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Harker Heating & Cooling Harker Heating & Cooling Inc. has been providing high-quality heating and cooling services to residents of Dane County since 1949. Our dedicated staff of HVAC specialists is available to handle any emergency, installation or repair 24/7, 365 days a year. No job is too big or small. Have heating, cooling or indoor air quality problems? You can count on Harker to get the job done right, just like our loyal customers have been doing for more than 65 years. We believe everybody should feel comfortable in their home.
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Harker Heating & Cooling has been a leader in HVAC services since the company was first launched in Madison by the Harker family in 1949. Since then, our heating and cooling company has continued to evolve with the changing HVAC landscape to bring Dane County families the comfort they deserve. In the late 1980s, the Harker family sold the company to Tim Heiar, and today our company is owned by his son Luke, along with partners Oscar Wendt and Marcus Nelson.Over the years, Harker earned a reputation for excellent service and grew its residential and commercial divisions into one of Dane County's most successful businesses.
Harker Heating & Cooling is proud to be Dane County's leading HVAC services provider. For more than 65 years, Harker's heating and cooling technicians have been faced with nearly every furnace, boiler, A/C unit or water heater breakdown imaginable. When your home heating and cooling systems are on the fritz, you need to call an HVAC contractor with experience.
Wisconsin's winters can be brutal. So, when your furnace breaks down in the middle of a cold snap, it's more than a frustrating inconvenience - it's a potentially dangerous situation that could put your family's health and wellbeing at risk. You need a high-efficiency furnace system built to last. Harker provides emergency heating repair and installation services, as well as routine maintenance to help keep your furnace running better, longer.
For qualified HVAC improvements, homeowners may be eligible to claim the federal tax credits equal to 10% of the installed costs; a maximum tax credit of $500. If you purchased a system from Harker Heating and Cooling in the past, or are thinking of purchasing another system from us in the near future, you could be qualified for up to $500 in additional savings in the form of tax credits for 2018, 2019, and 2020! The tax credit is retroactive. Of course, we're not tax professionals, so be sure to consult your tax advisor before filing your taxes.
Reviews (41)
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Jesse Dettmer
Jun 18, 2022
I had my furnace serviced in the fall of 2021 and had specifically requested to have an estimate to replace my current control board so that I could install a "smart" thermostat. The technician who serviced my furnace was clearly very green, which would have been fine except that he was not sufficiently experienced to assess my request and give me an estimate.

He phoned a friend for help, and I ended up with a rough estimate that was in my opinion pretty wildly high (close to as much as replacing the entire furnace and AC unit at my last home). I was disappointed after my fall tune up, but hey, no harm no foul, but I find it necessary to write this review now that it is summer. The summer temperatures have come and I found my that my AC was not working even though it is only a few years old and was working perfectly fine last year.

