Guthrie & Sons Heating, Air Conditioning & Solar

Jonathan and I give Guthrie & Sons a full five stars without hesitation! Joe came to our home to give the estimate. He was knowledgeable, professional and answered all of our questions. The bid they presented was timely, comprehensive, and easy to understand. Amy was our main contact person at the office. She was pleasant and helpful and always sounded like she was there just to help us. Luke and Nick were our installers. They demonstrated highly competent workmanship qualities beginning with the moment they entered our home (with booties on) until they left it clean and in order with our new mini-​split system in place. We obtained four bids when we decided to have this job done and we are completely satisfied with our choice and highly recommend them to anyone.

Wow! From the office to the owner, what an awesome company. Very friendly, helpful and understanding. When I was expecting the worst, they came back with an easy fix… for them of course. Hats off to Brad Guthrie. He returned my call within minutes to answer a question I had, with success. Maybe one day I’ll get to meet the man. If you every need a free termite inspection from the best in town, without having to move out, and without the use of toxic chemicals, you just say the word. Thank you, and GOD BLESS you, and your company.
John Kidwell, from Eliminite Termite Services, the Orange Oil Specialist. 619.928.8416

Guthrie and Sons gave me a decent, honest and reasonable estimate for needed AC duct repair — roughly 20% of a repair estimated by another company. Wayne showed me clear and understandable pictures of the required repairs. He was pleasant and very professional while personable. I am going to purchase their yearly maintenance plan — I feel I found a gem! They came to me recommended by a friend and I will recommend them to others!

Excellent customer service from start to finish. Low bid and available within a week. Crew was quick, neat and professional, and I’m picky. I’ve recommended Guthrie to my neighbors considering A/​C before the hot summer. These guys were good!

We were referred to Guthrie & Sons from the
site. We had called in because there was a wiring problem with our Nest thermostat. What really impressed me with Guthrie and Sons was that the customer service started the moment that they answered the phone. The follow up was very good with appointment confirmations right up to when Wayne arrived at our home. Wayne was very detailed during the visit and made sure to take us through exactly what he was doing. Service was quick (yet thorough) and professional. We won’t hesitate to call these guys again whenever we have a heating or air issue!

I couldn’t have asked for better service from the beginning to the end. Everyone at Guthrie and Sons take their jobs and customer service seriously. Amy in the office was very helpful and nice and went out of her way to make sure I was happy. All the technicians were very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job. They completed the work in 2 days. Luke was very helpful with all my questions and did a great job. I highly recommend Guthrie and Sons for your heating, air and solar.

Zach was great to work with. Very prompt and professional getting our new air-​conditioning system set up so quickly!

This is our second time having Guthrie and Sons out for a «tune up» on our two AC units. Zach was prompt and called about an hour before his arrival to let me know exactly what time he would be there (given there was a two hour window). He was courteous and professional and as far as I know, checked the two AC units and two furnaces. The administrative folks who answer the phones are also always friendly and willing to help. We’ve only had tune ups with them, but I would definitely recommend them to others.

Timely and efficient. Quote was accurate and reasonable. WOULD RECOMMEND.

Ours was a service call on our 19-​year-​old air conditioning system heat pump. Zach Mendoza arrived within the scheduled time window, and was friendly, courteous and professional. He diagnosed the problem and restarted the system for us, explaining what he was doing as he worked. He explained options for us to consider at such time as we might want to replace the system, but did not press for a sale. I will definitely call Guthrie & Sons again should we need heating or air conditioning service, and request that they send Zach to do the work!
Dan Kitchen

could not be more pleased with the team my husband & i worked with for our air conditioning system. beginning with joe in sales to the women at the office (amy & jessie) to the installers ~ nik, luke & taylor ~ every contact was efficient, courtesy & friendly.
i especially appreciated nik walking me thru the different options available for the installation. his attention to detail was greatly appreciated.

Zach from Guthrie and Sons installed our Nest Thermostat. I found the company through a list of Nest approved installers. Called the company on a Wednesday, gave me a quote and appointment was made for following Monday. Zach was on time, professional, friendly and knowledgable. He was in and out of here within 30 minutes! Would definitely recommend them.

The Guthrie & Sons team were really helpful, even when I had o cancel and reschedule my service appointment with a technician. Jess and Amy were available when I needed to locate the technician for my appointment to make sure he was still in route and provided an ETA as well. When Wayne the service technician arrived he assessed the issue, diagnosed the problem and recommended multiple options to resolve the issue. He was knowledgable, courteous, and helpful.

