HVAC Service in Coopersburg, PA
Heating and cooling in the borough that leans hardest on delivered fuel
Coopersburg has the oldest housing profile of any borough nearby. The median house dates to 1961, 32.7 percent predates 1940, and 85.0 percent of the stock went up before 1970, the highest pre-1970 share in the region.
Unity Heating & Air Conditioning is based in Macungie and covers Coopersburg regularly. Tyler Furbacher owns the company, walks the job and installs it, which matters where the tank, the flue and the equipment get decided together.
Fuel oil heats 40.3 percent of households here, the heaviest oil dependence in the region. Electricity accounts for 35.0 percent and utility gas for only 20.7 percent, the lowest gas share of any town nearby. Counting propane, 41.4 percent of the borough heats with delivered fuel.
Start with gallons, not with a brochure
Where two households in five burn oil, the first question is rarely which brand of equipment. It is whether leaving oil pays at your house, and that depends on the gallons you go through in a normal winter. The oil savings estimator works from that number.
Two honest routes lead off oil. A natural gas or propane system keeps a familiar fuel and a familiar install. A heat pump ends deliveries and shifts the load onto the electric service. Neither is automatically cheaper, and either can be right on the same street.
Whether gas is even on your block
Only about one household in five here heats with utility gas. Being inside UGI’s territory is not the same as having a main on your street. UGI extends a service line at no cost within 150 feet of an existing main, and past that the run becomes a homeowner expense that can dwarf the equipment.
When the main is out of reach, propane is the realistic alternative rather than a consolation prize. It installs much like gas equipment and uses a tank you already understand from oil, but it costs more per BTU than natural gas.
What leaving oil actually involves
The equipment decision is the easy part. These details take the thought and the budget.
- Tank age and condition, plus the supply line, which decides whether oil heat stays live through the changeover
- Tank location: basement, crawlspace, outside on a pad or underground, each changing access, removal and where equipment can sit
- The flue left behind when an oil appliance comes out, since the chimney is then oversized for whatever remains and often needs lining
- Whether the old boiler also made domestic hot water, because that load has to land somewhere in the new plan
- Where the ducts and piping actually run, which separates a one-day full system replacement from a three-day one
A heat pump on a 1950s or 1960s house
Equipment here is sized against a winter design temperature near 8 F and roughly 5,800 heating degree days, with cooling selected for a summer design temperature around 91 F. On a house built before 1970 the envelope decides the outcome, so the load calculation has to come from your house, not a newer one nearby.
The borough was settled around 1730 as Freyburg and later renamed for Judge Peter Cooper. It sits about seven miles southeast of Allentown, PA Route 309 runs through along Third Street, and the Coopersburg Historic District is on the National Register. In the oldest houses there is no duct chase at all, and ductless mini splits cover heating and cooling room by room. Where oil stays, oil furnaces and oil boilers get cleaned and serviced as usual.
Frequently asked questions about HVAC work in Coopersburg
Do I have to remove the oil tank when I convert?
Not always in the same step, but it has to be decided up front. An outside or underground tank is a different job from one in the basement, and an aging tank and supply line change the sequencing. Keeping oil live until the new system runs is sometimes the safer plan.
What happens to the chimney after the oil appliance comes out?
It usually ends up oversized for whatever is left on it, which is often just the water heater. An oversized flue drafts poorly and condenses, so relining or reworking the venting is a normal part of a conversion. It is a real line item and should be priced with the equipment.
Does the borough require a permit for heating or air conditioning work?
Yes. Coopersburg requires permits for heating and air conditioning work, Barry Isett & Associates serves as the borough’s code agency, and contractors must show current Workers’ Comp coverage. Pennsylvania moved to the 2021 IRC and 2021 IECC on January 1, 2026, so the work is reviewed against that code.
Can a heat pump carry an older house here by itself?
Sometimes, and sometimes the better setup keeps a fuel-fired furnace as backup while the heat pump handles the milder two-thirds of the season. With a design temperature near 8 F, that decision comes down to measured heat loss, capacity at low outdoor temperatures and what the electric service can carry.
Book HVAC service in Coopersburg
Call Unity Heating & Air Conditioning at (267) 644-9516 to get on the schedule, or send the details through the contact page. Repairs, cleanings, oil service, installations and replacements run out of Macungie. Emergency scheduling is available at any hour.
