Alternative Aire Inc

In Alternative Aire Inc's own words

Alternative Aire Inc is a locally owned, veteran-owned HVAC company serving Durham, NC and the Triangle area, including Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Hillsborough, since 2009. Our licensed technicians provide AC repair, AC installation, furnace and heating repair, heat pump service, ductless mini split systems, whole home dehumidifiers, and custom duct work for homes and businesses. We install high efficiency SEER2 rated equipment, give transparent upfront quotes, and offer financing on new systems. Every job is backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee and industry leading warranties. Call now for your free, no pressure quote. same day appointments available.

Trade

HVAC contractor

Business address

3156 Hillsborough Rd, Durham, NC 27705

Telephone

(919) 404-9040

Website

alternativeaire.com

Hours

• Monday8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Tuesday8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Wednesday8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Thursday8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Friday8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• SaturdayClosed
• SundayClosed

From the business's Google listing, checked Oct 2026

Register

NC register

Recorded as supplied and as found in public sources. This register makes no credential or quality claim about any business; check license status with the state board.

Google Reviews

4.8 ★★★★★ (1023)

• I have had a few recent experiences with The Chill Brothers and Alternative Aire. I can honestly say that all of my interactions and overall experience has been very positive, and I feel like I’ve finally found a local HVAC company I can trust for the long haul. Our installation went very smoothly, and they even pointed out and fixed a few issues the previous HVAC company did that were very concerning. We had one post installation service appointment and one more recent minor fix that was completed within 24 hours. It’s obvious to me that this company stands behind their work and cares about their customers. I would highly recommend!

  Thomas D.★★★★★

• All work was thoroughly explained and Edward did a fantastic job

  Frank A.★★★★★

• I purchased a $15,000 HVAC system from this company just over a year ago. Recently, the system stopped running and threw an EF error code due to a clogged condensation line. The technician arrived, cleared the line, and had the system back up in about 20 minutes. Then came the bill: an initial quote of roughly $436. When I balked at paying that much for 20 minutes of routine clearing, they immediately took $100 off, bringing it to around $336. While I appreciate that they were willing to reduce the price and resolved the issue quickly, over $300 for a minor 20-minute fix on a high-end system they recently installed feels unreasonable. If you don’t mind high out-of-pocket costs for basic maintenance, they do the job, but for everyone else: get the price in writing first, or consider shopping around.

  David G.★★★★★

• Tldr: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DONT GIVE THIS COMPANY YOUR MONEY. It’s taken them a month and 4 appointments to just order my mini-split pump, and they’ve still yet to show up to install it 8 days later. I feel so strongly abt this, that this is only the second google review I’ve ever left. Don’t fall for the old reviews on here this company was ruined by private equity abt 2 years ago and is now a 1 star company through and through. Legitimately the worst experience I’ve ever had with any company. After 4 separate trips out the only thing they’ve actually done so far is quote my landlord an additional $3k for a completely separate problem that conveniently wasn’t happening before it took them a month to not replace my pump. In fact, the 4th trip out only happened bc apparently no one thought to actually get the pump’s model number during the first three trips— despite diagnosing that as the problem the very first day. They’ve lied abt scheduling, forgot to call back multiple times, took 4 seperate trips to get the model number of my mini-split, showed zero sense of urgency despite all this happening in the middle of summer, and now that they’ve finally ordered the pump after a whole month, it’s taken twice as long as estimated to arrive without hearing so much as a peep from them. Did I mention everyone I’ve talked to at this company has either had an attitude or been outright incompetent!?!?? Apparently my landlord having a years long relationship with the company and multiple properties with them still isn’t enough to even make them pretend to care, so they won’t for you either. Unless u want to end up on the butt-end of some old white dudes’ LBO/tax strategy while they purposefully run this company into the ground, I suggest u give literally anyone else your time and money.

  Ian O.★★★★★

• I am very happy for my AC and furnace system installed today! Greg is very friendly and helpful, he is knowledgeable about what he is doing and provides good consultation about my AC issues, he came three times to check and follow up with the me. Charles also a great manger to handle my payment application smoothly, thank you, Charles and Greg! Adam and Kevin did an awesome job to put the AC and furnace system together and give me clean direction before they leave. They are all very nice and professional. I highly recommend this company! You won't go wrong with them!

  Lily Y.★★★★★

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great experience from start to finish! They were professional, knowledgeable, and arrived on time. They explained everything clearly and made sure the job was done right. Highly recommend this heating and air company for anyone looking for dependable service!

  Christie S.★★★★★

• Great job!! Came on time and got the job done swiftly!! Thanks Charles!!

  Jennifer F.★★★★★

• We have used AA for years for all of our HVAC needs, but as I just learned, AA is no more. Last week, we had a tech (Charles) out to do something unrelated to the main AC unit. We paid AA double, what another company quoted us, but we needed to get it done sooner than the other folks could do it. Suddenly out of nowhere, our previously perfectly functioning AC is not working. We tried calling on a Sunday to get someone out to take a look at it, but can't get past their robot. Got a hold of Charles on the phone and he claimed it couldn't have been anything he did, but they could come out for a $150 service fee. A quick google search let me know that AA was sold last year. I had an uneasy feeling as soon as this guy walked through our door and now here we are.....

