Reading is the largest city in Berks County and the heart of our service area. Art Smith And Son Heating and Cooling has been serving Reading homeowners and businesses since 2011 with the same family-owned, honest service that built our reputation across the rest of the county. Whether you live in Mount Penn, College Heights, the Wyomissing border neighborhoods, or West Reading, we are a short drive from your home and ready to handle whatever HVAC situation you have.
Reading's housing stock is one of the most varied in Pennsylvania - from grand turn-of-the-century homes in the Centre Park Historic District, to brick rowhomes in the city's older residential neighborhoods, to mid-century single-family homes in Mount Penn, to newer construction near the Wyomissing line. Each property type has its own HVAC quirks, and we know what to expect when we walk in the door.
Reading sits in the Schuylkill River Valley with a humid continental climate that produces hot, humid summers and cold winters. Our HVAC solutions are designed to:
- Provide reliable cooling and dehumidification through Reading's muggy summer afternoons
- Deliver dependable heat for January and February cold snaps
- Handle the temperature swings of spring and fall shoulder seasons
- Address indoor air quality challenges in both historic and modern homes
We help Reading homeowners reduce energy costs while maintaining comfort:
Installing high-efficiency furnaces, heat pumps, and boilers
Pairing variable-speed equipment with smart thermostats
Sealing duct leaks that waste conditioned air
Pointing customers to applicable rebates and federal tax credits
Reading covers a lot of ground for a Pennsylvania city of its size, and the housing varies dramatically from one neighborhood to the next. Knowing the area helps us give faster, more accurate service.
The hillside neighborhood east of downtown is known for its mid-century single-family homes, many with original gas furnaces and central air conditioning that are now reaching end of life. Mount Penn's terrain means duct routing is sometimes constrained by basement layouts that step with the slope, and we frequently use Bosch heat pumps or Fujitsu mini-splits to add comfort to additions, finished basements, and converted attic spaces.
College Heights features a mix of large older homes near Albright College and smaller post-war single-family residences. Boiler heat is common in the older sections, and we install and service Weil-McLain boilers along with retrofit ductless mini-splits when adding air conditioning to homes that don't have ductwork.
The west side of Reading near the Wyomissing line transitions into upscale single-family homes built from the early 1900s through today. We handle full HVAC system replacements, indoor air quality upgrades, and high-efficiency heat pump installations across this corridor, including the western reaches of the city near 19610 and the Berkshire Mall area.
West Reading borough is technically separate from Reading proper but it is fully integrated into our service area, with a similar mix of older homes near Penn Avenue and the Reading Hospital corridor. We service residential systems, small commercial properties, and rental units throughout the borough.
We service all of Reading and the immediate surrounding area, including 19601, 19602, 19604, 19605, 19606, 19607, 19608, 19610, and 19611. From dense urban neighborhoods near downtown to suburban-feel sections near the city's edges, we keep parts inventory and trained technicians ready for whatever the call of the day brings.
Reading's history as a railroad and manufacturing center left the city with a housing stock that includes everything from grand brick mansions built by 19th-century industrialists to modest worker housing built in the same era. Many of these homes have been continuously updated over the decades, but a meaningful share still have original chimneys, original boiler footprints, and mechanical layouts designed for coal-fired equipment that has since been converted to oil and then to natural gas.
That history matters when it is time to replace HVAC equipment. Direct-vent high-efficiency furnaces and boilers don't rely on the original chimney, which is often the most cost-effective way to upgrade an older Reading home. High-efficiency Weil-McLain boilers fit the same physical footprint as the cast iron equipment they typically replace, which limits installation labor. Fujitsu mini-splits add air conditioning to homes where original construction never anticipated central air. We have a service plan for every Reading housing type, and we explain the trade-offs honestly so you can make an informed decision.
The brands we sell are the brands we have stood behind for years. We chose them for build quality, parts availability, and warranty support - not because they happened to be cheapest at any given moment.
For repairs, we work on every major HVAC brand regardless of who originally installed the equipment. The brand list above describes what we install when a customer needs new equipment, not who we can repair.
Most no-heat and no-cool emergencies are predictable - a weakening capacitor, a marginal flame sensor, a clogging condensate drain - and they get caught during routine maintenance visits before they become emergencies. Our preventative maintenance plan covers spring AC tune-ups, fall heating tune-ups, priority scheduling during peak season, and a discount on parts and labor when repairs are needed.
For after-hours emergencies, we offer service for plan members and existing customers across Reading. Contact us to enroll a Reading property in our maintenance plan, or call (610) 780-9350 directly for service.
We know that quality heating and cooling service can become expensive. We do everything we can to make our services as affordable as possible, but sometimes financing just makes sense. We've partnered with Service Finance to bring you financing options that work for all kinds of budgets and circumstances so you can get the service you need.
Apply NowRegular preventative maintenance will help you keep your systems running efficiently and save you money. With our maintenance plan we'll schedule regular heating and cooling checks to make sure your HVAC systems are running smoothly without any unexpected, costly breakdowns.
A: For most Reading addresses we can usually be on-site for a no-heat or no-cool emergency the same day during business hours. Routine maintenance and non-emergency repairs are scheduled within a few business days, with priority slots reserved for our maintenance plan members.
A: We service the full city and the surrounding suburbs - 19601, 19602, 19604, 19605, 19606, 19607, 19608, 19610, and 19611 - including Mount Penn, College Heights, the Wyomissing border, West Reading, and everywhere in between.
A: We install AirEase and Lennox furnaces and air conditioners, Bosch heat pumps, Weil-McLain boilers, Fujitsu mini-splits (we are a Fujitsu Elite Contractor), Navien tankless water heaters, and AprilAire indoor air quality equipment. We repair all major brands regardless of who originally installed them.
A: Yes. Most older Reading homes with boiler heat are best served by ductless mini-split air conditioning rather than tearing into walls and ceilings to install ductwork. We are a Fujitsu Elite Contractor and design single-zone or multi-zone systems based on your home's layout.
A: We service and repair existing geothermal systems but do not perform new geothermal installations. For homeowners interested in high-efficiency electric heating and cooling, our Bosch heat pump line is an excellent air-source alternative that qualifies for federal tax credits.
A: Yes. We offer financing through Service Finance to make new equipment affordable, with options that fit a range of budgets. Ask us about current promotions and applicable rebates from manufacturers and utilities.
Reading is a big city with a lot of HVAC variety, and Art Smith And Son has the experience to handle whatever your home or business is running. Contact us today to schedule service or a consultation.
We repair all brands and install quality products from the brands you know and trust.