I have been using Emprire HVAC Co for 11 years now. I work in property management and they always deliver fast and a friendly and wonderful customer service experience. I highly recommend them. read more

Not Trustworthy. Sadly very close to some other experiences here, they very much try to overcharge you and have no accountability. Do not trust their diagnoses, estimates, or reliability. Misdiagnosed the problem, claiming it was the control board and saying it is the most expensive part of the furnace, and would be around 2k to fix. Then tried to say it would be better to buy a new furnace from them. Asked for a written quote with parts and labor, did not hear back from them. Found the part, it is a $400 dollar part, and turns out to not be the problem at all. Feel like they were trying to sell me a new furnace by vastly marking up the price of a repair. And the manager hung up on me for the perfect ending. So in the end, without heat for a week, and had to call another company. Very glad I did not get into the whole for thousands of dollars with a company that you cannot trust. read more

Ridiculous pricing! I needed a new AC condenser fan motor. I trusted them when they quoted me $1552 to replace it. After the work was completed I was curious, so I googled and found out that the estimated cost for replacing the condenser fan motor is between $300-600. Empire rips you off with ridiculous price gouging. They may do quality work, but they are overcharging by a lot. I am going to find a new HVAC company that does not charge an arm and a leg. read more

This company told me I needed an $1800 repair for my A/C unit, but when I got a second opinion from another company, they told me there was absolutely nothing wrong with the unit... just a clogged filter! The Empire guy took about 10 minutes to arrive at his $1800 conclusion, but the other company took nearly 90 minutes looking over the whole system. Caveat emptor! read more

I am wring this review while still shocked from the way Empire HVAC took advantage of my family. I called them for an issue with my air conditioning unit. They came right away, checked the unit and stated that it was completely out of freon. They further stated that we will need 7 lbs of R22 freon to fill it up. Furthermore, they stated that the labor will cost me $150, however the material, R22 freon was expensive and will cost me $250 per pond. Trusting the honesty of the company, I agreed to pay $250 per lb of freon. With freon being so "expensive", I agreed to pay $825 for 3.5 lbs of freon and $150 for the labor for the total of $1,025. In 2 days I had 2 people coming with a 30 lbs canister of freon. They pumped 3.5 lbs of freon, got paid $1,025 and left. Before leaving, they said that they suggest we change the whole system, and that they could do it for around $9K. Next day, I talked to some people and did an online research. That's when I got shocked and deeply disgusted. The retail price of the 30 lbs freon tank is $435, meaning the cost of 1 lb is $14.50. We were overcharged almost 20 times !!!! Empire HVAC never gave me a quote for the entire job. They specifically quoted $250 per pond of freon and $150 labor. I have it written on my invoice # 2334: " Alex authorized $250 per lb 3.5 lbs Labor $150" A totally agree with Felicia S. review who wrote in capital letters: DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY THEY WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY!!!! I called Empire HVAC in 2 days. They were rude, said that the owner will call me back. So far, nobody called. I feel that my family has fallen victim of the Empire HVAC predatory practices. Now, I am trying to warn other people. I am also exploring the ways we could make sure this predatory company does not victimize other consumers in the future. read more

I set up an appointment for a quote. The technicians arrived on time and were courteous and responsive while here, but they failed to follow up with any quote. After a week I called and told whomever answers the phone that I had not received the quote. He expected me to remember who they sent out, which I did not. He said he would figure it out and call me later that day. That was over a week ago and I still haven't heard back. I took the morning off work for these guys to come for the appointment. A total waste of my time. read more

I called this company and they came out I told them the issue and he put his hand up to the vents and said "you need a new electronic damper"it's $1800 to replace he never went in the attic to look.. I wasn't sold on the price so I checked around and found a company to replace it for $487.... DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY THEY WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY!!!! read more

