Heating and air conditioning repair in Madison
Our guide to heating and air conditioning repair covers how the job works. Below: the Madison numbers a HVAC contractor looks at, with sources.
Madison housing, by the numbers
Census figures put the median year built for Madison homes at 1980. By median year built, homes here are older than in 16 of the 56 other cities we cover. Older homes here often have ducts and venting that were sized for a different system.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
About 46% of occupied homes in Madison are lived in by their owners. That is 59,009 of 128,261 households. Of the 56 other cities in this network, 21 have a lower share of owner-occupied homes. If you rent, your lease likely puts heating and cooling repairs on the owner.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
In Madison, about 67% of occupied homes heat with utility gas, more than any other fuel. Other fuels: electricity 29%, bottled or tank gas 2%, fuel oil or kerosene under 1%. Switching fuels is possible, but ask what it means for your panel, gas line and ducts.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
What the weather asks of a system in Madison
Cooling load in Madison comes to roughly 640 cooling degree days in a normal year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Measured at the Uw Arboretum, Madison (WI) station. The cooling load here is higher than in 6 of the 56 other cities we cover. Cooling demand at that level is why the outdoor unit's size and condition matter here.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Homes near Madison face about 7,096 heating degree days in a typical year, per NOAA's 1991-2020 normals. Measured at the Uw Arboretum, Madison (WI) station. Of the 56 other cities in this network, 54 have a lower heating load. That is the number a contractor's load calculation starts from when sizing heat for a house here.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Expect around 157 days a year when Madison drops to 32 F or below, going by NOAA normals. The number of freezing days here is higher than in 51 of the 52 other cities we cover.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Highs of 90 F and up come on roughly 10 days a year around Madison. Of the 54 other cities in this network, 5 have a lower number of 90 F days.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
When the weather tests homes in Madison
Dane County, WI carries a relatively moderate heat wave risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. 13 of the 55 other cities we cover sit in counties with the same heat wave rating. Extended heat is hard on compressors that are already weak.
Source: FEMA risk index
Source: FEMA risk index
Dane County, WI carries a very high cold wave risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. 16 of the 53 other cities we cover sit in counties with the same cold wave rating. A cold wave also stresses pipes and venting near the furnace, worth a look during a tune-up.
Source: FEMA risk index
Source: FEMA risk index
Official board: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) (Wisconsin)
Sources, checked October 2026
Local offices and rules in Madison
Commercial buildings and residential buildings of more than two units in Madison follow the 2021 IBC with SPS 362, the 2021 IMC with SPS 364, the 2021 IFGC with SPS 365, the 2021 IECC with SPS 363 and the 2023 NEC.
Source: www.cityofmadison.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.cityofmadison.com. Checked October 2026.
Madison handles HVAC, plumbing and electrical upgrade-and-replacement permits online through its Accela portal at aca-prod.accela.com/madison, while new 1- and 2-family work uses PDF datasheets.
Source: www.cityofmadison.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.cityofmadison.com. Checked October 2026.
Installing a furnace or a central air conditioner in Madison requires a Building Inspection permit.
Source: www.cityofmadison.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.cityofmadison.com. Checked October 2026.
MGE points customers to Focus on Energy and the IRA-funded HOMES and HEAR programs, noting HEAR currently covers heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, electrical panels and wiring installed by an IRA Registered Contractor.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
MGE Connect, an optional demand response program, is enrolling eligible smart thermostats now, while its smart water heater option is listed as coming soon with a waitlist.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) supplies electricity to about 170,000 customers in Madison and surrounding Dane County municipalities such as Monona, Middleton and Fitchburg.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
MGE also delivers natural gas to about 180,000 customers across Dane and six other Wisconsin counties.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.mge.com. Checked October 2026.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility from outside. Keep a working carbon monoxide alarm near the bedrooms, and do not open a furnace cabinet that is running.
Common jobs
