HVAC reviews in Washington, Maryland

I highly recommend Polar Bear Air Conditioning and Heating for AC installation. I own a 1913 row house in Washington DC and after eight long hot summers, I finally decided to have central AC installed. After getting estimates from multiple companies in the area, I decided on Polar Bear. Joe Kelly, the owner, provided exceptional ideas for installing central air in my older home. The duct work went through the attic and walls, so no exterior ducts with drywall were needed. Mr. Kelly offered the best, most competitive price.

Communication with Mr. Kelly and his crew was easy. I didn't have any concerns about the crew working in my house and they were respectful of my space and pets. The project was completed ahead of schedule.

I'm very pleased with this investment of AC from Polar Bear and look forward to enjoying a cool, comfortable house next summer.

We contracted Polar Bear for a complete central A/C install. The entire process was smooth! They communicated exceptionally well, were very friendly, and most importantly - DELIVERED WHAT THEY PROMISED!

Polar Bear is exactly the kind of small business that you hope you encounter. Strongly recommend them as they know their trade and do everything to give you what you need at a great value. Cannot say enough positive things about Joe, James, Edwin and the entire group that helped to update our home!

Thanks Guys!

I only use Polar Bear because they courteous, responsive, and very reliable. I don't even bother calling anyone else for all of my HVAC needs. They are the best in the DC are! You can count on them!

Very friendly team and easy to schedule. Purchased the 2x annual service contract. The first AC inspection went smoothly, although the technician didnt really clean anything (just made sure everything in working order). Suggested I use a hose to clean the condenser on my own - had hoped they would do this.

My unit started leaking a few months later, causing some minor flooding in my basement. Had to call Polar Bear a few times over the weekend before they confirmed that they don't send anyone out on Sat or Sun. Was able to get an appt on Monday afternoon - no real harm done, but would have been nice if they were upfront on timeline (esp for "priority service" per my service contract). Technician very quickly identified the core issue and getting an estimate for a new system one day later. Overall, pretty happy with Polar Bear - customer service very pleasant, technicians on-time and very nice / to the point.

Our heater stopped working and it very cold in our house. Polar Bear did come out on a Sunday in a timely manner. The owner seemed friendly. He was wearing a mask but it kept coming down as he was talking so it was pointless. He told me I needed a new furnace costing $5200. My furnace is only 10 years old, we bought a very good model and was told it would last 15 to 20 years. He told a very inappropriate political joke during our conversation and is very good at selling. He went on and on about why it wasn’t worth repairing. I thanked him and decided on a second opinion. The next day another company came in and repaired it for $750.00 and assured me the furnace will be good for another 10 years. The parts they repaired were not even close to what Polar Bear said was wrong with it. Buyer beware and always get a second opinion. I do not recommend Polar Bear!

I had a great experience after my heat had gone out on a recent especially frigid day. Alex and another technician came promptly, resolved my issue quickly, and were polite in explaining what had happened to my system. I’d highly recommend Polar Bear for others.

We had a great experience with Polar Bear. We called them in the middle of a heat wave and they had a technician out to us the next day. The technician was on-time, courteous and quick. He diagnosed the problem in a few minutes, fixed it on the spot, and made recommendations for future maintenance of our system. Also, the employee who answered the phone and scheduled the visit was very courteous and helpful. All in all, we are extremely satisfied and will use them in the future for any heating and AC problems.

I have worked with Polar Bear for 10 years and will continue to do so. I'm dealt with the same staff and technicians over this period which tells you an awful lot about any business. The tech has gone out of his way to tell me the full scope of issues to ensure my system works well for as long as possible. (filters, recirculation, bleeding, etc). (I've used them for general maintenance, boiler and AC replacement)

Highly recommended.

I have been pleased with Polar Bear since I began using them. Provide great service from the initial reminder of service visits remaining and the service person is very good and completes a thorough inspection and then sends a report without prompting.

The technicians are excellent. The problem is their ridiculous high & covert pricing plus rude admin.

You're charged just under $200 just to get them to your house. They then charge separately to diagnose your problem then again to actually fix it.

We were charged just under $500 to change a $20 part which took 15 minutes. When I pointed out this was excessive I recieved a very snooty reply saying this is our price, tough luck. They take your credit card before sending the technician so they already have your money.

It also took 4 days to get someone out. They have a bunch of different phone numbers so good luck figuring out which will actually get answered, if any.

