Lincoln Park · Mid-North · Old Town Triangle · Park West
Heating and cooling repair in Lincoln Park, Chicago
Boilers and radiators, furnaces, central air and ductless systems, for Lincoln Park greystone two-flats, frame houses, courtyard condo buildings and lakefront high-rises. Family-owned since 1952, with the owner, Rob, still on the calls.
- Licensed, NATE-certified technicians
- Family owned since 1952
- Price agreed before any work starts
All services · 24 in 4 groups
Every heating and cooling service we offer in Lincoln Park
24 services in four groups, from a furnace that won't light to a restaurant's make-up air unit.
Heating: furnaces, boilers and heat pumps
A furnace that won't light, a boiler losing pressure, a unit that short-cycles. Diagnosis comes first, and replacement only if the unit is genuinely done.
Furnace and heater repair
Ignition, flame sensors, inducer motors and limit switches, found and fixed on the first visit where the part is on the van.
Boiler service
Hot-water and steam boilers in vintage two-flats and converted lofts: pressure, circulators, zone valves, venting.
Furnace installation and replacement
Sized to the unit, not the brochure. In a high-rise, routed around building rules on venting and access.
Heater maintenance
An autumn tune-up before the first cold snap: burners, heat exchanger check, filters, safeties.
Heat pumps
Repair and installation, including cold-climate units for townhomes moving off gas.
Hybrid heating systems
A heat pump paired with a gas furnace, switching over on the coldest days.
HVAC maintenance plans
Scheduled heating and cooling visits for buildings that want them on the calendar.
- See all heating services
Cooling
Air quality
Partnered with the Best in the Business
About City & Suburban
Who you're actually calling?
One family. Second generation. Since 1952. City & Suburban is run from 1225 N Cleaver St, 0.6 miles south-west of Lincoln Park's edge at North Ave and the river. Rob, the owner, still runs the calls and does the diagnosis on the jobs that need it.
1225 N Cleaver St, ChicagoOwner
RobOwner-operator. He runs the calls himself, so the person who quotes is the person accountable.
Family owned
195274 years, family owned, now in its second generation.
Permit record
0Permits on record. Chicago doesn't permit HVAC repair, which is most of what we do.
Working hours
24/7Working hours. Call any time.
Family-owned
Why family-owned matters on a Lincoln Park job
- 01You talk to the person who owns the outcome, not a dispatcher reading from a price book.
- 02The office books you in, and reviewers name the people who did it.
- 03Nobody is on commission, so "your furnace is done" means it's done.
- 04Your request isn't sold on to three other contractors.
How we work
The owner on the call
Rob still runs the calls and does the diagnosis on the jobs that need it.
Repair first
If the unit has years left, we say so and repair it.
The price before the work
You hear the price before any work starts.
Google reviews · all 204 read
What customers say about value
We don't publish a price book, because the price depends on the fault. Here is what our 204 Google reviews say instead, counted by what reviewers chose to mention.
- 90name Rob, or say they dealt with the owner directly44%
- 59mention a fast response, a same-day visit or arriving on time29%
- 43call the price fair, reasonable or competitive21%
- 29mention honesty, trust or no pressure to upsell14%
Counted by keyword matching across all 204 Google reviews (export of 31 Aug 2026), so the numbers are approximate. 202 of the 204 are five stars.
Why Chicago homeowners keep calling the same family
I’ve worked with City & Suburban Heating & Cooling since we lived in our condo in Lincoln Park, and now that we’ve moved to a single-family home, they continue to help us maintain our system. Rob has been especially helpful—always consistent, reliable, and easy to work with. It’s great having a company we can trust for both service and ongoing maintenance. Highly recommend!
Read moreMaintenanceOur furnace had been making this annoying scratching/grating noise since last winter, and when it started doing it every time the heat kicked on a few weeks ago, we finally called C&S. Rob came by and said the motor was on its last leg - he said we could replace the motor or the whole furnace and gave us pricing for both.
Read moreFurnace repairHighly recommend this service. Responsive, reliable, and reasonable pricing. Twice in the past few years, Rob has fixed our aging furnace but this frigid Friday night it kicked the bucket for good. Saturday morning the guys were at our house putting up a new one. Excellent customer service, punctuality, and clear explanations. C&S Heating look for solutions to fix vs selling you unnecessary spare parts.
Read moreFurnace replacementHello. When I had a problem with my boiler I called the first name I saw in the book. Because I didn’t do much research on City and Suburban I was afraid of paying a high price for service. I was incorrect. Rob Koehler showed up on time and fixed my boiler for a reasonable charge. I now had heat. Victory!
