Heat pump installation, mini split retrofits, and maintenance for Novato homes — from Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys to Old Town.
Novato sits in the warm, fog-free north end of Marin, so summer afternoons in Ignacio, Pacheco Valle, and Indian Valley get genuinely hot — and a lot of older homes here were built with a gas furnace and no air conditioning at all. A modern heat pump fixes both problems at once, heating in winter and cooling in summer from one efficient electric system. John Owens Services has installed and maintained heating and cooling across Novato and greater Marin since 1986, sizing every system to the actual house rather than a rule of thumb.
It depends on your home’s size, ductwork, and electrical panel, but most Novato installs are a single-system swap that replaces an aging gas furnace with heating and cooling combined. We give a flat, itemized quote up front and walk you through Marin Clean Energy and BayREN rebates that lower the price.
Often yes. Many Old Town and postwar Novato homes have no usable ductwork, and a ductless mini split conditions individual rooms cleanly without major remodeling — ideal for additions, ADUs, and sunrooms. As a licensed contractor (CA #501853) we handle the mounting, line sets, and electrical in one visit.
Once a year at minimum, and ideally a quick check each spring and fall, since Novato systems work hard cooling in summer and heating in winter. Routine heat pump maintenance keeps efficiency up, catches small issues early, and protects your warranty — we offer same-day service if something’s already acting up.
Yes — that’s the main advantage. A single heat pump replaces your furnace and adds air conditioning, which is exactly why it suits warm, fog-free Novato where many homes were never built with AC.
From the Marin coast to Sonoma wine country, we bring honest plumbing, heating & cooling to homeowners across both counties — based locally since 1986.