Recently my central air conditioning started to blow hot air again so I called a handful of HVAC companies. Empire HVAC was recommended to me by a family friend. The reason I was very happy was that an actual HVAC service person, Paul, answered the phone call. He said he could come to my house in a couple of days, which was fantastic since I had gotten wait times of one to three weeks! On the day of the appointment, Paul called me and informed me he was running an hour late. No problem, thanks for the heads up. When Paul arrived, I informed him of the problem. He replaced the two fuses for the outside condenser unit and it started to work again with cool air flowing again into the house. Obviously something caused the fuses to blow so Paul used a voltage meter and informed me that the compressor in the condenser unit was drawing a lot of power and should be replaced. He informed me that it wasn't worth replacing just the compressor as it was expensive and not worth it; better to replace the entire unit. I wasn't going to argue since the air con unit was the original unit and though we don't use it a lot, it was installed in 1989 (I learned it was built in 1987!). My central air conditioning system is a two unit piece. The other piece was in the attic. Paul informed me that it was about $4,000 to replace this outside unit and about $9,000 to replace both units. He recommended that both be replaced at the same time since my old unit used freon. New units no longer use freon so he advised me that if I replaced just one unit, I would probably have to replace it if I replaced the inside unit later. Paul left after I told him I would like to think about it. I called the manufacturer of my air con unit, Trane, and was told that the compressor alone was $2,000 and since my unit was very old, that I should replace this outside condenser unit with a newer more efficient modern unit. Unfortunately I don't really have several thousands of dollars to spend replacing the air conditioning unit at this point and I told Paul this. He was very pleasant. Paul was very professional, punctual, helpful, and didn't try to pressure me into spending all this money at this time. Not only didn't he not charge me a minimum fee for coming to my residence, but he was kind enough to leave me a couple of replacement fuses! If and when I get my air conditioning unit replaced, I'll make sure to give Paul and Empire HVAC a call. In the meantime, I'll have to get a portable air conditioning unit as the condenser unit blew more fuses. The only reason I didn't give Empire HVAC 5 stars is because I didn't have major work done yet. read more

A/C went out during the heatwave. Friend of mine gave me a contact for HVAC repair (Alex) who I called on a Saturday. Alex was able to make it on Sunday at the specified time and apologized he was not able to make it on Sat. Cool with that. He was professional and honest in his recommendation s for what could be malfunctioning with my A/C unit. Glad it wasn't anything too bad. There was a leak as verified by Alex . He was able to fix the leak and refill the A/C unit with coolant.. no more A/C unit blowing hot air. I feel comfortable using this company again in the near future and recommend them to any and all folks looking for fast, professional, honest and no hassle HVAC repair. read more

What as bunch of scammers. See my reviews under the location in Pleasant Hill. They blew off 2 appointments with Poul, never returned my calls. I am going to file a complaint with the CSLB, they should be put out of business. You don't treat people like that. read more

Found them thru Homeadvisor.com. Had never used them before. I signed on with my issue and within 5 sec. my phone rang. Made the appt. the same day. Keep in mind it is 106 today. My AC Cond. fan stopped working. Appointment was 11-1 . Tech showed up at 11:30. Found that starting component needed to be replaced. My unit is 16 years old. Life is around 15-20 years. So about due. Fixed in 5 minutes and charged unit with freon. Yes it was expensive. I have no idea what the going rate is for the part or the freon. But total was $1200. Who knows but I am a believer in you get what you pay for. I eventually will need a new unit. But this will hold for now. Now I can sit in my cool house. Thank you Empire. read more

I believe that is important to give an outstanding review once sufficient time has passed for such a big investment. I am very satisfied with their customer service, installation, and above all I had a very cool summer. My A/C unit was installed late May 2015. The crew arrived on time, and by the evening I had A/C installed and running. I have white tile floors, and they didn't leave a trace. I had previously discussed the issues I had with my heater, and the technician answered all (tons) of questions and concerns I had. I shopped around, and while it is true to say that you get what you pay for, I was happy with the cost, and I did my research/analysis and believe the price was reasonable and justified . After all it is an investment and its a such a comfort to have a cool house during the summer. Now that fall is here , I couldn't be happier. My heater is running great. I had an excellent experience and very satisfied with their services. read more

