Natural gas furnace swap (same location)
$4,500–$6,500 installed — equipment, labor, haul-away, permit, final number agreed before we start
Actual EVS work
Bay Area HVAC service
Furnace Installation in Los Altos, CA — Fixed-Price Quote, Hills Propane Experience
EVS Mechanical replaces furnaces across Los Altos and Los Altos Hills — pre-war homes in Old Los Altos, mid-century ranches in Country Club and Rancho, and the propane-fired hillside properties the flatland contractors won't quote. Written quote itemized before we start, permit and inspection handled. Family-run, 5.0-star rated.
CA Lic #1089826Licensed · Insured · BondedFree in-home estimatePermits & inspection handled
Furnace installation in Los Altos, CA — EVS Mechanical replaces gas furnaces in Old Los Altos, Country Club, and Rancho, and handles the propane-fired and hillside homes of Los Altos Hills. Fixed-price written quote, permits handled, all major brands. CA Lic #1089826. Call (408) 300-8254.
Fall: Hillside nights run colder than the flatlands, and Los Altos Hills furnaces fire earlier in the season. Quote the replacement in October — the first cold front doesn't wait for permit queues.
What Is Furnace Installation in Los Altos?
Furnace installation in Los Altos means three distinct housing eras: the 1900s–1930s homes of Old Los Altos running wall furnaces or gravity systems on original chimneys; the post-war ranch tracts of Country Club, Rancho, and Loyola with conventional gas furnaces now 20–30 years old; and Los Altos Hills, where many homes fire on propane instead of natural gas and every install adds tank, regulator, and slope-access questions the flatland never asks. EVS Mechanical is one of the few shops that quotes all three eras — including the Hills' propane jobs — out of our Bassett Street shop in Santa Clara.
When to call about yours:
- The house runs on propane, and the last contractor either wouldn't quote the replacement or padded it — we price Hills jobs straight
- A Country Club or Rancho ranch furnace is 20–30 years in and drawing a second service call this season
- The Old Los Altos wall furnace or gravity system lost parts availability
- A floor furnace in the Hills needs an honest repair-vs-replace reading
- The heat exchanger failed — a safety replacement, and we'll show you the reading behind it
- You smell gas (or propane) or the CO detector flagged the unit — shut it down and call
Who this is for: Homeowners and property managers in Old Los Altos, Country Club, Rancho, Loyola, North Los Altos, and throughout the Town of Los Altos Hills.
What you get from an EVS install
We quote the Hills.
Propane conversions, tank-side clearances, winding drive access, stricter town review — many flatland contractors won't price Los Altos Hills jobs or price them to be declined. We quote them straight.
Three eras, three playbooks.
Old Los Altos chimneys, post-war ranch furnaces, and Hills propane systems each fail differently and install differently. The estimate reflects which house you own.
Fixed-price written quote.
Equipment, labor, haul-away, permit fees — line by line before we start. The quote is the price.
Repair-first honesty.
We do repairs and replacements, so when a 12-year-old furnace needs a $300 part instead of $5,000 in equipment, you hear that first.
Owner-accountable.
Euler and Axel oversee every install — the crew that quotes it is the crew that installs it, and warranty follow-up goes to them, not a call center.
We quote the Hills.
Propane conversions, tank-side clearances, winding drive access, stricter town review — many flatland contractors won't price Los Altos Hills jobs or price them to be declined. We quote them straight.
Three eras, three playbooks.
Old Los Altos chimneys, post-war ranch furnaces, and Hills propane systems each fail differently and install differently. The estimate reflects which house you own.
Fixed-price written quote.
Equipment, labor, haul-away, permit fees — line by line before we start. The quote is the price.
Repair-first honesty.
We do repairs and replacements, so when a 12-year-old furnace needs a $300 part instead of $5,000 in equipment, you hear that first.
Owner-accountable.
Euler and Axel oversee every install — the crew that quotes it is the crew that installs it, and warranty follow-up goes to them, not a call center.
