package. Their proposal -- at a cost of $16,700 -- called for a new Triangle Tube Prestige gas boiler which is a relatively new "modulating/condensing" technology that claims to be 95% efficient. Our existing Burnham boiler, 25 years old, was tested at 72 - 75% energy efficient. As part of the NJ Home Performance program, Air Group also agreed to fully seal all sources of heat loss in the attic and insulate the attic -- including R-10 poly board and 13 inches of dense pack cellulose, blown in on top of existing batts -- to give an R-50 to the attic floor. They proposed similar work (foam insulation) along the entire perimiter of our poorly insulated rim joists in the basement and p0ly board and foam over a poorly insulated garage wal that has been driving me crazy for years. Best of all, Air Group agreed in writing with EFS to accept assignment of the $10,000 proceeds from the EFS loan AND the $3,000 of the NJ Home Performance Rebate. And they gave us a $100 CREDIT for the cupon on ANGIE'S LIST. After double check with references on Air Group, and extensive on-line check of the Triangle Tube's modulating/condensing boiler, we signed up. Bottom Line: Glad we did!! (1) Out of a total project cost of $16,700, we are out of poclet $3,600. Yes, we have to pay $83 per month for the next ten years, but we get a $1,500 back as a credit on our income tax next April, and... (2) We have a gleaming, brand new, state-of -the art ("mod/con') gas boiler with a 5 year parts and labor warrantee that should make our home roughly 26% more energy efficient. (3) The second blower door test -- performed by Air Group when all work had been completed -- two very full days -- showed our CFM (cubic feet per minute?) of air loss (I call it the "home porosity index") was reduced from 5,450 to 3,650. This should translate into a 33% improvement in heat retention in the winter and a comparable cold air, air conditioning improvement in the summer. Of course we have yet to receive our first gas bill with the new system, and we won't know the full results untill some time next year. For now, we recommend Air Group on the basis of courtesy, efficiency, professionalism, and -- as far as I can see right now -- good, old-fashioned HONESTY.

This company is outstanding from start to finish. They were professional and competent from start to finish. They arrived 7:30am as promised and completed the job by 4pm. All the workers were polite and they did a great job. I would highly recommend them to anyone. I was extremely impressed and appreciate Angie's List for giving me their name.

The technician was well trained on fundamentals and not a "replace-and-let's-see" technician. Air Group's tech started at the Honeywell control and knew the correct wiring, spotting an un-needed control wire from the bus. That was not the main problem, but Air Group's tech removed from suspicion, the house thermostat, Then, he analyzed the main furnace transformer and control wiring bus, extension to the outside Trane unit. He immediately identified a second, complete control harness and transformer extended from basement furnace to the Trane. After analyzing the main transformer, he surmised that the extra transformer was installed prior to the furnace replacement due to the original furnace transformer capacity sized only for the heater and not modern heat/air conditioning combinations. Air Group's tech removed the un-needed transformer wiring at the furnace and the remaining wiring/parts previously 'stuffed' into the Trane control panel outside. Some of the control wiring had been gnawed by outside rodents. Air Group tech re-wired the outside Trane panel without un-needed transformer and the system started right up. It cooled and refrigerant checked okay. (i.e., Air Group did not add refrigerant, or pretend to add it, and then charge more money like unethical service companies might). I had originally assumed the replacement thermostat wiring was wrong and that an extremely low refrigerant level over-ride switch was preventing unit from starting. Air Group's tech methodical troubleshooting and subject matter expertise found and corrected at least three issues, all wiring and electric, and not associated with the compressor, refrigerant, accumulator, or high pressure lines, as one might assume the problem with a 3 ton a/c not operating. This demonstrated Air Group's tech had a complete system understanding, across functional areas (high pressure fluid dynamics, refrigeration mechanics are quite a bit different than low level alternating and direct current control lines with multiple wire colors, spanning fifty years of installation. I recommend Air Group LLC.