  Brandie S.★★★★★

• Awesome, honest customer service and fair prices. Great experience all around!

  Kevin S.★★★★★

• Good communication, friendly and knowledgeable.

  Ava★★★★★

• This is not the same company it once was. Now when you call them, you get this awful AI robot that is completely ineffective. Turns out this is what happens when you sell out to private equity like this company did.

  Ken H.★★★★★

• They don't respond quickly, so far the average visit has taken 4 days to schedule, and our one year old system is STILL not functioning correctly after THREE visits. DO NOT use these people. Further, they have AI answer their phones and it is impossible to talk to a real person. Beginning to think these 5 star reviews are fake. edit: I increased the star rating bc they have come out several times (6) to fix it and now it seems to be running OK. The techs that have been here are very kind and professional, but I do think since this was sold the overall quality isn't the same. It is really a shame since they had such a stellar reputation for so long. here's hoping the owners are inspired to change!

  J A.★★★★★

• This company was bought by a private equity venture 1-2 years ago and it is not the same anymore. The five star reviews are for Alternative Aire but the new company is Chill Brothers. I have had great work from these guys over the years but since they changed hands they are disorganized and totally unreliable. There is a remarkably realistic but very unintelligent AI who answers the phone now. It mostly just repeats what you say back to you, like Simon Says. Asking for a human seems to bypass this easily, but don’t expect much from them either. I called last week and the person I spoke to told me I have 3 or 4 different customer accounts and we were on the phone for 15 minutes before they told me they would have to get back to me. A week later I haven’t heard from them. Some of the technicians are still competent but a lot of the new guys are unprofessional and lacking knowledge. It’s almost like they want to capitalize on all the old five star reviews and ignore their longtime customers who happen to have more complex problems. I will be changing service providers, which is a hassle but I’ve been ignored one too many times by these guys.

  Caroline T.★★★★★

• They fixed my furnace but it was a struggle to get them to even answer the phone, let alone show up after I had paid them. Poor communication between the tech and their schedules less to significant delays. Very expensive, $600 for 2-3 hours of labor (no parts required). It's been over a month and a few calls and I still haven't received an invoice. Know that all their positive reviews are from before they were bought out by a larger company. Seems like they have gone down hill since.

  Christopher W.★★★★★

• Our technician Solomon Lopez was great. He was very thorough in walking me through what needed to be done and why. The price was on the low end compared to other estimates that I received too!

  Mark M.★★★★★

• I called my go to company alternative Aire to help me with an issue with my HVAC and Phil came out and did a great job! Great customer service, he diagnosed the issue quickly and had it fixed within 15 minutes. He even took a look to make sure everything else was looking Okay. Cool air coming into the house now feels great. Thanks for your help Phil!

  Andrew★★★★★

• Phillip came in a timely manner and was so professional. He worked so quickly and was extremely thorough, checking every part of my system on such a hot day. I would highly recommend this company and especially the technician named Phillip.

  Marie M.★★★★★

• Charles is very helpful and attentive

  Quinn S.★★★★★

• Charles has been my guy for 3 years. Always comes through. Thank you.

  CCS 7.★★★★★

• Don't usually leave negative reviews but purchasing a home and the company scheduled an HVAC inspection for us this am at 10:30am. Reported running late due to another job and would come by afternoon to complete the inspection. Never showed up, never called to inform us, and when we tried to call was only able to get in contact with an AI chatbot which was not helpful. Now it is Friday after hours and still have heard nothing in followup.

  Dedrick J.★★★★★

• They hung up on me. Repeatedly asked me who I spoke to earlier. I didn’t remember name and they kept asking me. I also got one quote in the morning and a different quote in the afternoon.

  Ellen F.★★★★★

• My furnace couldn't keep up on one of the coldest nights of the year. An Alternative Aire technician was able to come to the house on Sunday morning to fix the problem. I so appreciate their quick and knowledgeable repair crew.

  Yonat S.★★★★★

• Joey K. visited our location and completed a thorough heating tune-up on our heat pump. He was friendly and professional and took the time to explain everything. The communication from scheduling to the completion of the job was fantastic.

  Angela T.★★★★★

• Joey saved the day when came to fix my system after I’d been without heat for 3 days during this terrible wintry weather. He was polite, personable, and diagnosed and fixed the problem quickly. SO glad to be warm again!!

  Alison B.★★★★★

• Had an issue with my heat pump during a recent cold snap. It was Sunday night so I went to their website and booked an appointment for 8:30-11:30am Monday. Joe messaged and showed up at 7:30am! Took Joe no time at all to figure out my issue and he had me sorted out. He took time to explain my situation and had me check in with him on his personal phone later in the day to ensure all was good. Very impressed with the level of service and the reasonable pricing. Thanks for keeping us warm!

  Brian D.★★★★★

• Super fast furnace repair on the coldest morning of the year. Long time customer. Recommend the maintenance plan.

  David C.★★★★★

• I have been using Alternative Air for the past 10 years. In recent years, they changed hands and Things are not the same. Doing your basic check ups are fine, but as far as repairs, they would rather sell you a new system, then repair the one you have. I experienced this and I’ve also heard it from employees that left after the company Was bought out. The techs know what they’re doing, but they’re being pushed to be salesman, not repairman.

  Anne E.★★★★★

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About Durham

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau. NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020.