Heating and air conditioning repair in San Francisco
Our guide to heating and air conditioning repair covers how the job works. Below: the San Francisco numbers a HVAC contractor looks at, with sources.
Homes in San Francisco
Around half of the homes in San Francisco went up in 1946 or before, according to the Census ACS. Of the 56 other cities in this network, 52 have newer housing by median year built. 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 38% of the occupied homes in San Francisco. That is 139,057 of 363,970 households. Of the 56 other cities in this network, 4 have a lower share of owner-occupied homes. Owner-occupied homes carry most of the replacement decisions in the city.
Source: Census ACS
Source: Census ACS
The leading home heating fuel in San Francisco is utility gas, at about 55% of occupied homes. Other fuels: electricity 36%, 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
Heating and cooling load in San Francisco
San Francisco averages about 29 cooling degree days a year, the NOAA measure of how hard air conditioning works. Measured at the San Francisco Oceanside (CA) station. The cooling load here is higher than in 1 of the 56 other cities we cover. 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
Winter heating load in San Francisco runs to roughly 3,260 heating degree days in a normal year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Measured at the San Francisco Oceanside (CA) station. Of the 56 other cities in this network, 23 have a lower heating load. Heating load like that decides whether a heat pump alone is enough or a furnace backup makes sense.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
A normal year brings about 1 nights at or below freezing near San Francisco (NOAA normals). The number of freezing days here is higher than in 0 of the 52 other cities we cover.
Source: NOAA normals
Source: NOAA normals
Seasons and risk in San Francisco
FEMA's National Risk Index lists San Francisco County, CA as relatively moderate for heat wave risk. 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
In California, HVAC contractors are licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB); status can be checked on the agency's official lookup page.
Source: Contractors State License Board (CSLB) (California) · Contractors State License Board (CSLB) license information
Source: Contractors State License Board (CSLB) (California) · Contractors State License Board (CSLB) license information
Sources, checked October 2026
Local offices and rules in San Francisco
San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection (DBI) is located at 49 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103, with Permit Services on the 2nd floor.
Source: www.sf.gov. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.sf.gov. Checked October 2026.
San Francisco issues separate plumbing and mechanical permits when a project includes both kinds of work, mechanical permits can be pulled by C-20 licensed contractors, and an inspection must be scheduled before pipes are covered.
Source: www.sf.gov. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.sf.gov. Checked October 2026.
CleanPowerSF, the SFPUC's Community Choice Aggregation program, is San Francisco's default clean electricity provider, and its power reaches homes over existing PG&E poles and wires.
Source: www.cleanpowersf.org. Checked October 2026.
Source: www.cleanpowersf.org. 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