Empire did an excellent job at reasonable cost. My wife and I bought a 2,700 sq. ft. house in Vallejo that was recently renovated for sale. The seller's agent claimed that the HVAC system was "new-ish". However, the furnace was not electrically connected to the thermostat, so the inspector could not operate and assess the system before closing. After taking procession of the house and Empire HVAC Co. electrified the furnace, we discovered the furnace did not even work. Empire replaced with a new unit, then we discovered that the new duct system was improperly designed and did not perform very well. At that point, the technician, Alex, referred the project to Poul and the more experienced team in the company who analyzed the system and came up with an approach to renovate the duct work to create the proper balance and pressure, which included new duct work, new air supply return and additional registers throughout the home. After the work was completed the system worked properly to heat and cool the entire home. BTW, in the end we went legal and the seller agreed to pay an $11,000 settlement to pay for all the HVAC improvements. read more

Called at 8 am, got 10 am appointment, showed up at 4:30 pm, identified and fixed problem in under 15 min, I know that I overpaid by $100. Forget college, my kids are going to HVAC school. read more

Empire absolutely took advantage of my senior citizen father, health issues and all. My father reached out to them to get an "estimate" and scheduled an appointment two days in advanced to look at the themostat. Poul arrived, opened the thermostat and spent approximately 3-5 minutes "reconnecting a wire/thermostat." He then proceeded to write up a $250 labor bill that my father never agreed to. At no point did my father agree to let them to do any work, on the phone when he scheduled the estimate appointment or when Poul showed up and decided to open the thermostat and reconnect a wire. Further, there was never any mention of there being a "$250.00 minimum labor charge" as I was told over the phone when I contacted to get an explanation. It does not say anything on their receipt or website that they have a "$250 show up fee." This was supposed to be a scheduled estimate, not a call for service. On top of that, my dad is a cheapskate and never would have agreed to paying $250 without first knowing what the issue was. He felt pressured and had to pay with card and cash just to cover the bill. We are going to report them to the BBB and the contractor licensing board for taking advantage of my father the way they did. read more

Unlike several other companies we attempted to contact, Empire HVAC responded to our call immediately. The A/C replacement was done at our convenience and at a fair price. Poul, the estimator, went out of his way to accommodate us and help us in every way. The technicians were efficient and courteous. We were extremely happy with their performance from beginning to end. read more

If you work in property management this company is the one to call. They have saved us on many emergencies. They are fast, honest, kind, and they also warranty their work. We have used them here in Richmond for a long time and will continue to use them. I highly recommend you give them a call. read more

They came out within 30 minutes after I called (on a Saturday!) and installed the entire heating/ac system the following Monday (replacing the very old one) and completed in one day. The technician Alex was excellent, working quickly and doing a thorough job; he knows his stuff. The system worked the first time. Paul was also quite accommodating with pricing. read more

WARNING. This company will cheat you. I had a clogged line for my a/c. They came out and told me I had to replace a plump which would cost $695. They told me the part and I looked it up online. The part cost $43. I told the guy that I might be willing to pay $400. He said we would call his boss. He said okay. I said I would call the next day. He said the $400 price was good for today only. I called another group that came out and found the line was clogged and in less than five minutes it was fixed. They did not even charge me. You have been warned. Do not use this company for anything. read more

I liked this company. My technician's name was Paul and I found him to be straightforward and proficient. My only suggestion would be to give your customers a window of time (i.e 4-6pm) that you will arrive in rather that a specific time that you can't necessarily honor because you are delayed in the field and not able to communicate that you are late. I thought the work was great though and am very grateful to have heat again! read more