Read moreBoiler repair
We'd love to hear about your experience – write a review
- 5 Star Service
- Transparent Pricing
- Financing
- Certified Professional
- Top Quality Work
The process · 6 steps
What happens when you call
From the first call to a warm apartment, in six steps
01/ 06
01 You call, Rob listens
Tell us the make of the furnace or condenser and what it's doing. A good description often narrows it down on the phone.
02 Pick a time
We're available 24/7. If your building has rules on access, like elevator or work hours, tell us and we book around them.
03 On-site diagnosis
The technician finds the actual fault: ignition, pressure, refrigerant, airflow or controls.
04 Honest price, repair first
You hear the price before any work. If the unit has years left, we say so and repair it.
05 We fix it
Repairs done on the spot where the part is on the van. Installs are scheduled and quoted separately.
06 Good to go
The system is tested through a full cycle before we leave, and you know what to watch for.
Swipe or use the arrows to see all 6 steps
Scope & price · 6 factors
The same repair costs differently in a greystone, a cottage and a tower
We don't publish a price book, and we're not going to invent one here. What we can show you is what moves the number.
How we price
- The person who diagnoses is the person who quotes.
- You hear the price before any work starts.
- No flat-rate price book, no commissioned adviser.
- Where the unit has years left, the quote is for a repair.
"What does a new furnace cost?"
$6,807Chicago median
Median reported value of 81 central-furnace replacement permits in Chicago over 24 months. That's the whole project's construction value, not a quote. Yours depends on the factors below.
Factor · why it changes the work
- 01
Boiler or forced air
Many greystones and courtyard buildings still heat with steam or hot-water boilers. A boiler repair is a different job from a furnace one.
- 02
Cooling without ducts
Radiator-heated buildings have no ducts for central air, so cooling usually means ductless mini-splits.
- 03
Basement and alley access
Boilers sit in low basements; condensers go in gangways or on garage roofs off the alley. Access sets the work.
- 04
Shared systems
In two-flats and condo conversions, one boiler can serve several units, so the association decides on repairs.
- 05
Lakefront high-rises
Fan coils on a building loop, with management approval, a certificate of insurance and booked elevator time.
- 06
Repair or replace
The biggest swing of all. Where the unit has years left, we say so.
How to choose · 5 checks
Five questions that sort Lincoln Park HVAC companies
Ask them of anyone you call, including us.
5 kinds of HVAC company
Who you'll meet, and what limits each of them
Service businesses can't be compared on features. They differ in how they're run, and that decides who answers the phone and how the price is set.
- Where we fit
Family-owned, since 1952
- Who you talk to
- The owner, Rob, or someone who works directly with him
- How the price is set
- A price for the actual fault, agreed before any work starts
- Fits best when
- Condo, house, loft and restaurant work where you want one accountable person
- 02
National franchise
- Who you talk to
- A call centre, then the technician dispatched
- How the price is set
- Often a flat-rate price book, sometimes with membership plans
- Fits best when
- Standard repairs where speed of dispatch matters most
- 03
One-van independent
- Who you talk to
- The owner, who is also the only technician
- How the price is set
- Their own quote, often good value
- Fits best when
- Small jobs that can wait. One person means a January no-heat call can take days
- 04
Lead marketplace
- Who you talk to
- A website that passes your request to several contractors
- How the price is set
- Whatever each contractor who calls back quotes
- Fits best when
- You want several quotes fast and don't mind not choosing who calls
- 05
Large mechanical contractor
- Who you talk to
- A project manager or estimator
- How the price is set
- Bids against drawings and specifications
- Fits best when
- Tower central plants, base-building systems and new construction
Where we fit, honestly
City & Suburban is a family-owned Chicago company. In Lincoln Park we're the right call for condo, house, loft and restaurant heating and cooling: repairs, boilers, furnaces, central air and make-up air. Tower central plants and new-build mechanical systems are for the big mechanical contractors, and we'll tell you so.
Lincoln Park, district by district · 4 districts
Diversey to North Ave, the river to the lake
District edges are approximate, because sources draw them differently.
- Community area
- Lincoln Park (7)
- ZIP codes
- 60614
- City wards
- 2, 32, 43
- Our shop
- 1225 N Cleaver St, Chicago
- Permits
- City of Chicago Department of Buildings. HVAC repair, diagnosis and maintenance need no permit
01Mid-North
Victorian rowhouses and greystones between Armitage and Fullerton, east of Clark.
What the HVAC work looks like
Boilers, radiators, ductless cooling.
