HVAC reviews in Durham, North Carolina

Had our heating unit stop working at our race shop and got in touch with Colby. Top notch service as he was able to come out the very next day and fix it with no problems. Highly recommend!

Fixed the problem and knowledgeable, but room for improvement (3-3.5 stars). My primary concern was the performance of repairs during the diagnostic phase (not included in the diagnostic charge) without prior consultation with the customer.

Context: The original call went to Ricky but we only exchanged initial appointment details. Colby was the on-site technician/co-owner.

Other notes;
1. Not upfront with diagnostic rates. I asked twice before the appointment with no response to that question. Colby later told me that he sets his own rates. ($125 diagnostic in my case. A little higher than what I've experienced but not bad and he was knowledgeable). I would expect this to be consistent or more readily available information.
2. The required repair was wrapping electrical tape around a wire. Total job-time was <40min. Actual repair time was <20 min. A full roll of tape is <$5. Charged $200 in addition to the diagnostic ($350 total). Colby would not give me a breakdown of how he arrived at $200 (no parts, minimal labor). Sharing for transparency. At a minimum, anything not included in the diagnostic should be discussed with the customer before any additional work is done.
3. Fairly slow to quote some additional work they recommended. I have not received anything yet.

Unfortunately, I was not on-site when they visited due to travel and told them this beforehand. The plan was to take payment from the occupant but day-of they decided not to. I called the day after I got back - although we did not connect until I followed up a second time. Payment option was mailing a check (online debit option would be nice).

Ricky and Colby are amazing. They have always made themselves available to address urgent HVAC needs. I am always happy to see them because I know the problem will be fixed, and I know that we can trust them to provide the best service. Colby is just a joy- he loves what he does and enjoys educating clients while fixing the problem. I also really admire both Ricky and Colby's heart for making a difference in others lives. I always get to hear about fund raisers and other efforts to make a difference in the lives of others. I highly recommend their service. Thanks Colby and Ricky!

Colby came and swapped out my inside unit as well as the outside unit when my original of 25 years failed and the performance of the unit is exactly what we needed but being in the plumbing industry I know clean work when I see it. Colby took the extra time that others don’t to not only provide a working unit but his work was one of a kind. Very clean and professional install. You can tell this man takes pride in his work which is hard to find nowadays. Don’t hesitate to call this company as you will not be disappointed. Thanks Colby and owner Mr.Shepherd.

HVAC tech Colby Dennis is AWESOME! He is very knowledgeable about his trade and went the extra mile to call on my behalf to see if a part was under warranty, and it was, which saved me a significant amount of money. Will be doing business with this company well into the future!

We have used Alternative Air for many years and the experience has always been great! They are responsive, communicative and professional.

focused on the customer experience. Joe texted me to see if he could come before 8 am which was very convenient for me. Highly recommend this company.

I've never seen a company look out for its customers as well as Alternative Aire does. Lee, our technician, went out of his way to take care of my family long after he could have reasonably told us he was going home for the night. They've also helped me get HVAC parts replaced under warranty by other companies, even when AA couldn't get paid for it. They do great work and are so quick to respond!

Had Alternative Aire out for a heating tune-up for the cold season. Was on time, courteous, and didn't try to up-sell us on anything! Just did great service and gave us peace of mind.

We got a ductwork replacement quote from them as well that we will most likely explore in the new year. Can't recommend working with them enough!

Strong recommendations for Alternative Aire. This was my first time using them -- my excellent plumber recommended them to me -- and I got an appointment within an hour. My interaction with the company was excellent from beginning to end. The technician was knowledgeable and good and didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need. The charge was very reasonable. They'll be my HVAC choice from now on.

Alternative Aire were great in every aspect of their service. Calling to set up an appointment was straightforward and easy. We knew from day 1 that Joey would be the person maintaining our units. He was great and diligent! He was very clear and informative and got the job done very efficiently. At the end he gave us very useful recommendations.

The whole experience was great. Easy booking online, contacted and scheduled promptly. Our service technician Enrique Williams was thorough in diagnosing and fixing the problem. He also did a great job addressing/answering our questions along the way.

I've used Alternative Aire for both heat pump installations and routine service. They've always been very responsive, professional, and easy to work with. I will continue using them for all my HVAC needs!

We were looking for a different contractor having lost confidence in the one we'd used for a long time and Alternative Aire was recommended by neighbors. They were a bit slow responding to the initial phone call but were great after that. The quotation visit was thorough, educational and limited to only what was needed to repair. The actual repair visit was rapidly scheduled, quickly and cleanly carried out with less work identified as needed than at the quote resulting in a lower bill. Well impressed with this first visit and will be using them again for a maintenance requirement.

David from Alternative Aire came out to our house to service two AC units and I can't recommend these guys enough: easy to schedule an appointment with, good communication, very professional and reliable. We will definitely work with them again in the future

I was very satisfied with Dave Andraesen from Alternative Aire and his visit of 5/28/2025. He examined both our furnace and air conditioner carefully, and listened to my description of issues with the thermostat. I would certainly recommend Dave and Alternative Aire to others!

First AC season check up. David the technician reached out and offered to come early. He was thorough and even found issues that had been overlooked previously. Took steps to correct problems in a cost efficient way, provided lots of information and good advice while he was there. Payment was easy and onsite. All in all a good service experience.

Preparing to file a complaint with the board against these absolute clowns. They came out to look at my broken HVAC unit three weeks ago, then ghosted me, so I brought in a different company that fixed it in an hour, then this Wednesday I get an estimate for a repair from AA, which I declined. Then they come to my house today while I'm at work, WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, break my outdoor unit and leave. This is why I have cameras all over my property. I don't know how this happens in real life.

I cannot recommend Alternative Aire enough, they have been fantastic! I've needed their services twice and both times, the service has been quick, friendly, and most importantly, they got the issue resolved.

In 2022, I had a heating issue and I initially went with a different company that ended up sending several different technicians to my home, changed several different parts, and they did not fix the issue. I gave up on that company out of frustration, found Alternative Aire in my Durham, NC area based on reviews like this one, and filled in an online service request form from their website. They showed up the next day, diagnosed an issue with the circuit board in 10 minutes, and immediately got my system back operational.

The second time I needed them just happened yesterday, July 6, 2024. My air conditioning unit all of a sudden would not turn on. I submitted an online service request form again, this time for after hours services because this happened on a Saturday afternoon. Alternative Aire got me scheduled with an appointment for Sunday morning, and had my air working again in 30 minutes after changing out the capacitor.

I was so glad to see that Alternative Aire was just as great two years apart, and to anyone having any issue with their heating or air conditioning, you should definitely go with them! You will not be disappointed!

I am so glad a friend of mine recommended Alternative Aire. These guys are PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONALS! They installed everything so flawlessly and even explained how things worked to my husband and I (mind you it went over my head but at least they explained stuff thoroughly and they knew their stuff). I was worried because I thought my husband and I were going to have to drop half our savings on a new air conditioning unit. Come to find out they do financing and it's simple to sign up for and get started (shoutout to Scott Brennan for helping me get that set up). Another plus: when you call them, YOU SPEAK TO A REAL PERSON WHO IS READY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS (shoutout to Erin). The customer service was SUPERB! Shout out to Lee and Enrique for their amazing service, as well. If I can continue to spread the word about how awesome this company is, I will certainly do so! Thank you guys for your amazing work.

Highly recommend. Booking was quick and easy. Quick response time from the individual scheduling. The tech (Enrique) was kind and super helpful. He took his time to educate me and help me better understand the problem. I will definitely use their service again.