We woke up to no heat, left word with the answering service, and had a prompt call back shortly after 8 am that Monday morning. We scooped up a same-​day appointment due to someone else’s cancellation and Zach was on time and very clear explaining where the circuit board was failing. We had a diagnosis and a written estimate a few minutes later. The part came in the same week and by Friday morning we had heat again. Everyone on the team was great on the phone – professional and friendly and Zach was terrific in person. I would definitely use them again and can recommend them highly to you.

Guthrie and Sons did an amazing and professional job installing our new A/​C! Tony was very friendly when he came out to give us an estimate. He was very informative and always checking on us to make sure we were okay with what we were choosing for our home.
Taylor and Nick did an amazing job installing our AC and furnace. They arrived on time and were very informative about the entire process. They were flexible with my husband and I having to go in and out of the house. I highly recommend this company for your AC needs!

*This review is regarding SOLAR only, and is edited from the original in an effort to be fair to G & S as my beef is with Sunnova Utility.
Matt from Guthrie & Sons came out to give me a solar quote a few days ago. After I told him we were thinking about the PACE option for financing he suggested the EZ pay plan through Sunnova Utility which «guarantees production and maintenance on your system for 25 years». Peace of mind for a fee of $ 300/​year for 25 years + the system cost at 6.9% interest and a guarantee that your payment won’t increase more than 1.9% per year due to inflation. We also briefly discussed an outright purchase option in which I would find my own financing.
The EZ pay option was interesting so I decided to do a little research on Sunnova Utility, the company that offers the EZ own/​pay option, and the company our 25 year contract would be with. After just a few minutes of research it is clear that I would not want to be in a 25 year contract with Sunnova Utility.
Here are my reasons:
1. They’ve only been in business 3 years. I don’t trust a company that young to «guarantee» maintenance and production of my panels for 25 years.
2. Their online, Unilocal,and BBB (they have an A+ bbb rating, but look at the complaint history) stats and reviews confirm that they have a nasty habit of not following up with customer complaints, unless they are bbb related, and most reviewers claim that the panels aren’t producing what was «guaranteed» but they can’t get any response from Sunnova.
3. A previous Unilocaler highlighted more important points that actually led to my research. Look for Jordan’s review.
4 stars for Matt from G & S, I wish I could give 5 stars because I like him and I believe he is very well intentioned. I spoke with him on the phone today after I left my first, unedited review and was impressed with his humility. He apologized for not communicating the whole picture of Sunnova, their bad reviews, etc. He explained why he believes in the company and their maintenance/​financing plan and that he has many satisfied solar customers on Sunnova’s plan. He also reiterated the outright purchase option and even came down on his original quote.

Sorry I just can’t recommend this company. Was it a problem with their professionalism? No, it was actually good. The quality of the work? No, it was fine. Then what???
Here’s what. I felt like I had taken my car to the dealership for an oil change and been greeted by the smiley service manager, then treated to coffee and a donut in the customer lounge, and THEN given a bill for two or three times the going rate. I dunno, if you’re the type who wants to pay the dealer $ 90 for an oil change, maybe you’ll like Guthrie.
Will they come out to give an estimate? Yes. What’s the cost? Oh, just $ 95. Wait — you want that to solicit my business? (Heck, even an attorney gives you a free one-​hour consultation.) Will they apply the $ 95 to the work? NO. Ask why they don’t when others do and you will be told that the others inflate the final bill to cover the initial trip cost. I should have listened to my crap detector when I heard that one. I suggest you skip Guthrie and call around. You could say I went to school for $ 700. To quote my father, I think they’ve gotten too big for their britches.
One more thing. I’m not the only one who thinks Guthrie is mightily overpriced. See Jordan F’s comment from 2÷13÷16: «Something feels off about this whole thing.»