How EVS Is Different from Other Los Altos Furnace Installers
Most Los Altos quotes come from one of three places: a regional fleet dispatching over the hill, a big-box store program that subcontracts the job, or a marketplace that sold your inquiry to several companies at once. None of them is structured for a Los Altos Hills propane job or an Old Los Altos chimney — and it shows in the price, or in the refusal to quote at all. The big companies are expensive because you're funding the fleet — the trucks, the ads, the sales team. If you want a dedicated local team handling your permits, standing behind the labor warranty, and treating your home like theirs, pick the shop ten minutes away. Call (408) 300-8254.
| You're weighing | The fleets & marketplaces | EVS Mechanical |
|---|---|---|
| Who quotes you | A salesperson protecting a margin | A technician running a load calculation on your actual house |
| Who does the work | Whichever subcontractor took the dispatch | Our own crew — the people who quoted it install it |
| Hills & older-home work | Refused, padded, or "we'll see on-site" | Propane fuel-train work, chimney venting, and floor furnaces priced from the estimate |
| Communication | Call center tickets | Axel and Euler's direct line — the shop that scheduled you answers you |
| Permits & warranty | Extra line items, runaround later | Included in the quote; warranty follow-up from the crew that did the work |
Our Work
Real installs — our crew on every job
Gas furnace installed in closet alcove
Carrier outdoor condenser unit on pad
Bryant gas furnace in garage
TOSOT heat pump outdoor unit
Furnace on raised platform in utility closet
Air handler with insulated ductwork in attic
HVAC unit with ductwork in crawlspace
Furnace installation in garage
Garage HVAC system wide view
EVS technicians servicing a Lochinvar commercial rooftop unit
EVS technician working on commercial rooftop HVAC equipment
Two TOSOT heat pump units installed on a flat roof
New TOSOT heat pump installation on a flat roof
TOSOT inverter heat pump dual-fan condenser
TOSOT heat pump with EnergyGuide rating, rooftop install
TOSOT condenser unit secured on a flat roof
Completed rooftop heat pump installation, wide view
Air handler with new insulated ductwork installation
Pricing
Typical ranges for planning
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Higher cost:
Chimney relining, venting re-routes, propane fuel-train work, hillside access, asbestos remediation, ductwork replacement, seismic gas shutoff valve
Lower cost:
Same-location swap, easy access, off-season scheduling, bundling with AC replacement
Financing: Coming soon — call for current options.
Rebates: Los Altos and Los Altos Hills sit in Silicon Valley Clean Energy territory — SVCE programs, TECH Clean California, and the federal 25C credit can stack on qualifying high-efficiency and heat-pump installs. We confirm what applies during the estimate.
Customer reviews
5.0
62 Google reviews
What EVS customers say
Real Google reviews from EVS jobs across the Bay Area.
“EVS Mechanical made what could have been a stressful process incredibly smooth. They diagnosed and repaired our HVAC system quickly and got everything running again. They didn't just do the work — they made sure we understood what was happening and why. Honest pricing. They didn't try to upsell us on things we didn't need. Really appreciated that they were on time and ready to work. If you need HVAC work done right, call EVS Mechanical. You won't be disappointed.”
MCVerified
Michael Cheung
HVAC repair · Bay Area
“The EVS Mechanical team were great! The EVS team showed up on time and completed the heat pump installation in one day as promised. Axel stayed on top of the whole process from quote to final inspection and communication was awesome. EVS made the whole process seamless. The pricing was more than fair for the quality of work we received. Every person on the crew was courteous and professional. When the installation was finished I couldn't tell they had been in the house. Thanks to EVS Mechanical we have heating and air conditioning again making for a comfortable house. I strongly recommend EVS Mechanical for all your HVAC needs.”
SCVerified
Scott Clark
Heat pump installation, one day · Bay Area
“Really impressed with EVS Mechanical. They earned every one of these five stars. The heat pump they installed has been incredibly efficient — our energy bills have actually dropped. Punctuality was great — they showed up exactly when they said they would. Appreciated how careful they were with our home during the installation. Would absolutely recommend EVS to anyone in the Bay Area. Thank you, EVS Mechanical, for the outstanding work!”
