Keyes North Atlantic, Inc.

Keyes North Atlantic is a Newton design-build contractor that's been family-run since the early 1950s — BBB puts the founding at 1952, the company's own site says 1953 — currently led by President Susan Keyes. It handles HVAC, electrical, and related systems work across Greater Boston, and lists itself as a MassSave authorized participant and a member of trade groups including ACCA and NFPA. Google shows a 3.6★ average from 17 ratings. The record is genuinely mixed. A July 2026 review described a full heat-and-AC system replacement done quickly and at a reasonable price after the old system failed outright. In a 2024 review, a customer said Keyes delivered on both a heat pump/HVAC installation and separate electrical upgrades, with team leads who communicated well throughout; another described a difficult HVAC installation in a basement, and said they'd used Keyes for electrical and HVAC work for years. Another 2024 review about an AC replacement praised the crew's professionalism and said that when a unit developed a leak weeks after installation, Keyes was out first thing the next business day to fix it. There are real complaints too. In an August 2024 review, a customer objected to the pricing structure — $218 for the first half hour and $145 an hour after that, applied even to a job that took roughly 30 minutes. More seriously, a 2023 review described a wrong-size filter installed and taped over without disclosure, discovered only months later when dust was blowing from the vents, plus a refrigerant overcharge the customer said risked compressor damage and left them without AC for days during peak summer heat, compounded by repeated rescheduling and a misdiagnosis the company blamed on another contractor brought in for a second opinion. Given both sides show up in the record — strong, responsive work on one hand and a serious installation complaint on the other — it's worth asking pointed questions about hourly billing and getting installation details in writing before signing off on a job.