Rather than call Harker after hours for I'm sure what would have been a guaranteed minimum service fee and likely significant wait because of volume, I consulted a friend from out of town. What I found was that said technician had left the wires for the AC disconnected in the furnace which is just entirely unacceptable.
Michelle P.
May 19, 2022
Our salesman was quick to sell us more than our immediate needs, but ducked for cover when there was a problem with their product. Buyer beware with Harker Heating and Cooling.
Jeremy Bergener
Apr 15, 2022
Had Harker out for a quote on replacement of a furnace and A/C unit. They gave me an easy to understand and also reasonably priced quote. Went ahead and hired them for the job. They showed up on time and installed the appliances in a friendly and professional manner. They even went ahead and installed my new Google Nest for me at no extra cost. They did a great job on the install and follow up.
Bill Raddatz
Mar 22, 2022
Thorough, professional, patient, family-like service. The best way to communicate about today's experience is to say I've never enjoyed spending money this much on a home service! Ryan is top-notch, excellent at his craft. He took his time and explained everything to me, answered all of my questions and then some. There's no way I would call anyone else for our HVAC system needs. Sincerely, it was a pleasure doing business.
Mary Sue Land
Mar 01, 2022
In the middle of the deep freeze this week our furnace decided that it didn't want to work. I called Harker and within an hour Brian J. called me back and was out within another 20 minutes from that call. Brian J. did an awesome job of diagnosing the problem and he happened to have a spare part on his van and was able to fix our furnace. Everything was completed within three hours start to finish. Brian was very pleasant and informative and I would highly recommend him and this company to others.
David Hoese
Feb 19, 2022
Harker is always very quick to respond and professional. Their office staff are always very helpful and their onsite technicians are always kind, willing to answer questions, and professional. In addition to their normal furnace/AC work I've also had them install a new water softener and water heater which were both really well done and the technicians provided an in depth explanation of everything that was done and what I needed to do.
Jan Torkildson
Feb 19, 2022
Always have great experiences with Harker employees. Office staff are friendly and easy to work with. Technicians are always prompt and thoughtful. And, they explain everything clearly. Service: Heating system maintenance
Tristin S.
Feb 05, 2022
Great guys. Only gave good things to say they where responsive and let me watch them the whole repair. Thanx guys
Ken Wood
Jan 18, 2022
Harker Heating and Cooling came in a cleaned our gas fireplace. Work was done on time and in a professional high quality manner. They were very easy to schedule with and came out right away. Service: Cleaning
Meghan Dinkle
Jan 09, 2022
Harker was easy to work with from beginning and end. They were quick to respond when I reached out to them for a furnace inspection, and were easy to schedule with. The technician who came to inspect my furnace, Kurt, was great to work with. He was on time, professional, and described everything he found in an easy to understand manner. I'm very happy with my choice to use Harker.
Janet Kennedy
Dec 25, 2021
Jordan from Harker recently repaired and cleaned my furnace. He diagnosed the problem quickly. He went above and beyond by looking at my overall house and made recommendations for optimizing the heating system. He is an excellent listener and communicator. I am so grateful he was able to fix my furnace quickly for an extremely reasonable price. I am toasty warm today!
Perry Sandstrom
Dec 21, 2021
I called Harker when my house started getting cold after giving up on trying to diagnose and fix my 12yo furnace myself. Within about 30min of calling, Ryan the technician showed up at my house. He quickly diagnosed the issue as a bad heat exchanger, ordered a replacement and scheduled himself to do the repair the next day. I am an engineer that likes to understand the details of how equipment works, how things are diagnosed, and the various failure mechanisms.

I learned a lot from Ryan, who totally knew what he was talking about and was generous in answering my many questions. His diagnosis was proven correct by visual inspection after the old heat exchanger was removed (thankfully under Carrier lifetime warranty). I believe this heavy-duty heat exchanger would have lasted a lot longer or forever had I done some preventive maintenance (e.g. flush condensate trap prior to it clogging, which it did 5 years ago) or had Harker check it once in a while.

I am confident that my furnace was just repaired with as much skill and care as possible, which I really appreciated, especially so close to the holidays! I will always call Harker for any HVAC equipment or service!
Adam Cook
Dec 13, 2021
Really really good job. Great service. Very friendly. Work was also done fast. Thank you so much! Service: HVAC maintenance
Charles Elson
Dec 08, 2021
Isaac, the installer of my Aprilaire 600 humidifier, patiently walked me through the installation and then the operation of the unit, a spectacular upgrade from my ancient unit. The technicians arrived at the specified time and departed after thoroughly cleaning the area. Prior to contacting Harker for service, I checked the unit according to the. manufacture's trouble shooting guide. Using the "screwdriver technique" and checking the power supply at the solenoid with a voltmeter as instructed, I found no power at the solenoid.

