Listicle
Eight checks before you hire a heating, cooling and plumbing company. 2 of 215 pass all eight.
By SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing · Read October 19, 2026
Eight things you can check from your couch in ten minutes. We ran all eight against every one of the 215 heating, cooling and plumbing companies in our 2026 report on Northern Virginia. 2 pass all eight: SwiftPro and Cardinal Plumbing, Heating & Air.
The eight checks, and how many companies pass each
| Check | What it means | Companies that pass | SwiftPro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locally owned | No investment firm, national company or franchisor above it | 83 of 215 | Yes |
| Licensed for HVAC and plumbing | Both trades on the same Virginia contractor license | 41 of 215 | Yes |
| 4.0 or better on Yelp | With at least 20 reviews, where a business can't ask for them | 22 of 215 | Yes |
| 4.9 or better on Google | The top of the scale, where most of the reviews are | 143 of 215 | Yes |
| Plan price published | The maintenance plan's price printed on its own page | 34 of 215 | Yes |
| Prices published | Real dollar prices for real jobs on the website | 34 of 215 | Yes |
| BBB A or better | The Better Business Bureau's letter grade | 84 of 215 | Yes |
| A price tool online | An estimator or price quiz on the website | 6 of 215 | Yes |
Each check run against the 215 companies in the 2026 report. Google read October 5, 2026, Yelp October 19, 2026; owner, license, plan, prices, BBB and price tool from each company's website, BBB listing and the Virginia DPOR record.
2 pass all eight: SwiftPro and Cardinal Plumbing, Heating & Air. 1 more miss by one.
Why these eight
- Who owns it. The name on the van can be 40 years old and the owner four. Ask “who owns you, and since when?” and see who owns each company.
- Both licenses. One company for the furnace and the gas line and the water heater means one visit and one person to call when something's off. Look it up at the Virginia DPOR.
- Yelp. It's the one site where a business isn't allowed to ask for reviews.
- Google. It's where most reviews are, so a high score there takes a lot of happy customers.
- A plan price you can read. If the plan's price isn't on the page, the price is whatever the salesperson says.
- Prices online. A company that prints its prices has already decided what's fair.
- The BBB grade. It tracks how a company handles complaints, not how many stars it has.
- A price tool. A ballpark before anyone comes out means no surprise at the kitchen table.
The ten biggest names, by the same eight checks
| Company | Checks passed | Missed |
|---|---|---|
| F.H. Furr | 2 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, plan price published, bbb a or better, a price tool online |
| Michael & Son | 4 of 8 | 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, plan price published, bbb a or better |
| United Air Temp | 2 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, plan price published, prices published, a price tool online |
| Mega Plumbing | 2 of 8 | licensed for hvac and plumbing, 4.0 or better on yelp, plan price published, prices published, bbb a or better, a price tool online |
| My Plumber Plus | 4 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, a price tool online |
| CroppMetcalfe | 4 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, a price tool online |
| Roto-Rooter | 1 of 8 | locally owned, licensed for hvac and plumbing, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, plan price published, prices published, a price tool online |
| Len The Plumber | 3 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, plan price published, a price tool online |
| ARS / Rescue Rooter | 4 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, a price tool online |
| M.E. Flow | 4 of 8 | locally owned, 4.0 or better on yelp, 4.9 or better on google, a price tool online |
The ten companies with the most Google reviews in the 2026 report.
SwiftPro, check by check
Locally owned in Chantilly and never sold. HVAC, plumbing and gas on Virginia Class A license 2705192276. 4.4 on Yelp, 5.0 on Google, 5.0 stars across 1,100+ reviews across Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook. Comfort+ priced on the page. Prices on the offers page. BBB A, accredited. Price estimators online.
Book the one that passes
Call (703) 997-9757 or book online. Answered day and night.
Questions
How do I choose an HVAC company in Northern Virginia?