02Old Town Triangle
A landmark district of 1870s and 1880s cottages and rowhouses north of North Ave.
What the HVAC work looks like
Small furnaces, tight basements, careful routing.
03Park West
Courtyard buildings and high-rises along the park, from Fullerton up to Diversey.
What the HVAC work looks like
Central boilers, fan coils, building-managed access.
04Sheffield and DePaul
Brick two- and three-flats and frame houses around DePaul University.
What the HVAC work looks like
Two-flat boilers, a furnace per unit after conversion.
Start here · 4 building types
What heats and cools your Lincoln Park building
Find your building and see what heats and cools it.
- GREYSTONE
Two- or three-flat
What heats and cools it
A shared boiler and radiators, or a furnace per unit after conversion. Condensers in the gangway or on the garage.
- COTTAGE
Frame house
What heats and cools it
Small forced-air furnaces in low basements. Ductwork is tight; ductless is often the cleaner way to cool.
- COURTYARD
Vintage condo building
What heats and cools it
A central boiler with radiators in each unit. The association approves boiler work and any new cooling.
- LAKEFRONT
High-rise condo
What heats and cools it
In-unit fan coils on a building loop. Management approval and elevator booking first.
Nearby · 4 neighborhoods
Neighborhoods next to Lincoln Park
We work across Chicago and the suburbs. Each neighborhood has its own page, written for its buildings.
Lake View
Two-flats, courtyard buildings and lakefront towers north of Diversey Pkwy.
Old Town
Cottages, rowhouses and Sandburg Village towers south of North Ave.
Bucktown
Frame houses, two-flats and new builds west across the river and the Kennedy.
North Center
Two-flats and frame houses north-west, past Diversey and Ravenswood.
The permit record, honestly · Lincoln Park
Why you won't find us in the City's permit file
Chicago doesn't require a permit to repair, diagnose or maintain heating and cooling, which is most of what we do. This is what the City's permit file does show for Lincoln Park, and where it comes from.
Data sourceCity of Chicago building permits (dataset ydr8-5enu), 14 Oct 2024 to 15 Oct 2026, inside the Lincoln Park boundary on this page: 2,084 permits, of which 46 mention HVAC equipment. Shown as counts, never by address.
Lincoln Park HVAC permits, 24 months
46Lincoln Park permits in 24 months that even mention HVAC equipment.
A permit can name more than one kind of equipment, so the rows can add up to more than 46.
The honest context
0Permits on record for City & Suburban. We said we'd be honest.
1,539Firms that pull HVAC permits citywide, across 4,888 permits in 24 months.
Chicago doesn't require a permit to repair, diagnose or maintain heating and cooling, which is most of what we do. The permit file measures construction, not service. So when a company waves a permit count at you, ask how much of their work is repair.
FAQs · 5 questions
Lincoln Park HVAC, answered
Didn't find your question?
Call (773) 238-3838Since 1952Family owned, licensed, NATE-certified
01Does my old boiler need replacing, or can it be repaired?
Often it can be repaired. We diagnose first, and where the boiler has years left, we say so. Replacement is quoted only when the repair stops making sense.
02Can you add air conditioning to a radiator-heated greystone?
Usually, yes. Radiator-heated buildings have no ducts for central air, so cooling means ductless mini-splits, with the condenser in the gangway or on a garage roof.
03Who decides on a shared boiler in a two-flat or condo?
In two-flats and condo conversions, one boiler can serve several units, so the owners or the association decide on repairs. We diagnose first and explain the options.
04Does HVAC repair in Chicago need a permit?
No. Chicago doesn't require a permit to repair, diagnose or maintain heating and cooling. Permits cover installs and construction, so a company's permit count says little about its repair work.
05What are your hours?
Our working hours are 24/7. Call (773) 238-3838.
Your next step
No heat, no cooling, or just a question?
Have the make of your boiler, furnace or condenser to hand, and tell us what it's doing. In a condo, mention who handles the shared boiler.
- 4.98204 Google reviews
- 1952Family owned, second generation
- 24/7Working hours
- RobThe owner, on the calls
Have these ready when you call
Call (773) 238-3838- 01The make of your furnace, boiler or condenser, from the label on the unit
- 02What it's doing: no heat, no cooling, a noise, a smell, short-cycling
- 03In a high-rise: your building's work hours and how to book the freight elevator
- 04For a condo: your association's contact if they need a certificate of insurance
- 05A photo of the unit's data plate and the thermostat screen
- 06For a restaurant: your service hours, so we can work around them