Brooks & Brooks HVAC

Brooks & Brooks HVAC is a family owned and operated heating and cooling company at 44 Orange St in Reading, run by owner and president Peter Brooks Madden. BBB records the business as started in 1990 — 36 years — and lists it as a sole proprietorship, while the company's own site says family owned and operated for over 25 years serving the North Shore. It sells, services and installs heating systems, air conditioning, ductless heat pump systems, gas and oil fired water heaters and hot air furnaces, for homes and commercial properties, and offers free estimates. What customers describe is a small shop that answers the phone and finishes the job. In a March 2025 review a homeowner whose boiler died overnight left a message with the answering service at 6am, had a call back from Peter quickly, and had him on site by 11am the same day — he identified the fault, went to buy the part, and fixed it "at a reasonable price". In July 2025 another customer called the crew "Prompt and efficient" and noticed from the bill that the technician had also removed two wasp nests without complaining. A July 2024 reviewer, a customer of five years, wrote that "Peter and team have taken care of our house since we moved in", responding promptly to near-emergencies with both heat and air conditioning. The most detailed account, from August 2024, came from a homeowner who had already paid three other companies between $190 and $300 to get a downstairs AC unit running. The Brooks & Brooks technician took thorough pressure measurements, found the problem, and the system was still working like new two months later. Google publishes a 4.5-star average from eight ratings, so not every customer scored the shop at the top, and the written record is four reviews over 2024–2025 — consistent, but a small base. Two things to settle before you book: BBB shows the business as "Not Rated" because it does not have enough information to issue a grade, which is not a mark against it, and the licences the profile lists — air-conditioning, oil heat, pipefitting, refrigeration and reclaiming — are the business's own statement relayed by BBB, with no numbers attached, so confirm them with the state registry. Ask for the licence and insurance details in writing.