HVAC Services in Kirkland, WA
NW Mechanical has worked in Kirkland since 1977, and most of what we do here now is not what we were doing twenty years ago. The bulk of our Kirkland work is adding cooling to homes that were never built to accept it, which in practice means a heat pump conversion or a ductless system rather than bolting an air conditioner onto an existing furnace.
This page covers the things that are specific to Kirkland rather than generic: who issues your permit and when you actually need one, why homes in Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate have their permit history in two different places, which Puget Sound Energy rebates you can realistically claim, and the energy code change landing in May 2027. If you would rather just talk to someone, call (206) 900-9231.
Kirkland HVAC services
Every service below has its own page with the detail on equipment, sizing and what the work involves.
Heat pump installation
The most common Kirkland job we do. A heat pump replaces a furnace and adds cooling on the same equipment, which is why it suits houses that have ductwork but no AC.
Also: Air to water heat pumps
Ductless heat pumps
For the Kirkland houses with no usable duct runs, or a converted attic or daylight basement that never got conditioned properly. One outdoor unit, one head per zone.
Also: Mini-split repair
Furnace repair and replacement
Repair, replacement and annual service on gas and electric furnaces. If yours is past twenty years we will tell you what a heat pump would cost alongside a like for like furnace so you can compare.
Also: All heating
Air conditioning
Repair on existing systems, and replacement where a straight AC still makes more sense than a conversion. Outdoor unit placement is the constraint on Kirkland's narrower lots.
Also: AC replacement
Boilers and radiant heat
Hydronic systems turn up in older Kirkland housing and in newer high end builds. We service, repair and replace both, including radiant floors.
Also: Radiant heat
Water heaters
Tank, tankless and heat pump water heaters. The heat pump models need a reasonable volume of air around them, which rules out some of the tighter Kirkland utility closets.
Also: Heat pump water heaters · Tankless
Geothermal
Ground source heat pumps need lot area for the loop field, so in Kirkland it suits the larger lots out toward Bridle Trails and Finn Hill rather than anything close in.
Ductwork and air quality
Rooms that never get warm are usually a distribution problem rather than an undersized furnace. Duct design, returns, zoning, filtration and ventilation.
Also: Indoor air quality · Ventilation
Not listed? See every service we offer.
Do you need a permit for HVAC work in Kirkland?
Usually yes, and the answer is more specific than most contractors will tell you. Kirkland issues its own mechanical permits through the Development Services Center, and applications go through the regional MyBuildingPermit.com portal rather than a Kirkland-only system.
| Permit authority | City of Kirkland Development Services Center |
|---|---|
| How it is filed | Online through MyBuildingPermit.com, the portal shared by Kirkland and most other Eastside cities. Inspections are booked through the same portal. |
| When a mechanical permit is required | Kirkland requires one when "installing, altering, relocating or replacing mechanical systems or fuel gas piping in existing buildings or new buildings (other than new single family residences)". A new house is covered under its own building permit instead. |
| When plan review is not triggered | Kirkland's mechanical permit checklist exempts work "where indoor equipment is replaced in-kind". A straight swap of a furnace for the same type of furnace still needs the permit, but not the plan set. |
| The 400 pound rule | If replacement equipment weighs more than 400 pounds, the checklist calls for structural calculations from a licensed professional. This catches some larger boilers and rooftop units. |
| Electrical work | A heat pump or ductless conversion normally needs an electrical permit as well as a mechanical one. We hold a Washington electrical contractor license, so both come from us rather than a second trade. |
| Utility | Puget Sound Energy supplies both gas and electricity in Kirkland. This matters because the rebate programs below are PSE programs, and they do not apply in Seattle where the electric utility is Seattle City Light. |
We pull the permits on our own work. If you are getting quotes and one of them is noticeably cheaper, it is worth asking whether a permit is included, because an unpermitted install is the kind of thing that surfaces later during a sale.
Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate: your permit history sits in two places
Kirkland annexed Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate on 1 June 2011. Before that date those neighborhoods were unincorporated King County, which has a practical consequence that comes up on almost every job up there.
If your furnace, boiler or water heater was installed before June 2011, the permit record is a King County record, not a City of Kirkland one. Searching Kirkland's permit history will show nothing and it does not mean the work was unpermitted. Anything from June 2011 onward is a Kirkland record. King County's permit records research service states that it "does maintain some records for properties that are annexed or incorporated into a city after finalization of a King County permit", so that is where to start. If you are trying to establish the age or permit status of existing equipment, that is the date to search either side of.
It also affects how you research a house you are buying. If the listing says the furnace was replaced in 2008 and you want to verify it, Kirkland is the wrong place to look. King County holds it.
