Heating & Air Conditioning in North Highlands, CA

We fix and replace heating and cooling equipment in North Highlands, including in houses from the 1950s.

Climate and your system

North Highlands lies about 15 km north-northeast of Sacramento 5 ESE, the nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 normals, and about 19 km east of the next one, Sacramento Metro Airport. Both put the July average high at about 94°F, while their counts of 100-degree days run from roughly 15 to 23 a year, and North Highlands most likely falls somewhere in that range. On those afternoons, a cooling system in an older house runs close to full output for hours.

ZIP codes 95660 and 95841, which cover most of North Highlands, are in Climate Zone 12. When a central system is replaced here, Title 24 calls for the ducts to be sealed and tested, with an ECC-Rater (once known as a HERS Rater) confirming the result; the code skips that test when the connected ducts add up to less than 40 feet.

Homes in North Highlands

North Highlands has about 16,900 homes; seven in ten were built before 1980, and a full quarter in the 1950s alone. The typical home dates from 1971, and only about one in fifteen was built in 2000 or later. A 1950s house may have ducts under the floor rather than in the attic, and Sacramento County even keeps a separate inspection type for underfloor ducts, so a duct check belongs in any replacement estimate here.

Permits: Sacramento County

North Highlands is unincorporated, so the permit for a furnace or air conditioner replacement comes from Sacramento County. The county books inspections online, by phone at 916-875-5296 or by text at 855-280-5383. The permit and the inspection requests are ours to handle, not yours. Source: Sacramento County, how to schedule an inspection.

Utilities and rebates

SMUD is the electric utility across North Highlands, and PG&E provides the gas. SMUD’s rebate page shows a median installed cost of $18,804 for a gas-to-electric heat pump job, and the rebate that offsets part of it is paid only through SMUD Contractor Network members. If the rebate matters to your budget, raise it with us first and you’ll get a direct answer for your project; our rebate guide explains the other options.

Help for very low-income owners

SHRA’s Home Repair Program works throughout the unincorporated county, North Highlands included, for owner-occupants of single-family homes and mobile homes. Fixing a furnace or air conditioner that has quit is among the repairs it funds, up to a $10,000 grant. Income limits and how to apply are listed on the agency’s site.

Next door: McClellan Park

McClellan Park, ZIP 95652, borders North Highlands and shares its county permit office, SMUD electricity and PG&E gas. Its few hundred homes are rentals, so work there is usually arranged with the property manager. See HVAC service in McClellan Park.

What we do in North Highlands

Air conditioning repair and installation
Furnace repair and furnace installation
Heat pumps, including ductless mini-splits
Heat pump water heaters
Ductwork, ventilation and indoor air quality
Maintenance, furnace tune-ups and system inspections

Ask us to look at your ducts on the next repair visit if you suspect they are leaking or crushed.

Common questions in North Highlands

Yes. In California a building permit is required when an HVAC unit is replaced. In North Highlands, residential HVAC permits come from Sacramento County Building Permits & Inspection, and most replacements also require a Title 24 duct leakage test verified by an independent ECC-Rater (formerly HERS Rater). We get the permit and schedule the test for you.

SMUD supplies electricity and PG&E supplies natural gas in North Highlands. SMUD’s heat pump and heat pump water heater rebates are paid only when the job is done by a contractor in the SMUD Contractor Network; ask us before you buy so we can confirm whether your project can qualify with us.

Through November 30, 2026 our residential visit and diagnosis is $49 per system, and we waive the $49 fee if you approve the repair. The price is the same on evenings and weekends, and you get a written repair price before any work starts. New installation estimates are free.

Sources (October 2026): NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Sacramento 5 ESE and Sacramento Metro Airport (data) · U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, tables B25035 and B25034 · CEC Building Climate Zones · Sacramento County, how to schedule an inspection.