CAHILL TIMES TWO

Cahill Heating and Cooling recently opened a second location in Palatine to provide faster and more convenient service to the Northwest Suburbs.

For more than 50 years, Cahill Heating and Cooling has been meeting the HVAC installation and repair needs of residents and businesses on the North Shore. Current owners Brandon Delfino and Chris McNelly have established a team of expert technicians whose jobs are to keep houses and businesses from Highland Park to

Evanston comfortable throughout the Midwest changes of seasons.

In an industry that is changing—more independent HVAC shops are being gobbled up by national conglomerates—Cahill maintains a reputation for building close relationships with clients on the North Shore and, increasingly, westward.

“As a local business owner and operator, we live and work in the community. Our kids go to North Shore schools,” Delfino says. “I think without a doubt that is a differentiating factor in our everyday decision-making,” Delfino says. “It’s the driving motivation in everything we do.”

Delfino and McNelly recently opened a second Cahill shop in Palatine to respond to the HVAC needs of its growing customer base in the Northwest Suburbs, including Barrington.

“Our technicians were making the long drive from Lake Bluff and it’s more convenient for us and for our customers to have a place in the area,” Delfino says. “Barrington customers will get the same quality of service Cahill has been providing for decades but we’ll be even closer to them.”

Amidst all of the consolidation in the industry, Cahill remains well-positioned as the best choice for homeowners’ HVAC needs. The company is big enough to get favorable pricing on equipment from manufacturers for customers and nimble enough to continue establishing strong ties to the communities in which it does business. “In the air conditioning business, the number one expense is equipment. With our scale, we pay half of what a guy working out of a truck pays for the same equipment,” Delfino says. “With that margin, it allows us to offer lower pricing.”

“With anything that involves machinery—cars, computers, A/C units—consumers who are unfamiliar with the inner workings or details of how they function are susceptible to being taken advantage of,” Delfino explains. “Conglomerates tend to focus on the unnecessary upsell, whereas locally owned businesses can focus on building trust and long-term relationships with clients.”

With the number one expense in air conditioning being equipment, and consumers have a number of new developments to consider. As of the beginning of this year, the EPA’s new HVAC refrigerant regulations require a switch to more environmentally friendly refrigerants for new HVAC systems. R-410A, a common refrigerant, will be phased out, and systems will need to use alternatives like R-454B or R-32, which have a lower global warming potential.

These changes are leading to increased costs for homeowners when purchasing new HVAC systems due to higher production costs and the need for new technologies.

The good news is there are a number of incentives in place—tax rebates and other rebates from ComEd—that make switching to a new unit more affordable.

“Now is a really good time if you’re thinking about replacing your HVAC unit to have us come out and walk you through the process,” says Delfino. “The incentives are attractive, and the new units will help save on energy costs and function longer.”

They also cut down on noise, an increasing concern for homeowners. New units are much efficient but also quiet.

Delfino says the key for consumers having to make decisions about investing in heating and cooling units is to think long-term.

“They might save money in the short-term by repairing their existing unit but repeat repairs can add up over time and a new unit might be a better option.”

For more information visit cahillheating.com or call 847-582-0222.