HVAC Repair in Richmond, VA
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Richmond will get in touch.
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Richmond runs its heating and cooling system almost year round
Your system works twelve months a year here. Heat from October through April, seven months straight, then cooling from May through September with no real break between.
Winter nights average 30°F, cold enough that a furnace or heat pump cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Summer afternoons average 87°F, and the compressor runs long hours to keep the house down to temperature. Richmond has seen 10 winter storms and 15 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024, 22 percent of Virginia households lost power for at least a day. When the power drops and comes back, some systems need a hand to start again.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 30°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Board for Contractors tests contractors before they get a license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license covers whatever work they do. Virginia does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $1,000 does not need a licensed contractor at all.
For a repair to a heating and cooling system, the license is what stands behind the work once the job passes that $1,000 mark. Below it, Virginia does not require the person doing the work to be licensed.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and the temperature is set above room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. If that is not it, check your breaker panel. A furnace that lost power will not fire. Gas furnaces will not light if the pilot or igniter has failed, and electric heat pumps can stop pulling warm air when the outdoor unit ices over and cannot defrost properly. If the thermostat is set right and the breaker is on, the problem is inside the system and needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The fan running does not mean cold air is moving. Check your air filter first. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow through the coil, and the system can run for hours without pulling the house down to temperature. Check the outdoor unit too. If the coil is covered in leaves, grass, or ice, it cannot release heat the way it needs to, and the house will not cool no matter how long the system runs. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the system may be low on refrigerant or have a failing part, and that needs a contractor to check with proper gauges.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings, the breaker panel, and the air filter before anything else. Look at the thermostat batteries too if it has a blank screen, since a dead battery looks exactly like a dead system. Outside, clear any leaves, grass, or ice off the outdoor unit so it can breathe. If you have gone through all of this and the system still is not heating or cooling the house, the issue is inside the equipment, and a licensed contractor will need to diagnose it and price the repair for your house.