Heating & Air
Heating and Heat Pump Repair in Charleston, SC
Used for a few weeks a year, which is exactly why it fails when it is needed.
Used for a few weeks a year, which is exactly why it fails when it is needed.
Quick answer: Most Lowcountry homes heat with a heat pump plus electric auxiliary strips. A winter bill that spikes is often auxiliary heat running when it should not, from a failed sensor or control fault. Gas furnaces need an annual safety check of the heat exchanger and venting. Charleston providers advertise diagnostic visits at $69–$110 (HVAC cost guide; not our quotes). Licensed mechanical subcontractors do the HVAC work and pull their own permits; we coordinate as the SC general contractor (CLG.127339). Call (843) 718-8177.
Plan the scope: Charleston HVAC cost guide · York County cost guide · What to check before hiring an HVAC company.
Most homes here heat with a heat pump, with electric auxiliary strips for the coldest weather. A common complaint is a heating bill that spikes without explanation, and the usual cause is auxiliary heat running when it should not — a failed sensor or a control fault leaving expensive resistance heat carrying the load the heat pump should be handling.
For the smaller number of homes with gas furnaces, the annual inspection is a safety item rather than a comfort one. Heat exchanger integrity and correct venting are what that inspection is for.
We take this work across greater Charleston, from Summerville and Goose Creek to Mount Pleasant, West Ashley and the sea islands, and on the York County side around Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. More on our heating and air services.
Most often auxiliary heat running when it should not. In a heat pump system, electric resistance strips are meant to supplement in genuinely cold weather.
A failed outdoor sensor, a control fault or a system stuck in emergency heat leaves them carrying the whole load, at several times the running cost.
Before the first cold snap, not during it. Systems here sit unused for most of the year and reveal their faults on the first cold night — which is the night every heating contractor in the region is already booked.
Autumn is the cheap time to find out.
Yes, and for safety rather than efficiency. The inspection checks heat exchanger integrity and correct venting, and a cracked exchanger is a combustion-gas risk regardless of how few hours the unit runs.
Light annual use does not remove that.