AC Services in Seattle, WA
Professional air conditioning repair, maintenance, and new system installation serving Capitol Hill, Ballard, West Seattle, and all of Seattle. Day & Night Elite Dealer with 10-year warranty. Served by Seattle City Light, not the utility most rebate articles assume.
Your Seattle Cooling Experts
Seattle homeowners in Capitol Hill, Ballard, and West Seattle have watched Pacific Northwest summers get hotter and longer. With Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s-1920s, Tudor Revivals, mid-century ranches, modern townhomes, and high-rise condos downtown, the cooling demands across Seattle vary from home to home — but the days of "we don't need AC in the Northwest" are gone. Heat domes, multi-week 80+ degree stretches, and wildfire smoke season have made reliable air conditioning a year-after-year necessity.
Seattle is the one city in our area where the money is in getting off oil, not off gas — and it is not a PSE electric city, so PSE's rebate table does not apply to you. The bonus tier closes for installs completed after September 30, 2026, so here the calendar matters as much as the paperwork.
The Washington State Energy Code lists Seattle at a 24°F winter design temperature (WAC 51-11C-80100, Table C-1). That is the number a Manual J load calculation for your home is run against, and it is the difference between equipment that carries the house on its own and equipment that leans on expensive backup heat every cold snap. Natural gas here comes from Puget Sound Energy. In Seattle we most often find oil furnaces and gravity "octopus" furnaces in pre-1940 Craftsman and Tudor stock, gas forced air in remodeled homes, and electric wall heaters in un-ducted bungalows — so we quote what your house actually has, not what the average Puget Sound home has.
Cooling Services for Seattle Homes
Why Seattle Homeowners Choose Us
Fast Response
Based in Federal Way, we reach Seattle quickly. Most AC repairs are completed same-day, and central air installations are typically done within 1-2 days of approval.
Know Local Codes
The mechanical permit for your AC system is issued by Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI). We pull it, pay the fee, book the inspection and meet the inspector on site. Exterior work in Seattle may also go before the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board and the neighborhood historic districts (Ballard Avenue, Columbia City, Pioneer Square, Harvard-Belmont).
Understand Local Homes
In Seattle we usually find oil furnaces and gravity "octopus" furnaces in pre-1940 Craftsman and Tudor stock, gas forced air in remodeled homes, and electric wall heaters in un-ducted bungalows. We size to your house at the 24°F design temperature the state energy code sets for this area — not to a rule of thumb. Near Elliott Bay and Shilshole Bay we specify corrosion-rated coils.
Cooling Challenges for Seattle Homeowners
Who bills you for power decides what you can claim. Seattle is served by Seattle City Light. That means a $2,000 instant rebate for oil-to-heat-pump conversions on qualifying equipment, plus up to $4,000 more for moderate-income households (81–150% AMI) on installs completed by Sept 30, 2026. Seattle's program runs through participating installers and qualifying equipment, and the bonus tier closes for installs completed after September 30, 2026 — the calendar matters as much as the paperwork.
Seattle does not share Seattle's weather, and the code says so. The Washington State Energy Code lists Seattle at a 24°F winter design temperature (WAC 51-11C-80100, Table C-1). That is the number a Manual J load calculation for your home is run against, and it is the difference between equipment that carries the house on its own and equipment that leans on expensive backup heat every cold snap. Renton is 21°F — a real gap for towns this close together. Seattle is the milder side of that line, and equipment sized for the colder neighbor is equipment you paid too much for.
What we expect to find in a Seattle home. The local stock runs to Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s-1920s, Tudor Revivals, mid-century ranches, modern townhomes, and high-rise condos downtown. That usually means oil furnaces and gravity "octopus" furnaces in pre-1940 Craftsman and Tudor stock, gas forced air in remodeled homes, and electric wall heaters in un-ducted bungalows. Gas service here comes from Puget Sound Energy. Whether adding air conditioning is the right answer for your house is something we tell you after we look at it, not before.