Check eight things: who owns it, whether it holds both HVAC and plumbing licenses, its Yelp rating (4.0 or better from at least 20 reviews), its Google rating (4.9 or better), whether its plan price and job prices are published, its BBB grade (A or better) and whether it has a price tool online. Of 215 Northern Virginia companies checked in 2026, 2 pass all eight: SwiftPro and Cardinal Plumbing, Heating & Air.
What questions should I ask an HVAC company before hiring?
Who owns you, and since when? Is your license for HVAC and plumbing? What's the plan price? Can I see a price before you come out? Then read their Yelp reviews, where they can't ask for them.
Book SwiftPro, owned and run in Chantilly
Heating, cooling, plumbing, air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning across Northern Virginia. Virginia Class A contractor license 2705192276, on every van.
Emergency service 24/7.
Keep reading
- The name is old. The owner is new.16 Northern Virginia HVAC and plumbing brands sold to investors, with the date of each sale and what F.H. Furr's customers have said since July 2022.
- Why a 4.7 on Google can be a 1.7 on YelpF.H. Furr is 4.7 on Google and 1.7 where nobody asked. 26 companies, Google against Yelp, BBB and Trustpilot, and how to read any company's reviews.
- Who in Northern Virginia shows you the price first?Who prints a price for the 14 jobs people call about, who has an online estimator, and who makes you call for a quote.
- Locally owned, and still answering their own phonesThe 73 heating, cooling and plumbing companies with a Northern Virginia office that are still owned by the people who run them, county by county.
- One company for the furnace and the water heaterThe 40 Northern Virginia companies whose Virginia license covers HVAC and plumbing, with Google ratings and who owns each one.
- F.H. Furr reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.8, Yelp 1.7, 168 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- M.E. Flow reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.8, Yelp 2.5, 18 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- United Air Temp reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.6, Yelp 2.0, 59 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- CroppMetcalfe reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.8, Yelp 2.5, 692 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- Michael & Son reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.7, Yelp 2.3, 134 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- The founding year on the van vs who owns the company now: 13 Northern Virginia names13 names that advertise a founding year, the year each was sold, and who owns it now.
- The 10 biggest names in Northern Virginia HVAC and plumbing, and what they hold on YelpThe 10 names with the most Google reviews average 2.3 on Yelp. SwiftPro holds 4.4.
- Every Northern Virginia HVAC maintenance plan with a printed price, sorted by what one visit costs30 plans by price per visit. Comfort+ is $49.75 a visit.
- The furnace, AC and water heater brands in Northern Virginia homes, from reviews tied to real jobs12 brands in 54 job-matched reviews. Trane the most.
- Mega Plumbing reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.9, Yelp 2.9, 8 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- My Plumber Plus reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.7, Yelp 1.7, 29 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- Roto-Rooter reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.8, Yelp 2.7. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- Len The Plumber reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.7, Yelp 2.7, 168 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- ARS / Rescue Rooter reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.5, Yelp 1.7, 1,634 BBB complaints in 3 years (national profile). Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- Beacon Home Services reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.9, Yelp 2.9, 2 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- Snell Home Services reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.8, Yelp 3.1, 9 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- John C. Flood reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.8, Yelp 3.5, 7 BBB complaints in 3 years. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- McCarthy Services reviews and reputation, side by side with SwiftProGoogle 4.5, Yelp 2.0. Beside SwiftPro's 4.4 on Yelp.
- Locally owned HVAC and plumbing companiesEvery one in the report
- HVAC and plumbing from one companyBoth trades on one license
- Maintenance plan prices per visitEvery published plan, by price per visit
Sources
- SwiftPro's 2026 report on Northern Virginia HVAC and plumbing companies
- Virginia DPOR license lookup
- Yelp, each company's Northern Virginia listings, read October 19, 2026
- Google Business Profiles, read October 5, 2026
Read October 19, 2026. Published by SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, which competes with the companies named here. Spot something wrong, or has something changed? Email info@goswiftpro.com and we'll fix it.