NVerified
Nate
Heat pump installation · Bay Area
Frequently Asked Questions
A like-for-like natural gas furnace replacement runs $4,500–$6,500 installed — equipment, labor, haul-away, and permit included. Wall-furnace replacements, propane-fired Hills installs, and jobs needing venting, ductwork, or asbestos work cost more; every line is in the written quote before you commit. Estimates are free.
Yes — including propane-fired systems and hillside access jobs that flatland contractors decline to quote. Propane changes equipment selection and the fuel-train work; Town review adds planning steps. We price all of it from the start instead of using "hills job" as a reason to pad a number.
In most of the Bay Area the honest answer is "before you need it" — but Los Altos and especially the Hills fire earlier than the flatlands, since hillside nights run cold well before the first front reaches Santa Clara Valley. That makes early fall (September–October) the sweet spot: off-peak scheduling, no emergency premium, and the new system broken in before the season peaks. Spring works too. The worst time is the first cold week of the season, when every marginal furnace in the county fails at once.
Often worth pricing — propane is one of the most expensive fuels per BTU, so the operating-cost math favors heat pumps more strongly here than in natural-gas cities, and SVCE plus the 25C credit can offset the install. It depends on the house: ductwork present or not, panel capacity, access. We install both paths and quote both.
Yes, and it's the most common Old Los Altos question. The quote turns on venting — the original chimney's condition decides between relining, re-routing, or a sealed-combustion unit. That's a line item in the first written quote, not a discovery halfway through the job.
The City of Los Altos if you're in the city; Town of Los Altos Hills hall if you're in the Town. Replacements require one in both jurisdictions, with combustion-safety verification at inspection. We pull the right permit and schedule the inspector.
Once the quote is approved, most like-for-like installs are a single day. A recent customer called, the owner evaluated the same day, ran a full analysis of the job, and had the crew on-site the next morning — the same-day evaluation cadence we hold to during heating season.
Gas Furnace Brands EVS Installs in Los Altos
| Brand | Notes |
|---|---|
| Trane | The durability pick for owners holding long-term in a high-value house |
| Carrier | Deep parts network — the safe pick for attic and closet installs |
| Lennox | Top-efficiency lines, quiet operation; premium upfront cost |
| Rheem | Strong mid-range with excellent heat-exchanger warranties |
| Bryant | Carrier-platform reliability at a step-down price |
| Goodman | Best warranty per dollar for like-for-like swaps |
| American Standard | Trane engineering, usually priced friendlier |
Bay Area Specifics
Old Los Altos: original chimneys and wall furnaces
The 1900s–1930s homes around the downtown grid often still run wall furnaces or gravity systems vented into century-old chimneys. Replacements hinge on venting — relining, re-routing, or sealed-combustion equipment that vents through a wall — and that line item shows in the first quote, not as a mid-install surprise. If the system is limping rather than dying, furnace repair is the cheaper first call; we'll say when it isn't.
Country Club and Rancho: the 20-year furnace bulge
The post-war ranch tracts hold conventional gas furnaces installed in waves — which means they fail in waves too. Attic and closet equipment on aging ductwork is the common pattern; a new high-efficiency furnace needs PVC venting and condensate drainage the old unit never had. We quote duct condition honestly during the estimate — a new furnace pushing through leaky original ducts wastes what you paid for it.
Los Altos Hills: propane changes the job
Much of the Town runs on propane, not natural gas — and that changes equipment selection (AFUE ratings differ on propane), the fuel train (tank, regulator, lines), and sometimes the conversion math toward all-electric heat pumps. Town review and hillside access add planning, not risk, when they're priced from the start. We've quoted and completed Hills jobs that other contractors wouldn't schedule.
Pre-1980 contingency
Los Altos and the Hills built most of their housing before 1980, and ductwork or insulation from that era can carry asbestos requiring remediation before equipment work. One EVS furnace job became a full furnace-plus-duct replacement when asbestos surfaced — "they filed the permits and handled everything," per the customer. Flagged in our estimate; not discovered on demolition day.
Permits — two jurisdictions
Los Altos replacements permit through the City of Los Altos building division; Los Altos Hills permits through Town hall, with its own review habits. We pull the right one and schedule the inspection — part of the quote either way.
Service Areas
furnace installation across the Bay Area — pick your city:
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