This review is regarding SOLAR CONSULTATION with owner Matt Guthrie.
Something feels off about this whole thing.
First of all, Matt actually quoted me between $ 60,000 to over $ 80,000. For perspective, the next place (with 30+ years experience) quoted me $ 32,000 for the same job, and the place after that quoted me $ 36,000. Matt’s proposed contract was so humorous to the several other Solar reps from other companies, a couple actually took a picture of it because of how absolutely ridiculous it was. They’re hanging it on their fridge at work I hear.
Just let that sink in a little before we move on here…
1. Matt heavily pushed a plan Sunnova has created named «E Z Own». It’s got its problems, partly because it’s a gougefest. How much of a gougefest? Something like 6% APR with another 1.5% APR every year it exists. In 5 years you’d owe 13.5% APR! That’s insane.
When saying I want to just buy it out he was rather aggressive about me not going that route, saying how much trouble it’d be for me and what a bad idea it is. He called up an engineer and re-​iterated it again, and when the serviceman actually didn’t agree 100% with Matt and was chattering away on speakerphone, Matt looked at me and said quietly «Ah don’t listen to that bit, he’s mixed up».
1A. One of the biggest selling points on «E Z Own» Matt kept bringing up was the ‘maintainence’ for 25 years or so. How huge of a deal that is, and how I’ll actually have to pay someone else to maintan the panels which will come out to the same or more than I’d pay with Matt. Do you know what it takes to maintain these panels? I’ll tell you — It takes a standard garden hose. Spray them every 30 days or so and you’re set. Where’s this giant cost again for maintaining?
1B. There are some concerning issues with the PPA agreements. With some other companies, there is a production guarantee with PPA agreements, but Sunnova does not provide a production guarantee for the customer.
1C. Sunnova uses panel racks, rather than rail-​less modules that are driven by Zelp technology. Companies that use the rack approach tend to have a longer installation time and setup cost, which is passed to the customer. Not exactly a company with your best interests in mind.
1D. Sunnova is fresh to the industry with 3 years under their belt. This results in a lack of experience with Sunnova and lack of customer experiences since they are so new. 3 years? What a risk. The general rule of thumb is buy from no Solar company that young unless you like seeing the warranties and maintenance vanish into thin air when they go under.
2. Barely cooperative about discussing my options outside of E Z Own. When I talked about other options other than E Z Own, Matt actually said at the end of one of his sentences «well maybe I’m just not your guy then».
3. When I would monitor my dog for 2 seconds (he was tearing up my rug), Matt actually dipped his head in front of my vision as if I were a 5 year old who wasn’t able to look at something and listen to him at the same time. Rather condescending sort of behavior that anyone in the room took note of.
4. When asking Matt’s opinion on Solar City, Matt effectively painted them as a company with a lot of trickery. He attempted to talk me out of even considering them all together. I realize his job is to sell me something but if he’s not going to just be honest about what makes his services superior to theirs then in my eyes he’s got no argument. I won’t buy the playground antics of ‘they suck and are sneaky’ as an explanation as to why I should go with him.
5. Reveled in screwing over SDG&E. Talked about how they aren’t supposed to flip a switch early but he’ll flip it anyway to screw the electric company because they «are crooks». Perhaps they are, but you know what? I don’t feel comfortable doing business with anyone who admittedly enjoys screwing over any other party. Matt clearly did enjoy this, and so that’s that.
6. Smelled fairly strong of smoke. The suit just seemed to soak it up.
7. Constant use of «dude» and «bro» when conveying points.
Matt wasn’t the most horrible or terrible person, of course — he did bring shoe covers and look around the property with me. He considered at least some of what I said, here and there. He didn’t directly rush me at any time.
I have to say Matt exhibited a slew of red flags when it comes to making a deal. Making deals is something I’ve done for my own business the past 13 years. The guys at work call me a bloodhound for sniffing people out…
Beware of their rather high average star review if you’re looking for Solar — their rating is not primarily for Solar. Their reviews are for heating and air conditioning. It’s my belief Matt may be riding off this in an attempt to make some serious bank.
Fix up your pitch, Guthries.
[EDIT] Alright, so they claim I’m false. I’ll attach a picture of the paperwork, then. It’s even worse than I recalled.

Wayne G. Provided superb service in every way today. He diagnosed the problem with my malfunctioning Nest thermostat and fixed it, which entailed getting up on my roof. He make recommendations on how to prevent mold problems originating in the furnace, which I appreciated. I signed up for the USA plan largely based on the service he provided today. He was a pleasure to work with.

Wayne was sent out to see what the problem was with the furnace. He was very polite and professional and quite nice. I feel confident with the results.

I recently purchased a Nest Thermostat and tried to install it on my own. After installing the thermostat, I realized after a few hours later that it was beginning to get warmer around the house. When I looked at the thermostat the heat kept on running even after I lowered the temperature setting.
In effort to diagnose the problem I removed the Nest Thermostat and put the old one back. I learned from researching online that I needed a common wire to be ran from thermostat to the furnace. So I decided to call Guthrie & Sons to install a new thermostat wire to my furnace.
They sent Wayne who was very professional as well as personable. He ran new wiring from my thermostat to my furnace. Initially when he re-​installed the Nest thermostat he identified that it was not working correctly. He troubleshooted for awhile and was able to diagnose that the base of the Nest Thermostat was defective. In other words, if I had installed it myself with new wiring it would not have worked either way.
All in all, I had a positive experience and would recommend Wayne from Guthrie & Sons.

