Heating and air conditioning repair in Salt Lake City
Our guide to heating and air conditioning repair covers how the job works. Below: the Salt Lake City numbers a HVAC contractor looks at, with sources.
Salt Lake City housing, by the numbers
Half of the homes in Salt Lake City were built in 1965 or earlier (median year built, Census ACS). By median year built, homes here are older than in 35 of the 56 other cities we cover. A house from that era may have had its system replaced more than once; the ducts usually stay.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
Owner households fill about 46% of the occupied homes in Salt Lake City. That is 42,474 of 92,652 households. The share of owner-occupied homes here is higher than in 20 of the 56 other cities we cover. If you rent, your lease likely puts heating and cooling repairs on the owner.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
Utility gas heats about 72% of occupied homes in Salt Lake City, the most common fuel there. Other fuels: electricity 24%, bottled or tank gas 2%, fuel oil or kerosene under 1%. Homes on that fuel need a contractor licensed and equipped for it.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
What the weather asks of a system in Salt Lake City
Air conditioners near Salt Lake City face about 1,402 cooling degree days in a typical year, per NOAA's 1991-2020 normals. Measured at the Salt Lake Triad Ctr (UT) station. Of the 56 other cities in this network, 26 have a lower cooling load. That cooling load is what an air conditioner or heat pump has to keep up with on the long summer afternoons.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Salt Lake City averages about 4,724 heating degree days a year, the NOAA measure of winter heating load. Measured at the Salt Lake Triad Ctr (UT) station. The heating load here is higher than in 38 of the 56 other cities we cover. That is the number a contractor's load calculation starts from when sizing heat for a house here.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Salt Lake City logs roughly 81 freezing nights in an average year. Of the 52 other cities in this network, 29 have a lower number of freezing days.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Expect around 45 days a year at 90 F or above in Salt Lake City, going by NOAA normals. The number of 90 F days here is higher than in 26 of the 54 other cities we cover.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
When the weather tests homes in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake County, UT 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
On cold wave risk, FEMA's National Risk Index puts Salt Lake County, UT at relatively low. The same cold wave rating applies in 5 of the 53 other cities in this network. Frozen weather is when a furnace that limped through fall finally quits.
Source: FEMA risk index
Source: FEMA risk index
In Utah, HVAC contractors are licensed by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL); status can be checked on the agency's official lookup page.
Source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) (Utah) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) license information
Source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) (Utah) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) license information
Sources, checked October 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year, profile 16000US4967000
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USC00427606
- FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), Salt Lake County, UT
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) (Utah)
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) license information
Local offices and rules in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City requires a permit to install, alter or improve the electrical, plumbing or mechanical system of a building.
Source: www.slc.gov. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.slc.gov. Checked October 2026.
The Salt Lake City permit FAQ states that heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems require a permit.
Source: www.slc.gov. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.slc.gov. Checked October 2026.
Enbridge Gas's ThermWise program offers Utah customers appliance rebates, including for a gas furnace at 95% to 97.4% AFUE and an ENERGY STAR gas storage water heater; requests must be postmarked within six months of installation.
Source: www.enbridgegas.com. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.enbridgegas.com. Checked October 2026.
Rocky Mountain Power's Wattsmart Homes program in Utah added new offerings for appliances, heat pumps and weatherization in changes effective February 27, 2026.
Source: www.rockymountainpower.net. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.rockymountainpower.net. Checked October 2026.
Electricity in Salt Lake City comes from Rocky Mountain Power; the city describes the Rocky Mountain Power grid as the one that powers the community.
Source: www.slc.gov. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.slc.gov. 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