I could not be more impressed with the professionalism and work standards of Air Group. The quote process was quick and easy, and I did not get a second quote which is the only reason I gave price a rating of N/A. Our house was my wife's grandfathers, the original owner, and he never did much to update it. The house still had the original 1950's furnace and a 1970 hot water heater. The water cutoff valves in the house leaked back slightly and needed to be replaced as well. Once we had our funding in place, they scheduled a date for the work. On the morning of the job I saw one van outside and though, "How will they get this done in one day?" He was just early though, and by the 7:30 scheduled start time there were seven vans and a truck making my street look like Air Group had opened a new office. This isnt a bad thing, my point being they sent the number of people needed to get the job done right and well. They were extremely adaptable and flexible. Anytime they found an issue, a quick phone call to the headquarters and another truck would show up with the needed ingrediant. At one point, when the city discovered they could not shut off the water from the street, Air Group brought in a freeze-seal machine and continued on like it was no obstacle at all. The workers were friendly, always willing to answer questions, and yet hard working the entire time and there seemed to be no day-labor use amoung the group, with everyoen appearing to be a knowledgeable professional in the area they worked on. From the installation of the ceiling vents and returns, the sealing of the old floor vents, the installation of the floating attic furnace and the new hot water heater, the entire job was very well done. Even the wiring on the outside of the house was clean and neat. I might have found a cheaper price if I had looked around, but I would have needed to save over 2000.00 to make me even consider not using AIr Group, and even then I am sure no other company would have handled this job as effeciently. They even left he house cleaner than when they arrived.

It took a couple of days for the saleman to call me back after my first call to the company. After that they were very responsive. They knew how to install a central airconditioining system in an old home which had no previous air ducts. The workmanship was very neat and they didn't have to cut through any walls to install the ducts. They did the whole job in 3 days. I would highly recommend them.

4 year old central air unit with a bad air handler. Air Group came promptly when unit shut down. Choose their name from Angie's list and I was not disappointed. Made a call to schedule emergency visit and they not only came the next morning but were also able to give me several choices of availability. My unit broke down during the heat wave and each and every time they came they were professional, prompt, neat/clean and explained what the problem was and corrected it. Thank you Air Group for keeping my cool....Satisfied customer.

A crew of four or five men arrived around 8:00am in three trucks, introduced themselves and, after being shown where in the basement the power panel was and where we wanted the interior wall units placed, layed protective mats in all the work and access areas. The most challenging part of the job seemed to be getting the two 3.5" holes through the brick-faced outer walls that the power, coolant and drain lines have to pass to get to the outside condenser unit. It also took a while to get the power cable through the basement wall to the condenser unit. Everything was hooked up and tested and running by about 4:00pm. The crew left all areas clean and took the empty boxes, packing etc. with them when they left. However, about an hour later I noticed water sporadically spewing from the kitchen evaporator unit. I phoned the Air Group and the supervisor was back at the house about one hour later. He found that the tube that drains the condensation from the unit to the outside had disconnected and also found that it did not drain properly when connected because it did not have a sufficient downward pitch from the wall unit. Consiquently, he had to spend an hour chiseling out another inch of the hole to get the proper pitch to the drain tube. The unit now works perfectly. It is because of the initial improper installation of the kitchen unit that I gave the installation quality an "B" rating.

Came half hour EARLY. Wow!!!!!!!!!!! Worked quietly and efficiently. One gentleman asked if I had any new filters, which I didn't. I did go and get what was required. When I returned, the gentleman had THOROUGHLY vacuumed the filter because he "Didn't want to leave the dirty filter in the furnace; a step above and beyond. ThanX!!!!!! Also, I learned that filters can be vacuumed.

They are very prompt and responsive. They know what they are doing and have better rates than other companies I checked with.

Our neighbors had Air Group install their central air several years ago and highly recommended them; we also reviewed Angies List for recommendations (compared Bloomfield Heating & Cooling, as recommended by our plumber). We originally requested an estimate back in the late fall, but we were not ready to move forward with the project. Several months later we contacted them again for a revised quote before moving forward. There was a period of a week or two in which our sales rep was difficult to get ahold of (we had to call several times), but other than that we have no complaints. They completed the job in 2 days. The crew was extremely professional, courteous and respectful. While we had some expected residual dust to clean up after all was said and done, they did a decent job keeping things clean. They offered to come back once we have had the system running for a few weeks to rebalance (if needed), but we have not yet called upon them for this.

Easy to get an appoointment; they arrive when they're scheduled; they're quick and efficient.