My husband likes to research everything thoroughly! So we had apx 6 different companies out to give us bids and the pitch. Matt from Guthrie and Sons was professional and very helpful, he gave us ideas that no other company had mentioned.
Install day was great, I was a little afraid because I had just had my house cleaned but the two installers were on time and very clean.
I could not be happier with our purchase!

The company sent us a picture of Chuck and his assistant Taylor a couple of days before our installation date. Chuck called us an hour before he and his partner were to arrive. Both Chuck and Taylor were friendly and efficient. They made efforts to avoid making a mess. The heating unit they installed works perfectly, and we are very pleased with a our warm house

I just purchased a Nest thermostat recently and thought I would install it myself. I probably could have, but there was some weird, black foam filler that the wires were embedded in. I didn’t know what it was so I contacted Guthrie & Sons to get an appointment. FYI — that process was easy.
Wayne should up to help with the Nest. Well, he didn’t help. He did it all himself. The install was pretty simple and the setup was just as easy. He took the time to explain how everything worked and even answered my dumb questions.
Back to the weird, black foam. Wayne explained that they use that so thermostats don’t pick up false readings from a draft behind the walls and it’s common stuff.
Highly recommended!

My furnace for our 2^nd floor stopped heating about a week ago. I called Guthrie & sons based on the good reviews here on Unilocal and they were just as good, if not better, than all the reviews said. They sent me an email confirmation with my appointment, arrived on time and were able to diagnose the problem very quickly. They also explained it to me and gave me options for what I could do. The technician was very nice and very knowledgeable. I will definitely use them in the future for any furnace or AC issues.

They are all indeed, «As good as it gets and better. Reliable; Thorough installation, preparation clean up and check up of everything; Competent; Trustworthy; Follow through and follow up.
A new furnace is a huge investment for us. We cannot afford mistakes. We hoped for perfection on all fronts. We got it. You will not go wrong with this amazing company.
Mary Jo and Burton Housmn

Zach came and did an amazing work in our heater. He even explained how to use and its working perfectely. He arrived in time, charged a fair price and I recommend this company. Next time we will do a check up in our air cond. too.

Loved everything about our experience with Guthrie and Sons. Our new «to us» home is 40 years old and was never set up for AC. We used Angie’s list to get estimates from the top 3-​rated companies in the area and could not have been more pleased that we picked Guthrie and Sons. They were not the cheapest nor were they the most expensive, but they sold us with their customer service promise. They installed a new dual stage furnace and AC unit that they moved from a first floor closet into the attic. They obtained all the necessary permits and we were told up front they would take care of it. They were the only company that offered to install the AC next to our existing pool equipment so as not to take up additional space in our side yard. The other 2 companies wanted to install the AC unit on the existing slab sidewalk right next to our guest room window. We appreciated their attention to detail, and that they thought of this when determining where to place the equipment.
Were there a few hiccups along the way? Yes, but every single time our concerns were addressed and the situation was taken care of, often that same day. There were some wiring issues with the new thermostat and an electrical outlet that popped up after the installation, and they had to return more than once to sort out. But again it is a 40 year old home that has had not had the electrical upgraded so we anticipated the possibility of there being some issues. Every contact with Matt, Ben, and Chuck has been positive, and they really do go the extra mile to make sure the customer is satisfied. All of the installers/​technicians were extremely respectful, pleasant, and did a great job of cleaning up after themselves (which is not always the case when you have work done on your home). We’ve already referred them to other friends.

I was getting my house refinanced and found my old furnace had a leak. No refinance until I replaced it. Time was NOT on my side, I needed to get it replaced ASAP or no new loan. Guthrie and Sons was there the next day, had an affordable choice for me, installed it quietly while I slept (I work at night as a nurse), and left me an invoice on the counter to send a check! They were professional and courteous. Thank you!!!

