Skokie · Downtown Skokie · Dempster Street · Old Orchard
Heating and cooling repair in Skokie, IL
Furnaces and central air, boilers and radiators, and rooftop units, for Skokie post-war houses, brick bungalows, two- and three-flats and the shops on Dempster and Oakton. 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 Skokie
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, Chicago, 7.8 miles south of Skokie's south-east edge. 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 Skokie 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
Our 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 motor repairGreat service all around! Carissa was polite and promptly scheduled my appointment. Rob came over and answered all of my questions thoroughly. The pricing was reasonable, so we decided to replace the AC and Furnace at the same time. We are so happy that we chose to do both at once! We were surprised that it was such a quick process to update everything.
Read moreAC & furnace replacementThree times, my experience with Suburban Heating and Cooling has exceeded my expectations. The first time I found them as a quick search, my heat went out on a Saturday morning. He was here at 9am that day to fix it. Kind, prompt, and knowledgeable. He explained what he was doing, what he thought about my old furnace, and we agreed to keep fixing it.
Read moreWeekend heat repairI’ve been using this company for over 9 years. Rob is always prompt, professional, reasonably priced and impeccably honest and respectful of costs and fairness. I’ve recommended them to countless friends. I’m known for finding and recommending quality contractors, I’m the Angie’s list of our friends group. When I say someone is quality my friends know they are. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Read moreLong-time customer
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 bungalow, a post-war house and a shop
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
Skokie's 1920s bungalows and flats can still run boilers and radiators; most post-war houses heat with a furnace.
- 02
Cooling without ducts
Bungalows and flats heated by radiators have no ducts for central air, so cooling usually means ductless mini-splits.
- 03
Shared boilers
In Skokie's two- and three-flats, one boiler can heat every unit, so the owners decide on repairs together.
- 04
Basement or utility room
Bungalow furnaces sit in basements; many post-war houses keep the furnace in a first-floor utility room.
- 05
Shops on Dempster
Shops and restaurants on Dempster and Oakton run rooftop units and kitchen exhaust, so roof access and opening hours set the work.
- 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 Skokie 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 Skokie 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.
Skokie, district by district · 4 districts
Wilmette and Glenview to Lincolnwood, Morton Grove to Evanston
District edges are approximate, because sources draw them differently.
- Township
- Niles Township
- ZIP codes
- 60076, 60077
- Our shop
- 1225 N Cleaver St, Chicago
- Permits
- The Village of Skokie, which sets its own rules. Chicago's permit file doesn't cover Skokie
01Downtown Skokie
Shops on Oakton Street by the Oakton-Skokie Yellow Line stop and the Science + Technology Park.
What the HVAC work looks like
Rooftop units for shops, furnaces in nearby flats and houses.
02Dempster Street
The Dempster-Skokie Yellow Line terminal and a long run of shops and restaurants.
What the HVAC work looks like
Rooftop units, kitchen exhaust and make-up air.
03Old Orchard
Westfield Old Orchard and the offices and homes around it, by the Edens.
What the HVAC work looks like
Rooftop units for stores and offices, furnaces in homes.
04Along the Channel
Houses near the North Shore Channel and the Northshore Sculpture Park, Dempster to Touhy.
What the HVAC work looks like
Furnaces and central air in post-war houses.
Start here · 4 building types
What heats and cools your Skokie building
Find your building and see what heats and cools it.
- POST-WAR
Post-war house
What heats and cools it
A furnace with central air, in the basement or a utility room. The condenser sits beside the house.
- BUNGALOW
Brick bungalow
What heats and cools it
Often a boiler and radiators, sometimes converted to forced air. Ductless is a common way to cool.
- TWO-FLAT
Two- or three-flat
What heats and cools it
A boiler for the building or a furnace per unit. Condensers off the alley or on the roof.
- RETAIL
Storefront or restaurant
What heats and cools it
Rooftop units, with kitchen exhaust and make-up air for the restaurants on Dempster and Oakton.
Nearby · 5 neighborhoods
Neighborhoods next to Skokie
We work across Chicago and the suburbs. Each neighborhood has its own page, written for its buildings.
Wilmette
Older single-family houses to the north, toward the lake.
Evanston
Victorian houses, two-flats and courtyard buildings east of the North Shore Channel.
Lincolnwood
Post-war brick houses south of Touhy.
Niles
Post-war houses and shopping centers to the south-west.
Morton Grove
Post-war houses and bungalows to the west, toward the forest preserves.
The permit record, honestly · Skokie
Why there's no permit chart for Skokie
Skokie is outside Chicago, so the City's permit file stops at its border. Here is what we can honestly say about permits there.
Skokie HVAC permits
The Village of Skokie issues its own building permits and doesn't publish them as open data, so there's no count to chart for Skokie.
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.
Outside Chicago, each suburb sets its own permit rules, mostly for installs and replacements. Either way, a 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
Skokie HVAC, answered
Didn't find your question?
Call (773) 238-3838Since 1952Family owned, licensed, NATE-certified
01Is the furnace in my post-war house worth repairing, or does it need replacing?
Often it's worth repairing. We diagnose first, and where the furnace has years left, we say so. Replacement is quoted only when the repair stops making sense.
02Do you come out to Skokie from Chicago?
Yes. Skokie is on our service area list, about 8 miles north of the shop at 1225 N Cleaver St, and Rob runs the calls from there.
03Can you work on the boiler in a 1920s Skokie bungalow?
Yes. Boiler service is on our list: pressure, circulators, zone valves and venting, in vintage two-flats and older houses.
04Does HVAC work in Skokie need a permit?
It depends on the job. The Village of Skokie sets its own permit rules, mostly for installs and replacements. A repair or tune-up is a different job, so ask whoever quotes an install who pulls the permit.
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 furnace, boiler or condenser to hand, and tell us what it's doing. In a two- or three-flat, tell us which units share the 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