Forge

Fourteen quotes across five vendors — that is what one July 2026 customer went through before hiring Forge to replace a dead AC with a heat pump. Forge is an Auburndale, Massachusetts company that says heat pumps are the whole business: system design, installation, service, and the Mass Save rebate paperwork, which it says it can process as an instant rebate for eligible homeowners. On Google it holds 4.9 stars across 112 ratings, with written accounts running from 2021 to now. What customers describe is a job run by named people — a coordinator who stays reachable between visits, an estimator who measures and checks airflow before specifying the system (a September 2025 reviewer watched Dave do exactly that), and install techs customers name in their reviews. A March 2026 customer had a hybrid heat pump and boiler pulled out and replaced with separate Mitsubishi systems for each floor plus a ducted heat pump water heater, and describes the result as quiet. A June 2026 customer, nervous about mini-splits in a 90-year-old house, describes the crew troubleshooting in real time and keeping them updated. Forge also turns up on Reddit under someone else's name. Commenters from 2024 through early 2026 describe hiring Elephant Energy and finding Forge doing the actual install, with Elephant handling the planning and the Mass Save paperwork. One February 2024 commenter said they negotiated a Forge quote from $25,500 down to $20,500 — useful to know before you accept a first number. Where things have gone wrong, it has mostly been after the equipment was in. A September 2025 reviewer gave three stars because the permits were still open 11 months later, with one failed inspection never addressed despite calls and emails. In August 2026 a commenter in r/northshore said Forge didn't finish an install on time and left the house without heat during a cold snap. A February 2025 reviewer was blunter, calling the workmanship terrible and saying the company wouldn't stand behind the warranty. And in June 2024, a homeowner who had spent months planning a basement remodel with Forge, even lining up electrical and plumbing subs, says Forge backed out at the last minute. A June 2025 r/boston commenter framed it as good installation quality with historically mediocre operations, improving, and a service team now in place. That basement job points at older work: a July 2022 reviewer describes two projects with Forge including hardwood floors, skim coating, recessed lighting and new doors and trim. Heat pumps are what the company sells today. If you want a heat pump designed carefully and the Mass Save rebate handled for you, this is squarely their trade. Before signing, get permit close-out and the final inspection written into the contract with a date, ask which coordinator owns your job, and treat the first quote as a starting number.