HVAC in Chicago, IL: written quotes on one scope

For a Chicago heating or air-conditioning job, describe the work once and request written quotes against that scope. Start with the job questions below, including the local NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 record read 2026-10-17; ask each quote to specify access, materials and disposal.

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources read: 17 October 2026 Latest source read: 3 November 2026 Updated 2026-11-03

Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

For your AI assistant

MCP connector · REST API · plain HTML

Hand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.

MCP connector URLhttps://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp
Agent API (OpenAPI)https://instabids.ai/openapi.json
Start-request linkhttps://instabids.ai/intake?trade=ac&from=hire-hvac--il--chicago&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=hire&page_type=hire&place=chicago%2C+IL#job=heating%20or%20air-conditioning%20job
Prompt for any AI, with your job

Open it in your assistant

Add InstaBids as a connector

Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.

Key facts for hiring an HVAC contractor in Chicago

Heating load: ask for the heating capacity and sizing calculation alongside the cooling specification.
Existing fuel: describe the current furnace, gas connection and venting when requesting a replacement scope.
Compare the proposed work with Chicago's mechanical-work categories before settling the permit scope. Chicago permit FAQ; read 2026-10-17.

How to get written quotes on one scope

Include both heating and cooling in the same scope: Chicago Northerly Is averages 6017.7 heating degree days annually in NOAA's 1991–2020 normals. Ask each quote to identify its heating-load calculation, equipment capacity, venting work and disposal. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; read 2026-10-17.

Describe the job once, using the scope checklist below, built from what we found for Chicago.
Post it on InstaBids and send it.
Every quote is written against the same scope, so they compare line by line.
You choose who gets your number.
Your AI assistant can help you write it: InstaBids works as a connector in Claude and in any MCP client, added by URL with your InstaBids sign-in, and a ChatGPT app is coming. You send the request yourself. Connect an assistant

Your written scope for a heating or air-conditioning job in Chicago

Describe the equipment's current fuel as well as its symptoms. Electricity heats 18.0% (±0.3 points) of occupied Chicago homes in Census ACS 2020–2024. For a repair scope, ask which component is being repaired and whether the proposed work changes equipment, controls or ductwork. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25040); read 2026-10-17.

The equipment: capacity, efficiency rating and model, in writing
The heating side too: Chicago's heating degree days mean the system heats as well as cools
Gas line and venting checks if the system burns gas, as many of Chicago's homes do
Whether your job is the kind Chicago's rule quoted below exempts or the kind it says needs a permit
Removal and disposal of the old parts or materials
Warranty terms on parts and labor, in writing

Do you need a permit for a heating or air-conditioning job in Chicago?

Chicago's permits FAQ (read 17 October 2026): “A building permit is also not required for the following types of work in a residential building up to 4 stories above grade or an associated accessory building (such as a garage) on the same lot: Repairing or replacing (in-kind) a boiler or an element of an associated heating system, such as a radiator Repairing or replacing (in-kind) a furnace or an element of an associated heating system, such as ductwork Repairing or replacing (in-kind) an air conditioning appliance”. Open Chicago's source FAQ

Chicago's permits FAQ (read 17 October 2026): “A building permit is not required for the following types of work in any building:” “Installing, altering, or removing a self-contained refrigeration system containing 10 pounds or less of refrigerant and actuated by motors of 1 horsepower or less (A building permit is required for any hardwired electrical connection.)” Open Chicago's source FAQ

Chicago's permits FAQ (read 17 October 2026): “A building permit is not required for the following types of work in any building:” “Replacing parts of a heating, cooling, or ventilation appliance without altering the function or decreasing efficiency of the appliance”. Open Chicago's source FAQ

What license does an HVAC contractor need in Chicago?

The source page (chicago.gov), in its own words: “Any entity performing construction, demolition, or building rehabilitation work that is not subject to the supervision and control of the general contractor (for example, a person or business that contracts directly with the owner) must have its own license and be listed on the permit.”

Illinois license lookup guide

Plan the heating and cooling scope together

Use the heating and cooling normals cited above as climate context, then ask for a calculation for the building itself. Specify the equipment model, capacity, controls, duct changes and commissioning tasks so each written quote covers the same job.

NOAA records 861.9 annual cooling degree days at Chicago Northerly Is (1991–2020).

Ask which heat source the quoted equipment will use.

NOAA explains: “The degree day is one measure of the weather related energy demand.” Ask for equipment sized to that climate.

Median hourly wage for Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, May 2025: $37.48 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).

This is what workers in this occupation are paid per hour. It is not what a contractor charges for a job.

How does InstaBids work?

InstaBids does not hold payment for the work; you pay the contractor directly on the terms of the bid you accepted.

How is InstaBids different?

Each bidder appears under a stable label such as Contractor A, so you judge the work, not the brand.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.

Sources for the facts on this page

Chicago permits FAQ, read 17 October 2026: www.chicago.gov
chicago.gov, read 2 November 2026: chicago.gov
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (series OEUM001698000000049902108), May 2025, read 17 October 2026: api.bls.gov
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, read 17 October 2026: www.ncei.noaa.gov
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25040), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov
NOAA CPC degree-day definition, read 3 November 2026: www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.