Called Air Group based on Angie's List recommendations to perform maintenance on two systems, having bought the house within the past year and not knowing their maintenance history. Also wanted information on how to maintain, since both contain electrostatic air cleaners and humidifiers, with potential to consider an annual maintenance agreement. Technician, Erik, was very knowledgeable; he provided a detailed explanation of both units and design or installation flaws. He performed thorough maintenance on both, which were very dirty, noting a problem with the flue seals and supply ductwork that needed to be addressed quickly, the latter being where two pipes had come apart in an area where access is challenging. He also knew enough about plumbing to suspect that there was a problem with our sump pump having a broken check valve, since it was cycling on constantly. He said that Air Group could handle both repairs and he noted the problems and required parts on the invoice, stating that someone from their office would get back to me within a couple of days with an estimate. I waited a week and called them to ask for the estimate, and I was told again that someone would get back to me. I called a plumbing company at that point to come and fix the sump pump since I did not want the motor to burn out; Erik had, in fact, correctly diagnosed the problem with the check valve. I called Air Group yesterday morning about the estimate regarding the supply ductwork and was told someone would get back to me. When that finally happened yesterday afternoon, the person was very apologetic that it had taken so long. She gave me a quote of $748 for 2 ft. piece of 7 inch oval, some thermaflex and duct strapping and labor involved, saying that the quote represented a 15% discount as an annual maintenance customer (even though I had not signed any such agreement with them). I called another HVAC company and asked them to give me an estimate to repair the problem, not providing them with Air Group's name or the quote amount. The other company came to take a look today and said the repair could be done using existing pipe, duct strapping and a couple of screws and quoted a price of around $150. Sorry, Erik - you did your job well, but your front office could not have been less responsive, and I felt the estimate was way too high. I did not feel like Air Group has any interest in keeping me as a customer.

They were recommended by a friend who had just used them to replace her gas burner. I was very satisfied with the service, price, professionalism, and work. They arrived promptly for appointments, answered all my questions, completed the work in one day, and left everything clean and in order. They showed me how to operate and maintain the burner. They were also very responsive whenever I called. I would use them again and, in fact, I recommended them to my neighbor a few months later. Although they were probably not the cheapest, the price was fair and they did an excellent job.

They came out right away. It worked out fine.

They came on time with many workers and trucks. They were friendly and quiet. They each had an area that they worked on. They finished the whole job in one day. I love my air conditioning!

They were very, very good. They did an excellent job on the gas broiler. They also had a service that I ended up getting where they came out and cleaned the broiler once a year. I also liked that they have a long list of people that work for them as plumbers in case anything would happen. They guy who did the work was really, really good. He looked at my broiler and told me that I didn't need to upgrade to a bigger one.

They did this in two stages. they did the furnace first and then did the air a week later. I was very happy with them and things are going well so far. We have not had to call them back. We found their estimate to be reasonable and about the same as competitors. I was impressed with the guys that did the installation. They were very knowledgeable and had good suggestions that were very helpful.

I received 3 estimates: Air Group (Carrier brand), Harmony Heating (Goodman and Amana brands) and Reiner Group (Lennox brand). Harmony Heating had the lowest price. I decided to go with Air Group because: (1) the salesman recommended adding a return vent ($300) to help air flow in the house, (2) the routine maintenance workers were good, and (3) positive comments from Angie's List members. The installers came early and were nice. I had taken the liberty to place dropcloths on the areas where the workers would walk, but the workers added a rubber mat in the furnace room and a cloth on the staircase where they would cut a hole for the additional vent cover. I didn't hover over them, but they appeared to move along efficiently. The only glitch was a defective/missing part on the new thermostat, which they had to wait for someone to bring over before completing the project. The installers actually finished earlier than expected. One of the men explained what was done and how to use the thermostat. I had some cleanup afterwards, but not that much. Overall, a good experience.

They arrived exactly on time. The salesperson came to show the technicians what he had proposed. One guy learned the ropes while the other laid all the parts out on my driveway to make sure that they had everything they needed before they started taking things apart. They even brought their own vacuum - and used it! There were no problems. They finished in 6 hours. They took their time explaining all the parts of the new system and stayed long enough for the new system to run for a while. I was told that if something was wrong, it would show itself in the first 45 minutes or so. I would be happy to recommend them to anyone and I will probably sign up for their annual maintenance contract.

Sales man was very professional..presentation covered everything that I wanted, including financing. Workers were prompt, curteous and neat. Work was top notch.

Overall I would highly recommend Air Group. Even though I may have fixed the unit the night before, he made perfect sense to offer me their preventive maintenance contract to help us save money on this visit as well as others in the future. It was no hard sell from him, just a common sense recommendation to help us save money. Btw: Although I found Air Group LLC on Angie's list, our friends in Chester also recommended them after they had replaced two AC units in their home.

Arrived for estimate as promised once agreement was reached arrived promptly on scheduled date All work completed as promised on time