HVAC Repair in Albany, NY
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Albany County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year, on parts built to rest
Your furnace or heat pump runs from October through May here, then the air conditioner takes over in July and August. That leaves almost no season off. Winter nights average 17°F from December through February, cold enough that a furnace cycles on and off for hours to hold the house steady, and each cycle is a start that wears on the igniter and the burner. A weak igniter stops lighting the burner on one of those cold nights, and the house goes cold when it matters most.
Summer asks something different of the same system. Afternoons averaging 80°F push the air conditioner to run for two straight months right after eight months of heating, with little rest between. This area has seen 46 winter storms and 350 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and about 1 in 10 New York households went at least a day without power in 2024. When power drops in a cold snap and comes back hours later, a furnace with a weak igniter or flame sensor may not restart on its own.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 17°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $190 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Albany County home.
Estimates for a typical Albany County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New York fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the furnace's heat exchanger is cracked, the air conditioner's compressor has failed, or repairs keep coming.
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat, not just on, and that the temperature is set above the room temperature. If that's fine, check the breaker and the filter, since a clogged filter can choke the system enough to trip a safety switch and shut the furnace down. If you have a gas furnace and smell nothing but it still won't fire, the igniter or flame sensor may have failed, and that's a job for a contractor. With winter nights here averaging 17°F, a furnace that won't run needs attention fast.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air coming out isn't cold, check the outdoor unit first. If it's not running while the indoor blower is, that's usually an electrical or capacitor problem. If both units are running and the air still isn't cold, a dirty filter or blocked vents can restrict airflow enough to cause this, or the system may be low on refrigerant, which points to a leak. A frozen coil, one covered in ice, also cuts cooling and needs a contractor to thaw safely and find the cause.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the breaker or fuse box, and the filter, since these cause a real share of no heat and no cooling calls. Make sure the filter isn't clogged and that vents around the house are open and not blocked by furniture. If it's an outdoor unit, look for anything obstructing it, like debris or ice. If those all check out and the system still isn't working, a contractor will need to diagnose it, and having the model and any error codes ready will help them get to the answer faster.