The technician ignoring my query about needing a new control unit informed me that the solenoid had power & thus was defective. The tech advised the purchase of a new unit, presented his bill and departed with 15 miunutes of his arrival. Subsequently on removing the cover on the control unit I touched the electonic components and PRESTO, the solenoid responded! This experience runs counter to the positives stated in my inititial comments. Charley
Julie Scott-Moran
Dec 07, 2021
Our technician Eric was friendly and professional. We were very pleased with the service provided and would definitely use this company again. Service: Duct and vent cleaning
Cynthia Moore
Nov 21, 2021
Service was on time. Like getting a phone telling exactly when he would arrive. Furnace maintenance promptly done. We had requested an estimate for a 2022 air conditioner. Service man passed all information to the office and we received our estimate and reading material within a few hours. Very organized
Maddy Scheer
Nov 16, 2021
Quick efficient on time and proactive to prevent future problems. We feel in good hands with Harker
John Vaudreuil
Nov 11, 2021
I was called by Harker when it appeared my service person might be arriving at the end of our time window, just to let me know the status. That was very professional and great service. My service person - Curt - called when he was five minutes away. He did a great job checking our furnace, and answering all my questions as he did the check. He was clear and friendly in explaining everything. Great, professional, and friendly service.
Ken Lund
Oct 25, 2021
Very professional and reasonably priced. We had Harker replace our furnace and A/C and do the annual inspection and maintenance for four years. Very pleased. Services: Cleaning, AC installation, Heating system installation, Installation
Sarah Stone Weber
Oct 22, 2021
Another great experience! Furnace is checked over and ready for another season cold weather! Before Brian left he heard rattling and corrected something we have heard for the last 18 years! Above and beyond, great customer service! Service: Heating maintenance
Tom Engelbrecht
Oct 07, 2021
They where very thorough with checking on my air conditioner and furnace I would always recommend Harker
Vickie Julka
Sep 15, 2021
Once again, Harker performed service in a timely, professional manner. Dan, the tech was very thorough, knowledgeable about our system and answered any questions I had. We are heading into winter knowing that our system is working fine and we will be able to call Harker should any issues arise. Services: Cleaning, Heating maintenance
Kathleen Williams
Sep 01, 2021
The service man who came was very knowledgeable and experienced and also polite and friendly. He explained what he issues found, fixed them, and made sure I only paid for what was needed. Ryan was great! Thank you! Services: HVAC maintenance, AC repair, Cleaning, Heating system repair, Heating maintenance
Tim Gillham
Aug 12, 2021
Fantastic service today! Jordan did a great job at short notice! Thanks!
Amy F.
Aug 02, 2021
Service technician Ryan P and his trainee Sean came out to do a clean and check on our air conditioner. Arrived on time & both were very friendly. Ryan was extremely knowledgeable, professional, kind, and informative. We could tell he really cared about making sure everything was done accurately and triple checked we were good to go before making his departure. Harker is lucky to have him and we hope to have him out again to help us properly maintain our equipment!
Dan Olszewski
May 14, 2021
Harker Heating & Cooling always does a great job and all of the staff have been a pleasure to work with over the years.
Karen Sorenson Lavalley
May 04, 2021
I have used Harker Heating for over 20 yrs. I have always found them to be honest. Today Ryan P. came to review my 18 yr old air conditioner. He was very polite and friendly, competent, and needed to review a problem that was found. He reviewed with us and then got a consult from John J. and a estimate was given. At present two competent. men were sent to put in a new AC.

I discussed with Ryan that along with his competence of knowing his AC he also should think of being in sales because of his competence, honesty, and open to hearing our needs. thank you. Karen L
Jeff Koch
Apr 02, 2021
Worked with Lukas and he was friendly and very knowledgeable in his work. We had to cut holes in the ceiling to find dampers. This young man rocked it out. Thanks so much for your help!
Benjamin R.
Jun 10, 2020
Our central air quit working last Wednesday afternoon. My wife called Harker just because of some junk mail from them about a maintenance program. She is a big yelp fan, I wish she would have read reviews on this one. A technician was supposed to be here between 1 and 5 the next day, and arrived very close to 5 pm (apparently they prefer to let customers stew for a while so they answer the door with a blank check in hand).

The tech removed 2 screws and exposed the capacitor with a severely deformed top (like a beer left in the freezer). The tech replaced the $30 capacitor in about 5 minutes and charged us $388! About an hour after he left we had no A/C again. My wife called and was told we would be charged after hours emergency rates, or call early the following day for a return visit and additional investigation.

I discovered the fan was locked up. I now know the fan is damaged when the unit tries to start repeatedly (but can't because the start capacitor failed). I believe the fan would have been ok if Harker had just told us to turn it off rather than leave it trying to start every few minutes for over 24 hours. After the fleecing we got over the capacitor, I decided to investigate replacing the fan motor myself.

I was warned by the first motor provider I contacted that having the motor replaced by Harker would be a gouging experience. I was able to obtain a new fan motor from Grainger for just over $100 and installed it myself in less than 30 minutes with the simplest of tools (2 common sockets and pliers). Our air works great and I estimate I saved at least $500 by doing it myself.

I must say the technicians were polite and professional, (even apologetic for the markup of a $30 part). It is the unscrupulous and predatory business practices that compel me to post a warning for others. I certainly advise calling ANYONE besides Harker for service.
Gail H.
Jun 02, 2020
Our ac didn't work after the winter so called Harker. Got a recording that said we had to request service by email on their website and someone would call us within 24 hours. No Call! So my husband called again- no answer. We called someone else who answered his phone and came right out! I told my husband if Harker can't even answer the phone or return our email they would not do a good job and if something didn't go right they wouldn't follow up. The guy that came was polite, wore a mask, got our ac working and we ordered a brand new Lennox ac from him it'll be installed in 2 weeks. You blew it Harker!
Laura T.
May 03, 2019
It all started when we needed to get our humidifier on our HVAC looked at because it didn't work, and was installed by another company. They were nice and prompt and came out and fixed it. My husband was in and out of the basement while they were doing it. After they left, the heat never turned back on. It was a warm day but that night was cold, so when the heat should have kicked on, it didn't.

