HVAC repair and installation in Seattle, WA
Seattle is about 25 to 35 minutes from our Bellevue base across 520 or I-90, depending on the neighborhood and bridge traffic, and we schedule same-day where the day allows.
Seattle has the oldest and least ducted housing stock in our service area, and that changes everything about the HVAC work here. The pre-1940 Craftsman and box houses in Ballard, Wallingford, and Beacon Hill were built with radiant or wall heat and no ductwork at all, which makes them classic ductless mini-split territory rather than candidates for central air. Forcing ducts into a finished 1920s home is expensive and often unnecessary.
The marine climate gives Seattle mild but long heating seasons, and the 2021 heat dome permanently reset a city that historically ran without any cooling. Now the same Craftsman homeowners who never owned an AC are installing ductless heat pumps that heat and cool room by room. In the newer neighborhoods and infill, the equation shifts back toward ducted systems. Knowing which Seattle you are working in is the whole job.
HVAC services we provide in Seattle
- Furnace Installation
- Furnace Repair
- Air Conditioner Installation
- Air Conditioner Repair
- Heat Pump Installation
- Heat Pump Repair
- Ductless Mini Split Installation
- Ductwork Installation
- Duct Cleaning
- Water Heater Installation
- Water Heater Repair
- Fireplace Repair
- Rooftop Package Unit Installation
- Indoor Air Quality
- HVAC Maintenance Plans
- Emergency HVAC Repair
Why Seattle homes need specific HVAC work
The core of Seattle's housing stock is pre-1940. Ballard, Wallingford, Beacon Hill, Green Lake, and the Central District are full of Craftsman bungalows and box houses that were built with gravity furnaces, radiators, or electric wall heat and never had ductwork. These homes are the reason ductless mini-splits dominate Seattle HVAC work. A multi-zone ductless heat pump delivers heating and cooling to each floor and each bedroom without tearing plaster off the walls to chase duct runs that were never there.
Where older Seattle homes do have ductwork, it is often an octopus of oversized gravity-furnace ducting later adapted to forced air, or narrow retrofit runs squeezed into a balloon-framed wall. Both limit airflow, and both mean we cannot just size a heat pump to the square footage and call it done. On these houses we evaluate what the existing ducts can actually move before recommending a ducted heat pump or steering toward a ductless solution that sidesteps the airflow problem entirely.
Newer Seattle housing changes the math. The infill townhomes, the post-2000 construction in South Lake Union and Columbia City, and remodeled homes in Magnolia and West Seattle were built or updated with proper ducts and returns, so a ducted heat pump or a high-efficiency furnace swap is a clean job. Seattle's mix means the honest recommendation swings hard between ductless and ducted depending on the block, and we make that call on the house in front of us rather than a default.
Rebates and permits in Seattle
- Utilities
- Seattle City Light (electric) plus Puget Sound Energy (gas)
- Permit authority
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) for mechanical permits, plus Puget Sound Clean Air Agency notification for gas appliance work
Seattle is the one city in our area where electric service comes from Seattle City Light rather than PSE, while natural gas still comes from Puget Sound Energy. That matters for rebates, because Seattle City Light runs its own heat pump incentives, including offers aimed at converting homes off gas and electric resistance heat to efficient heat pumps and ductless systems. Those City Light heat pump offers stack with the federal high-efficiency tax credit, and for gas conversions PSE rebates may also apply. We confirm which programs your specific project qualifies for before the install.
Mechanical permits in Seattle go through the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, or SDCI, which reviews the changeout and requires inspection. Gas appliance work carries an additional notification requirement to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. SDCI's process is more involved than the suburban permit desks, so we pull the permit, schedule the SDCI inspection, and file the PSCAA notification as part of the job. Getting this right on an older Seattle home also protects you at resale, when unpermitted mechanical work becomes a problem.
Where we work in Seattle
We work across Seattle, from the pre-war Craftsman homes in Ballard, Wallingford, and Beacon Hill that call for ductless systems, to the newer infill in Columbia City and the Rainier Valley. We cover Green Lake, Ravenna, and Fremont in the north end, Queen Anne and Magnolia on the west side, West Seattle across the bridge, and the Central District closer in. Whether your home has an old gravity furnace or modern ducts, we recommend based on what the house actually needs.
- Ballard
- Wallingford
- Beacon Hill
- Green Lake
- West Seattle
- Magnolia
- Queen Anne
- Columbia City
- Central District
- Fremont
- Ravenna
- Rainier Valley
Seattle HVAC questions, answered
My Ballard Craftsman has no ductwork. What are my options?
A ductless mini-split heat pump is the standard answer for pre-1940 Seattle homes with radiant or wall heat and no ducts. It heats and cools each zone without tearing into plaster walls, and it qualifies for Seattle City Light heat pump incentives. We size the number of indoor heads to your floor plan.
Why is my electric utility different in Seattle than in Bellevue?
Seattle is served by Seattle City Light for electricity, not Puget Sound Energy, while natural gas still comes from PSE. This matters for rebates, because Seattle City Light runs its own heat pump offers. We check City Light and, for gas work, PSE programs to find every incentive your project qualifies for.
Who issues HVAC permits in Seattle?
The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, SDCI, issues mechanical permits and requires inspection for furnace, heat pump, and ductless changeouts. Gas work also needs a Puget Sound Clean Air Agency notification. SDCI's process is more involved than suburban desks, and we handle the permit, inspection, and notification for you.
Can you convert my old Wallingford gas furnace to a heat pump?
Often yes. If the existing ductwork can move enough air we can install a ducted heat pump, and Seattle City Light plus PSE conversion rebates may apply along with the federal tax credit. Where the old gravity-furnace ducts are inadequate, a ductless system is usually the better path. We evaluate the ducts first.
What Seattle City Light rebates apply to a heat pump?
Seattle City Light offers heat pump incentives aimed at moving homes off gas and electric resistance heat to efficient ducted and ductless heat pumps. Amounts depend on the equipment and your current heat source, and they can stack with the federal high-efficiency tax credit. We confirm eligibility for your specific system before installing.
Do older Seattle homes have permit issues at resale?
They can. Unpermitted mechanical work on a pre-war Seattle home often surfaces during a sale and becomes a negotiating problem. Pulling the SDCI permit and passing inspection on your install protects you later. We close out the full permit and inspection so your records are clean.
Nearby cities we serve
Part of our King County service area.
Same-day service
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