The Guthrie family is the only one to trust with your heating and air conditioning needs. I’ve known Matt for a long time and he’s always been there for me :)

Bought my AC unit from them years ago and now they maintain it. Usually they’re very thorough and clean all the dust and cobwebs out each time.
I’ve had a few issues with the AC since I bought it, but they warrantied it for 10 years and they’re quick to come out and fix it. Once it was a drain pipe that cracked so the pan didn’t drain. I was happy it didn’t leak up in my attic, but of course this happens in the hottest part of summer so it was a miserable time until it was fixed. Another time it was a wire that came loose somehow, a few years after the unit was installed.
The AC guys are always nice and wear little shoe covers inside the house.
Sometimes they forget to schedule maintenance with me and I have to initiate that call.

Wayne Gosselin came to inspect my broken AC unit last month. He was on time, polite and very knowledgable. He accessed my dual units and advise me on what needed to happen. His communication skills were very strong as he was able to break thing down to layman terms as I know nothing regarding AC units. Wayne was also very personable and conversed very well. If I have my AC system changed by Guthrie and Son’s and I will request Wayne to be part of the install team!

I received a Nest Smart Thermostat as a gift for my birthday. Through Nest I learned Guthrie & Sons was a local certified Nest installer. I called Guthrie & Sons and made an installation appointment and all went well! I’m happily saving money on my heating and air conditioning. I will look to Guthrie & Sons when it comes time to upgrade my a/​c systems! Great service was provided.

Up front disclosure; Guthrie & Sons haven’t installed anything for me… yet.
Joe came out to my home today to give me an estimate for a solar attic fan or whole house fan installation. He took a look at my attic and said that given the roof construction, there wouldn’t be enough cross ventilation for a solar attic fan or a whole house fan to be effective. Half of the house has vaulted ceilings; the other half has an attic, but is only vented on one end. An A/​C was the only thing that would make a big difference. He gave me a ballpark starting price for a furnace/​AC upgrade, but did not try to pressure me into that.
It’s great to see an honest business that isn’t out to sell things to people that they don’t need. My furnace is at least fourteen years old, so when that gives out I already know who I’ll be calling to replace it.

Great job. Communicated well. Actually showed up when they said they would, so rare in this industry. Wayne, the tech was competent, thorough and got my system back up and going. The new thermostat was more expensive than I figured it would be at almost $ 400, but everything else, I thought was fair.
I would definitely use them again.

I originally setup the appointment and they were about 2 weeks out with getting out to do estimates. I was ok with this because I had other estimates. I am looking to install central air and heat, I know this is going to be an expensive proposition so I am prepared for that. Tony is the representative that came to my home on Saturday. He was very pleasant and quick about getting the estimate done.
Overall the experience was good. But here’s the thing if I am going to spend 18k with you, I need to be confident before I make the purchase.
Several things only meant to be helpful criticism.
1. Assess the house first and see if there is a crawl space, initially making judgement from the outside and the living room will not cut it.
2. Don’t tell me you did not get hired at ASI. Makes me wonder.
3. Permits are a must, in the CA, you as a company and me as a home owner can be in serious trouble. Don’t tell me its optional for your company to do it or for me. Just say «WE TAKE CARE OF IT»
4. Don’t forget to look at my electrical panel. Mine is interesting and might tell you a few things.
5.Go through the paperwork in the folder you leave, tell me about the equipment.
Overall the experience was good but a bit lacking and did not instill confidence. I see there is a lot of good reviews and I have no doubts the company can do the install. At this point Guthrie & Sons won’t be the first choice. I still have some other appointments for estimates so we shall see how they do.

They replaced my heating unit and installed AC in my home about 2 years ago. They were clean, professional, and really great with communication.
I had actually forgotten about them until recently when a contractor was out doing a few odd jobs in my home. He was just scoping out our place and mentioned what an amazing job the people did when they installed our AC/​Heat. I couldn’t agree more.

Talked with a female on the phone about my two old gas wall heaters. I told her they were in the house when I bought it over 20 years ago, and that an SDG&E tech said that one needed a thermocouple and the other was not installed to code. I expected that on the day of my appointment, a technician would show up with the part I needed for the one, and would correctly install the other. When the technician came he checked both heaters, then called someone at the main office. Then he told me that they don’t work on heaters that old and that I would still have to pay for the $ 95 service call. REALLY, they knew the heaters were over 20 yrs. old when I called and could have, should have, told me on the phone that they don’t work on heaters that old. But no, they made the appointment anyway and then dinged me for the $ 95 service charge. NOT HAPPY!
Update. They called me to discuss my concerns, and ended up refunding my money! Thanks to Guthrie and Sons for making things right! Happy Now!