So we called, they came out (on a weekend and charged weekend prices to look at it), said they needed to order a part and would be back on Monday or Tuesday. On Monday they called and said they would come Friday at 7:30 am. They showed up an hour late. Replaced the part. Got it working. They are insisting that the fact that the system never worked again after they worked on it is a total coincidence and are charging us hundreds of dollars.

They are also saying that my husband was never in the basement while they were there (as he stated that he saw them working with the wires and they claim it isn't possible because they claim he wasn't in the basement). We cannot believe that it is possible that they came and serviced our system and then that just happened to be the exact time that the system broke on its own. TL;DR: Pros: Came quickly for initial call Cons: Likely broke our system and then charged us hundreds of dollars to fix it. Showed up an hour late with no communication, thus costing us more money as we weren't at work.
Joe G.
Feb 27, 2018
This company will rip you off, I asked for an estimate to install a heater in the garage and I know this heater cost $600.00 and they quoted me a price of $2,800 Also asked for price to have a Nest thermostat installed and they said that would be $525.00, when it sells for only $250.00. Stay away from this place or be prepared to be well overcharged!
Chow H.
Oct 02, 2017
Harker is my choice for servicing and replacing equipment because the technicians have been competent and friendly. With their fair pricing, I recommend to friends.
Scott H.
Jul 03, 2017
Speedy, prompt and courteous service with a smile and a handshake!
Kelly N.
Aug 12, 2016
Took my husband several attempts to get a salesman on the phone. Once He did, the experience was bad. The guy made every effort to just get off the phone. He eventually quoted $8,000 to put a heater in our basement (not a whole home furnace. JUST the 600 sq foot basement). He didn't ask any questions about our space (finished/unfinished, size. nothing), just gave the an outrageous price to get off the phone as quickly as possible. My husband called another company and was extremely happy with their service. They quoted $1,600 for the same job and are HAPPY to do it!
David E.
Aug 03, 2016
A/C tune-up: Tony was personable and professional. Completed work quickly.
Joanne S.
Feb 11, 2016
Technician was here 5 minutes and charged us $113 for a service call, which we were not informed about. Then they tried to charge us $200 more than Modern Heating and Cooling for an ignitor. Just trying to take advantage of people in emergency situations when its freezing outside. Never again.
Alex H.
Jan 27, 2016
Came out and did the work promptly and were friendly. They charge $100 to come out. Fine. Then they charged me $250 to install (~20 min) a small $30 part. Should have just done it myself.
Brandon Z.
Dec 30, 2015
Very nice technician but he was an hour late to the appointment because he had a "mandatory management meeting". He serviced our furnace fine but our gas fireplace has not worked since he cleaned it. We have to replace it now.
Lin N.
Apr 10, 2015
They deserve no stars! I called them last fall to have my furnace winterized and I was having an issue with my hot water heater. After a few hours of working on my furnace and my hot water heater neither of them were repaired. The repair person said I needed a new screen for my hot water heater and he would let me know when it was in. I called the next month and asked for an itemized receipt of the work that was done because I wasn't given one of the time of the repair and also an itemized receipt showing what parts needed to for my hot water heater.

The repair person said I needed the new screen for my hot water heater and when I called them they said It need a $1200 in parts to fix my hot water heater. Needless to say my hot water heater has continued to cycle on and off since last year and today no hot water. I called another plumbing person today and he came out and said I don't even need the screen in my hot water heater because it's only for California state.

He was here for a short time charge me a couple hundred bucks and completely fix my hot water heater. I paid Harker over $400 to fix it which they never did and then tried to jack me up for $1200 in parts or $1900 to replace it. Stay away from these people they're bunch of crooks and they don't know how to fix furnaces or hot water heaters. boo to Harker, STAY AWAY AND DONT GIVE THEM YOUR BUSINESS. THEY CANT BE TRUSTED.
Edward N.
Feb 06, 2015
I would love to give these guys more as there are some really nice guys that work there. But there management is morally questionable at best and use the tactics of your typical door to door meat salesmen. I was pressured many times. They never got my furnace fixed so I bought a new one then made a lot of promises but didn't take any action till their hands were tied. Acting as though I was insulting them by not just trusting that they were going to refund me hundreds of dollars after the fact.

The sales manager was defensive, aggressive and threatening. Three days I dealt with this company. Likely won't again. And only because of one person who appeared to be in charge.