PSE rebates in Kirkland, and who actually qualifies
Puget Sound Energy runs the rebates in Kirkland. The amounts are real but the eligibility rules are narrower than the headline numbers suggest, and this is where most homeowners are disappointed.
| Electric resistance to air source heat pump | A $1,500 rebate, plus a further $2,400 Efficiency Boost for income qualified households. |
|---|---|
| Gas to heat pump conversion | Up to $4,000 for income qualified customers. |
| The catch most people miss | PSE requires that your current primary heating system is electric resistance, which means an electric forced air furnace, baseboards, wall heaters, or radiant cable, ceiling or floor heat. If you currently have a gas furnace, the standard $1,500 conversion rebate is not available to you. |
| Equipment conditions | The ductless rebate requires an AHRI Certified variable speed mini-split or multi-split using inverter technology, minimum three quarters of a ton, meeting or exceeding the current federal efficiency standard. |
| Installer condition | PSE requires the installing contractor to be a PSE Recommended Energy Professional or PSE Trade Ally. NW Mechanical holds PSE Recommended Energy Professional status, so the work we install qualifies. Confirm current amounts with PSE directly, because these programs change. |
Federal and state incentives can stack on top of the utility rebate depending on the equipment and the year, and a heat pump water heater is a separate program from space heating. Our heat pump rebates page sets out every program side by side, including what disqualifies people most often. We will tell you what your particular house and existing system qualify for before you commit to anything.
The energy code changes in May 2027
Kirkland builds to the Washington State Energy Code. The current edition is the 2021 WSEC, in effect since 15 March 2024. Contrary to a lot of what is written online, it does not mandate heat pumps in new houses. It uses an energy credit system, and an efficient electric heat pump earns enough credits that it is usually the path of least resistance, which is a different thing from a requirement.
That changes. The Washington State Building Code Council has adopted the 2024 residential WSEC with a statewide effective date of 3 May 2027. It brings tighter air leakage testing, revised duct requirements, better window performance, and new heat pump and electric readiness provisions.
If you are replacing equipment in the next eighteen months you are working under the 2021 code and nothing changes for you. If you are planning a remodel, an addition or a new build that will permit after May 2027, the electric readiness provisions are worth designing for now rather than retrofitting later. We are happy to look at a plan set and tell you what the change means for the mechanical scope.
Where we work in Kirkland
The City counts 14 neighborhoods. They do not all present the same HVAC problem, and it is usually the house rather than the zip code that decides the approach.
Waterfront and close in
Moss Bay, Houghton, Market, Norkirk and Lakeview. Older stock, tight lots, and real constraints on where an outdoor unit can sit without becoming a noise complaint. Ductless and slim profile equipment do a lot of work here.
Hilltop and annexed north
Finn Hill, Juanita, Kingsgate and Totem Lake. More lot area and more room for outdoor equipment, and the neighborhoods where pre-2011 permit history sits with King County rather than the City.
East Kirkland
Rose Hill, South Rose Hill, Bridle Trails and Everest. Ramblers with existing ductwork sit alongside larger homes on bigger lots, where getting each floor to the same temperature is usually a zoning question rather than a capacity one.
We also cover the rest of the Eastside and Seattle. See Redmond, Bellevue, Bothell, Woodinville and all service areas.
Kirkland HVAC questions we get asked
Does a straight furnace replacement need a permit in Kirkland?
Yes. Kirkland requires a mechanical permit for replacing mechanical systems in an existing building. What an in-kind indoor replacement avoids is the plan review, not the permit itself.
Can a heat pump actually heat a house through a Kirkland winter?
Yes. Kirkland sits in a marine climate where design temperatures are mild by national standards, and current cold climate heat pumps hold useful capacity well below anything Kirkland sees. The systems that struggled were the ones installed twenty years ago. Sizing and duct capacity matter more than the outdoor temperature.
I have a gas furnace. Do I get the $1,500 PSE rebate if I switch to a heat pump?
Not the standard $1,500 conversion rebate, which requires your existing primary heat to be electric resistance. There is a gas to heat pump program worth up to $4,000, but it is limited to income qualified customers. Worth checking your position with PSE before you budget around it.
Why can I not find a permit for equipment in my Finn Hill house?
Because Finn Hill was unincorporated King County until 1 June 2011. Work permitted before that date is a King County record. Search King County for anything older and Kirkland for anything newer.
Do I need to add air conditioning before selling?
No, but it is increasingly noticed on the Eastside. If you are weighing it, a heat pump conversion tends to make more sense than a bolt on air conditioner, because it replaces the heating equipment you will eventually have to replace anyway.
Talk to us about your Kirkland house. We will look at the existing system, the duct capacity and the electrical service before quoting, because that is what decides whether a conversion is straightforward or not.
Call (206) 900-9231 or request an estimate.
Permit requirements from the City of Kirkland Development Services Center mechanical permit process and mechanical permit checklist. Annexation date from City of Kirkland Ordinance 4296. Rebate amounts and conditions from Puget Sound Energy. Code editions and effective dates from the Washington State Building Code Council. Rebate amounts and code dates change, so confirm current figures with PSE and the City before relying on them. Last reviewed September 2026.
Licensed, Bonded and Insured in Kirkland
Each license can be looked up individually on the Washington State L&I contractor register.
Mechanical permits here are issued by the City of Kirkland building division, and we pull them for the work we do. Natural gas and electricity are supplied by Puget Sound Energy.
If you ever smell gas, leave the building first and call Puget Sound Energy on 1-888-225-5773 before you call us.