Our experience with Polar Bear could not have been better or easier. Joe patiently explained all the options to us & answered all of our questions. He even recommended a unit that was less expensive than the one we were considering going with. That's when I knew we were dealing with a company that was truly trustworthy, and had our best interests at heart. The installation was quick & easy. The installers were prompt, polite, and cleaned up thoroughly when they were finished. Overall a GREAT experience!

I am Beyond thrilled of the service for Polar Bear AC! After I called, they came out in 3 days, installed in one day. The pricing was Very competitive, and Vanessa, the owner, took personal attention to see everything was done right. They have retained a Lifelong customer. Professional, thorough, friendly, clean, fast, and efficient! Highly recommended!

It’s been 11 years of our experience at Q street with Polar Bear and it is the same impeccable service. Owner of the company is still personally supervising all difficult situations. Let me tell you with time it is getting more like family relations. And for preferred and dedicated customers they have a serious discount. Best prices for A/C in DC.

This has sadly been a nightmare of an experience. I previously worked with this company to have my PTAC units installed in 2022. There was communication issues and they did not install a sleeve with the units but overall they got the job done.
Over three weeks ago, both PTAC units stopped pushing out warm air. I called the company and the technician that they sent out the next day told my tenants that I had "hotel units" installed and that these only last 3-5 years and I should just buy new units. That is not true and when I spoke to the company they said that the technician made a mistake and they will send someone more experienced to take a look. The next visit they told me that the heat pump was not working due to the low temperatures outside and only the electric heating component was working (this can only put out so much heat). *During both visits the technicians told my tenants one thing and then wrote something different on file.*
The weather issue made a little more sense, however, I did my own research on this specific GE unit and the manufacture's details states that the heat pump should work at outside temperatures above 25 degrees. Since the problem persisted despite the weather returning to 40-50 degrees, I called them back in to re-assess. I received an email stating that the problem is still due to "arctic weather" despite it being 50 degrees outside when the email was sent (it was mid 40s when the technician was on site). Each time I had to reach out to the company because the technicians would not call me with an update when they were on site and they would not call me by the end of the day either.
I got another company to come out and they immediately called me and diagnosed the problem. They recommended that I reach back out to Polar Bear since the warranty on the unit is through them. I called on Monday asking to speak to a manager or supervisor and was told that the owner would give me a call back. I checked in yesterday because I did not hear from anyone and was told I would get a call... I have yet to hear back from them. This does not even cover all of the issues I experienced during the past two weeks with this company but it highlights the main parts.

I have never written a negative review of a company before but this has cost me so much time and money. If I knew this is how they conduct business I never would have worked with them in the first place.

Very professional and knowledgeable service, and totally helpful in working around my work schedule. Jackie and Alex were excellent on both customer service and technician service. Definitely recommend hiring Polar Bear.

We received excellent customer service from Joe & the Polar Bear team. We have multiple AC units for our house, and two died within a week. Joe came to do the diagnostic himself and gave a quote same-day so that we could speed up the process and start to cool our house again in the July heat. Happy customers for years, and would recommend to anyone!

We really like this company. Their prices are fair, their technicians (especially the WONDERFUL Alex) are always on time and polite and knowledgeable. And their customer service people (especially Zoe) are really smart and thoughtful and polite. These folks have installed two new systems (big, old house needing two separate systems) and have serviced these systems plus our old ones for a few years. We highly recommend Polar Bear!!

Polar Bear has serviced my home’s HVAC needs for over a decade. Always, reliable and dependable when called. I highly recommend this company in the local metropolitan area.

Polar Bear, and my technician Alex, have always done right by me. I have never been pressured into signing up for anything or performing unnecessary work, which happened with another company I used before I found Polar Bear. They have taken excellent care of my HVAC system and given it extra life. The office staff is also unfailingly nice when I call. Highly recommend!

We appreciated interacting directly with the owner and found the technicians to be both very knowledgeable and pleasant. We looked around and concluded that Polar Bear gave us an excellent deal on a new HVAC system (heat pump and air handler). We also appreciated their honesty in telling us that the air handler was still functioning well and didn't need to be replaced which significantly reduced our cost. Polar Bear has serviced or replaced several HVAC units in our condo association and we would definitely use them again.

We just got a new HVAC system installed from Polar Bear. Joe and his team did an excellent job, they were prompt in communications, and gave sound advice for all our questions.