The short answer
We install central AC, heat pumps and ductless systems in Palo Alto homes, including older houses that never had cooling. Each project starts with a site survey and load calculation so the equipment fits the house, the lot and the electrical service.
Many Palo Alto homes went decades without central air, and plenty of owners were content with open windows and ceiling fans. Warmer stretches in late summer, more people working from home, and the push toward electric heating have changed that calculation. Adding cooling to an older Palo Alto house is rarely as simple as dropping a condenser in the side yard, though. Attics can be shallow, ducts may be original, and lot lines are often close. ReliableAir HVAC Services installs air conditioning across 94301, 94303, 94304 and 94306, about 11 miles west of our San Jose base. Here is how we approach a project from first walkthrough to final startup.
Starting with a site survey
Before recommending equipment, our technician spends time looking at how your home is built and how it is used. Palo Alto houses range from compact bungalows and mid-century single-story homes to large remodeled two-story properties, and each presents a different installation path.
The survey covers attic or crawlspace access, condition and size of existing ductwork, electrical panel capacity, window orientation, insulation levels and where an outdoor unit could sit without crowding a neighbor's bedroom window. We also ask which rooms bother you most in summer, since that tells us where airflow needs to go.
Common Palo Alto installation challenges
Experience with older Peninsula homes has taught us to expect a handful of recurring obstacles. None of them are deal-breakers, but each changes the design.
- Ducts sized only for heating, which may need enlarging or added returns to carry cooling airflow
- Shallow or inaccessible attics that favor ductless heads or a slim air handler in a closet
- Homes heated by radiant floors or wall heaters with no ductwork at all
- Narrow side yards where condenser placement must respect setbacks and noise limits
- Older electrical services without room for a new compressor circuit
- Mature trees that shade the roof, helpful for cooling loads but a consideration for outdoor unit placement and debris
Choosing the right system type
For a house with a gas furnace and decent ducts, a matched condenser and coil is the most traditional route. Increasingly, though, Palo Alto homeowners choose a heat pump instead. It installs much like an air conditioner but also provides heat, which means the gas furnace can be retired or kept only as a backup.
That choice ties into regional rules. Under Bay Area Air District Rule 9-4, natural gas furnaces manufactured from 2029 must meet a zero-NOx standard, pointing future replacements toward heat pumps. The rules do not require removing working equipment, so installing AC alongside a healthy furnace is still perfectly allowed. We present both options so the decision is yours.
For homes without ducts, ductless mini-splits can cool individual rooms or the whole house with multiple indoor heads connected to one or two outdoor units.
Costs, incentives and expectations
We provide a written proposal after the survey. The federal 25C credit, which applied to qualifying heat pumps placed in service before December 31, 2025, is no longer available for new installations. BayREN and your local clean energy provider may offer heat pump or electrification incentives, but those amounts shift with funding cycles. We check what is current before quoting so you are working with accurate numbers.
Installation day and afterward
Our crew arrives with the equipment staged, lays down floor protection, and works through removal and installation in a planned order. Line sets are routed as neatly as the structure allows, condensate drains are trapped and protected with a safety switch, and duct connections are sealed. Permits are handled with the City of Palo Alto when the scope requires them, and we coordinate the inspection.
After charging the system, we record startup measurements, test airflow at the registers, and set up your thermostat. We also show you how to change the filter and what normal operation sounds like, so you can spot problems early.
Our Peninsula service area
In addition to Palo Alto, we install systems in Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Cupertino. To start, send a few details about your home's age, current heating system and whether there is ductwork, and we will schedule a survey.
More services in Palo Alto
- AC Repair in Palo Alto
- Heating Repair in Palo Alto
- Heat Pump Installation in Palo Alto
- Furnace Repair in Palo Alto