Located in the heart of Lake County and founded in 1984 Northern Air Systems services and installs residential, light commercial and industrial forced air heating and cooling equipment, boilers, humidifiers, air filters, UV lights and thermostats throughout Chicagoland. Our sheet metal shop gives us the flexibility to fabricate any ductwork or fitting required for a proper professional installation. We service all brands and install new systems using equipment from Trane, Heil and Amana when using forced air with indoor air quality pieces from Trane and Honeywell.
Services
We don't want to just sell our clients a furnace or air conditioner. We strive to provide comfort systems that enhance your time in your home with your family. We look at the system as a whole and fit the right system pieces with the needs of each family. Commercial clients try to push equipment to the ragged edge of its life expectancy.
Reviews (8)
Bill Jarrett
Jun 16, 2022
Posted this earlier, and the business owner replied, then Google made it non-public. I contacted Google support who told me I should post it again. Our AC went out when I was feeling under the weather and we had Northern Air come out and look at it due to the owner of the previous company we were using retiring. The engineer they sent was professional and prompt.
It was $109 for the troubleshooting call, which was not applied to my repair later (many contractors I have used in the past apply the troubleshooting to the repair if they can't fix it in one trip). I thought it was a bit high, but I've seen worse. Then engineer quoted me $937 for the repair and due to the AC being out, a hot week on the horizon and generally not feeling well I agreed.
After the work was done, a friend from out of state was in town who is in this industry. I mentioned the job to him briefly over lunch, and he said that was high. And not as in a little high, as in double what it should have been. I figured I could look at the invoice and justify the cost. But - I couldn't. Why? Because the invoice was not itemized, which is the first time I've seen a contractor invoice in this way.
Very unusual way of doing business. How much did I pay for each part? Who knows. How much was the repair work? No clue. Looking up the parts, one of them goes for $200-400 in general online and the other goes for about $60-70. That's what I could find as someone not in the industry, so they could probably do better. Lets just say, at the high end, the parts are $500.
That leaves $437 in labor. He must have been out there all day, right? No - my security system tells me he was out there for far less than an hour doing the repairs. So, $400/hr in labor I guess? All the owner has had to say is that I agreed to the price and the work was done. He's correct, and I will pay the invoice. He never denied charging double or explained the lack of itemization though, which to me says he knows he is overcharging.
I don't write negative reviews to fix my past mistakes, I write them to try to prevent others from making the same mistakes I did. So if you use this company, once you get the diagnosis do not agree on the spot with the price. Get a parts list from the engineer and call all of the local competitors first. There's a chance you can save a significant amount of money.
The technician was prompt on the first call and was very knowledgeable. However, I did have to call about a week later to remind them they still hadn't completed the job, and then they came out the next day. I have a feeling had I not done that it may have been forgotten about. So - good technician, but due to non-itemized invoices and having to pay what appears to be double the price of what the job should have been I'm going to choose a different company for any future HVAC work, and I recommend you do also.
It was $109 for the troubleshooting call, which was not applied to my repair later (many contractors I have used in the past apply the troubleshooting to the repair if they can't fix it in one trip). I thought it was a bit high, but I've seen worse. Then engineer quoted me $937 for the repair and due to the AC being out, a hot week on the horizon and generally not feeling well I agreed.
After the work was done, a friend from out of state was in town who is in this industry. I mentioned the job to him briefly over lunch, and he said that was high. And not as in a little high, as in double what it should have been. I figured I could look at the invoice and justify the cost. But - I couldn't. Why? Because the invoice was not itemized, which is the first time I've seen a contractor invoice in this way.
Very unusual way of doing business. How much did I pay for each part? Who knows. How much was the repair work? No clue. Looking up the parts, one of them goes for $200-400 in general online and the other goes for about $60-70. That's what I could find as someone not in the industry, so they could probably do better. Lets just say, at the high end, the parts are $500.
That leaves $437 in labor. He must have been out there all day, right? No - my security system tells me he was out there for far less than an hour doing the repairs. So, $400/hr in labor I guess? All the owner has had to say is that I agreed to the price and the work was done. He's correct, and I will pay the invoice. He never denied charging double or explained the lack of itemization though, which to me says he knows he is overcharging.
I don't write negative reviews to fix my past mistakes, I write them to try to prevent others from making the same mistakes I did. So if you use this company, once you get the diagnosis do not agree on the spot with the price. Get a parts list from the engineer and call all of the local competitors first. There's a chance you can save a significant amount of money.
The technician was prompt on the first call and was very knowledgeable. However, I did have to call about a week later to remind them they still hadn't completed the job, and then they came out the next day. I have a feeling had I not done that it may have been forgotten about. So - good technician, but due to non-itemized invoices and having to pay what appears to be double the price of what the job should have been I'm going to choose a different company for any future HVAC work, and I recommend you do also.
Lou Gebler
Sep 23, 2021
We've used Northern Air Systems for several years now for HVAC maintenance and have been very happy with the service they provide. We decided to replace our furnace and AC this year. We had a competitor come out and give us a quote and the saleperson was mostly interested in selling a system and didn't take any time to look at the ducts, etc. Bob from Northern Air came out to give us a bid and took measurements and made drawings before trying to sell anything.
He explained everything and answered all my questions, and even made some recommendations for more efficient ductwork at a later time, if we wanted. The installers of the unit arrived on time and worked until the unit was installed. They also answered questions we asked as they were installing the furnace and AC. Bob has been very responsive to questions I had about rebates. The installed thermostat has lots of features that I've never worked with before and Bob has arranged a time to come out again and go over all the bells and whistles.
He explained everything and answered all my questions, and even made some recommendations for more efficient ductwork at a later time, if we wanted. The installers of the unit arrived on time and worked until the unit was installed. They also answered questions we asked as they were installing the furnace and AC. Bob has been very responsive to questions I had about rebates. The installed thermostat has lots of features that I've never worked with before and Bob has arranged a time to come out again and go over all the bells and whistles.
Jill Schwartz
May 04, 2021
We've been having Northern Air Systems taking care of our HVAC system for many years, and I have to tell you they are GREAT! No matter which rep Kate (who herself is proficient, professional and really nice to boot) schedules to come out for service, the guys are all knowledgeable, efficient, timely and, well, as I said GREAT! Try them; you'll like -- no, you'll LOVE them! Jill
John Basten
Apr 26, 2021
Our furnace stopped working completely. Scott the technician was awesome. He diagnosed the problem in our furnace and made the necessary repairs in less the. 30 minutes. I am always impressed with Northern Air Systems service. Thanks, I would definitely recommend these guys to anyone. Service: Repair HVAC
Jvito Jvito
Feb 20, 2021
We have been using Northern Air for almost three decades. No matter the service- routine yearly maintenance to installing new A/C or heating system, Northern Air does great work. They honor their commitments and are always professional. We recently needed an emergency repair and Kate in the office and Gary the technician made it happen. This was a great relief to me and my family. We give Northern our highest recommendation.
Candace Love
Jan 28, 2021
I've been a customer of Northern for almost 20 years. They take care of my furnace and central AC which are now 26 years old. Northern comes twice a year to service my heat and air. They are always on time, professional, helpful and knowledgeable. They explain everything to me. I recommend them without reservation. Service: A/C system maintenance
Steve Kostelnik
Dec 11, 2020
Greg Liebman
Nov 22, 2020
My family has used Northern Air Systems three times now. Replacing a small-home furnace, a large home furnace, and now a large home central air system. On all three occasions, Bob was involved from estimating through installation, and the quality and price were excellent. The entire organization is first rate! Service: Installation