The parts of the job that are specific to this address. In Seattle, the mechanical permit is issued by Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI), and we pull it, pay it and meet the inspector; exterior work may go before the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board and the neighborhood historic districts (Ballard Avenue, Columbia City, Pioneer Square, Harvard-Belmont), so where the outdoor unit sits is a permitting decision here, not just an aesthetic one; homes near Elliott Bay and Shilshole Bay get corrosion-rated coil coatings and a twice-yearly coil rinse instead of annual service — salt air is what kills condensers early on this shoreline; burn bans and wildfire-smoke advisories here are called by Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which is the season that makes filtration worth specifying properly.
Quick Facts
Local details that change a AC system job in Seattle
Seattle is not a PSE electric city, which quietly invalidates most of the heat pump rebate advice on the internet. The facts below are the ones that actually apply to your meter.
- Electric utility
- Seattle City Light
- Natural gas
- Puget Sound Energy
- Winter design temp
- 24°F WSEC Table C-1, WAC 51-11C-80100
- Mechanical permit
- Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI)
- Rebate program that applies
- Seattle's Clean Heat program
- Burn bans & smoke advisories
- Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
- Heat we usually find
- oil furnaces and gravity "octopus" furnaces in pre-1940 Craftsman and Tudor stock, gas forced air in remodeled homes, and electric wall heaters in un-ducted bungalows
- Salt-air exposure
- Elliott Bay and Shilshole Bay — corrosion-rated equipment recommended
- Design / historic review
- the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board and the neighborhood historic districts (Ballard Avenue, Columbia City, Pioneer Square, Harvard-Belmont)
“Vlad and his team were extremely professional. Constant communication, clean workmanship, and reasonable pricing.”
— Darius T., Federal Way, WA
AC Questions from Seattle Homeowners
Central AC installation in Seattle typically ranges from $5,750 to $13,800, depending on the equipment tier (single-stage, two-stage, or variable-speed), home size, ductwork condition, and electrical upgrade requirements. Day & Night, Carrier, and American Standard systems at the higher end of the range deliver quieter operation, better dehumidification, and lower monthly energy bills. We provide free in-home estimates with transparent, written pricing.
Yes. The mechanical permit is issued by Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI), and Washington State requires one for this work. We handle the whole thing — application, fee, and meeting the inspector for the final — so you never contact the permit desk yourself. In Seattle, exterior equipment may additionally need sign-off from the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board and the neighborhood historic districts (Ballard Avenue, Columbia City, Pioneer Square, Harvard-Belmont), which we factor into placement before we quote. Every install meets or exceeds the current Washington State mechanical and energy codes.
Most central AC installations in Seattle are completed in 1-2 days. Adding AC to a home with existing furnace ductwork is usually a one-day install. Projects involving new ductwork, electrical service upgrades, or major refrigerant line runs may take two days. We always leave your home clean and run a full system commissioning before we leave.
For many Seattle homeowners, the answer is yes. A heat pump replaces both your AC and furnace with a single system that heats and cools, qualifies for Seattle's Clean Heat program rebates, and operates more efficiently year-round. The Pacific Northwest climate is ideal for heat pump performance. If your AC and furnace are both nearing end-of-life, a heat pump conversion often pays for itself within 7-10 years through energy savings and rebates.
Common signs your Seattle AC needs replacement include: age over 12-15 years, R-22 (Freon) refrigerant (now phased out and expensive to refill), frequent repairs, rising energy bills, weak airflow, warm air from vents, ice forming on the outdoor unit, or strange noises like grinding or hissing. If repair quotes approach 30-40% of replacement cost, replacement is usually the smarter call.
Varsity Heating and Cooling installs Day & Night, Carrier, and American Standard AC equipment in Seattle. These are industry-leading brands built for the Pacific Northwest, with SEER2 ratings up to 22+ and proven reliability records. As a Day & Night Elite Dealer, we have access to the full product line and can match the right system to your home, comfort priorities, and budget.
The Washington State Energy Code lists Seattle at a 24°F winter design temperature (WAC 51-11C-80100, Table C-1). That is the number a Manual J load calculation for your home is run against, and it is the difference between equipment that carries the house on its own and equipment that leans on expensive backup heat every cold snap. A cold-climate heat pump holds its rated capacity well below that, which is why heat pumps genuinely work here rather than being a compromise. Gas here comes from Puget Sound Energy, and for some homes a hybrid — heat pump for most of the year, gas furnace for the coldest mornings — is the right answer. We will tell you if it is.
AC Services Near Seattle
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