Commercial HVAC Contractors in Texas

An air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). A Class B license is limited to cooling systems of 25 tons or less and heating systems of 1.5 million BTU per hour or less; a Class A license covers any size. Projects with larger systems need a Class A contractor.

TDLR licenses carry an endorsement: environmental air conditioning for comfort cooling and heating, commercial refrigeration for systems like walk-in coolers and freezers, or process cooling or heating for equipment and production. Ask bidders for their license number and check that the endorsement matches your project.

With a commercial load calculation, such as ACCA Manual N for light commercial buildings or an engineer's ASHRAE-based calculation for larger ones, not a rule of thumb. Ask each bidder how they sized the equipment; bids that skip this step are hard to compare and often undersized for Texas summers.

Exhaust and makeup air are usually designed and installed by the mechanical contractor, but the fire suppression system inside a Type I hood must be installed by a company licensed by the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office. Make sure your bids say who is responsible for each part.

Standard office or retail spaces typically run $15–$40 per sq ft. Restaurant HVAC with kitchen ventilation can run $40–$80+ per sq ft, and large warehouse ventilation varies by scope. Rooftop unit replacements are priced mostly by tonnage, crane access and any curb or duct changes.