Columbia NW Heating & Cooling Inc

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After the initial walk-through they developed a ducting plan/layout and walked through it with me so we could look it over in context. This resulted in a few minor changes which they documented in their HVAC plan. The initial installation went quite quickly and then they had to come back after drywall and paint to do the final installation and flow balancing. They did their own pressure/leak test which was followed up by a tester from the local PUD who was very pleased with the installation. So far it works exactly as designed and had been fairly economical to run. I used their services again when we needed to check the electrostatic filter on a house we recently sold. Both times we have used them they were prompt, courteous and reasonable.

The response to my call for an estimate happened within one day and the services I requested were done in the next couple of days. Both the estimator and service crew were professional and pleasant to deal with.

They did excellent. They were prompt and got back to us. They did a really good job and reasonably priced.

We have been customers for ten years. The original inspection and air duct cleaning were done well. It turned out that our ducts had little need of cleaning. We then bought a Trane gas furnace with 90% efficiency. At installation a faulty part caused the furnace not to start. They found the problem, got the part there, installed it and it has worked well since. We are on the yearly maintenance plan, which costs $150 per year. One part was replaced under the original 10 year warranty. That was the only failure of the unit in those ten years. The part would have cost $208, not including installation. The warranty is gone now. We are responsible for future parts and labor costs. They have encouraged us to purchase a new furnace. If it goes down and the cost to repair it is prohibitive, we may well do that. But we are not convinced that a furnace should need to be replaced every ten years. At that time we will research the current thinking about which furnaces are the best. If we choose another brand, we will likely have to choose a new vendor. Our main contact with the company has been with their technicians. They have all been good, although one of them left the firm for reasons unknown. We had them replace our gas hot water heater with a State Select 50 gallon model. It has performed perfectly. The city inspector told us that the installation was of a higher quality than required by the City of Hillsboro. Incorrect accounting procedures have created bills that had to be altered when called to their attention. Emergency calls have been answered quickly. The call-in system for emergencies seems to work well on a 24-hour basis. When furnace filter costs suddenly quadrupled, the office staff couldn't explain why nor could they suggest any alternatives to the new higher costs. We have decided to use a Home Depot filter that can be cut to the correct size. Office personnel, presumably the owners, seem to be a little distant from the everyday work going on in the field. It takes a while for them to figure out who we are when we come to the office with a question. It suggests that communication between the office and the field staff is inconsistent. Their technicians have been very well informed about our equipment and history even though we only see them once a year. If we elect to replace our current gas furnace with another Trane, we would probably not to switch to another vendor because of the unknowns involved. When we have to replace the gas hot water heater, we would stay with them for that service.

We ended up going with another company. They were nice and very educational. They came in a lot higher than another company that was rated high by Angie's List and a friend. They gave a good estimate but I would get an estimate from someone else too. There was nothing wrong with their professionalism, they just came in at a higher price.

Our oil furnace needed replacing, so we decided to get some estimates to replace it. We first had the salesman from First Call come over since that was the company we used for our oil furnace. Then we had a salesman from Wolfes come over, then we went to Home Depot and they sent the salesman from Columbia NW, then we went to the do it yourself store. What we noticed was Columbia NW was the best price by far, almost equal to doing it ourselves, and they offered the most for our money. Also through Home Depot we were able to get 12 months no interest. We were very impressed with their salesman Dave Whispell. Columbia NW has the most knowledgeable salesmen because they are former technicians. Dave really made us feel like he wanted what was best for us and that he would take control of the entire process. We picked a Lennox furnace after looking at many different furnaces because it seemed like a good value and good quality. It took 2 days to take out the old furnace and put in the new furnace and the gas lines, etc. They do their own duct work right in their truck so when we had some special requests, they were able to make the duct work right there. We wanted the new furnace in a slightly different location, and that was no problem. We didn't want any duct work hanging and that was no problem. They even added a new vent for the basement. We were very impressed. A week after installation Dave came by to check on the furnace, and we wanted to move the thermosat and again no problem. We are very pleased with the service. Also the ducts in our home were cleaned thoroughly and there was no mess. We recommend them highly.

They could not do 1/2 the work they told us they could do when they gave us the estimate. The sales rep refused to deal with me and would not return my phone calls, he would only deal with my husband.

They gave me a few options. The price depended on the year and the model of the air conditioning unit. Everything went pretty well, but I decided to go with another company.

The inspectors came to make sure our heating and A/C qualified for some sort of energy rebate. It did not and they had to redo a bunch of stuff that they had done in the crawl space. They were great about coming out to fix it, bu there was no way to know if it wasn't done right had we not had the inspectors come out. They were fine in all other ways.

From Kat (Charles' wife): We contacted six contractors -- three Carrier and three Trane -- to give us estimates on installing a heat pump to replace our inefficient hydro-heat system. Phil was the one from Columbia Northwest who came out to give us the estimate, and I was very happy with his friendliness, politeness, and professionalism. He was quite thorough, looking at the electrical panel and the pad site (including the exterior wiring on the house, as the house was set up for A/C), and crawling around in our cramped little attic, where the current system lived and where the new one would be installed. He also took out a laser measuring device and did a thorough load calculation on the whole house, which he plugged into a program on his computer to estimate the heating needs of our home. He took a bit of time getting the estimate to us (though he was by no means the last), because he wanted to make sure he knew all the tax incentives and rebates we would qualify for. Columbia Northwest’s bid was quite competitive, though in the end we chose a package from a Carrier dealer (Columbia is Trane) because of some of the features and because we were offered a special discount and some other perquisites.

Our furnace stopped firing early on Tuesday, December 16th. I originally called another company and they were booked, but could come out the next day. Unfortunately, with all the snow, their repairman couldn't make it up our road. So, I called these guys who initially said they could come out late in the afternoon, but had to reschedule for Thursday morning as the job before ours was taking longer than expected. Fortunately, we have a fireplace insert with a blower so we weren't too cold. At 8:00 am the next morning, he showed as promised and fixed the furnace. And he had no trouble getting up our road, even though conditions had worsened from the previous day. He charged us only for a regular tune-up instead of a more costly "let's see what's wrong" visit. Very professional and friendly. I will be using Columbia NW Heating and Cooling for my furnace/duct upkeep from now on. Couldn't get up the road because of the snow-come on-that cost you a customer.

They were on time but they were really busy and it was a kind of hard to fit them in our schedule. When they say they are going to be here they are there. They were very respectful about being by our home. Their pricing is very reasonable.

WOW!!! These people are great! I cannot believe the difference in the warmth of the house. They configured the duct system to provide adequate heating where we need it. They were very professional, timely and polite. This is a lot of money and we did have several other bids and this was not the least expensive, but the quality is wonderful.

They were prompt, friendly, and seemed to do good work. We were impressed with the thoroughness of the initial evaluation and professionalism of salesperson.

Great Company to work with. Showed up on time, work was completed that day. All clean up was done at the end of the project. Employees very knowledgeable, courteous, and respectful. This Company went beyond what we had expected.

Workers showed up on time, were very careful and respectful of my home, taking shoes off every time they came in and out. They spent about 1-1/2 hours total time for the work, and charged the quoted estimated call-out charge of $139 plus $35.75 for the refrigerant. Overall very positive experience, and would definitely use Columbia NW Heating and Air-Conditioning again.