Whatcom County, Washington
Where we work, and why the town matters
Four things change as you move around this county: the heating design temperature, whether there is a gas main, who issues the mechanical permit, and what is already heating the house. All four change the quote.
- WA L&I #BELLIHC808NM Active registration — verify it with the state
- $30,000 bonded Surety bond on file with L&I
- $1,000,000 insured General liability coverage
- Local since 2020 Owner-operated in Whatcom County
- We pull the permit City of Bellingham or Whatcom County, and we meet the inspector
A county with four different climates in it
Washington's energy code publishes an outdoor heating design temperature for every station in the state, and Whatcom County covers a genuinely wide spread. Bellingham sits at 19°F. Blaine, twenty-odd miles north on the border, is 17°F. Up the Mount Baker Highway at Glacier it is 13°F. For comparison, Sea-Tac is 24°F — the whole of this county is colder than Seattle.
That is not trivia. A system sized for a Bellingham bungalow is undersized for a Maple Falls cabin, and equipment specced on nameplate capacity at 47°F tells you nothing useful about either. We size against the code design temperature for your actual address and spec on capacity at 5°F.
The second thing that moves is gas. Puget Sound Energy supplies electricity to every address in Whatcom County, which is why the PSE heat pump rebates are on the table everywhere. Natural gas comes from Cascade Natural Gas, and outside the incorporated towns there is often no gas main at all — propane, oil and wood are the norm in the foothills and on the islands. Homes on electric-resistance heat qualify for the biggest rebate in the county. Gas-heated homes qualify for none of PSE's conversion money, because PSE's gas-side rebates require PSE gas service that does not exist here.
Whatcom County
Each page carries that town's design temperature, utilities, permit authority and housing stock.
- Bellingham, WA 91,482 residents · 19°F design temp · 0 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Lynden, WA 15,749 residents · 17°F design temp · 30 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Ferndale, WA 15,048 residents · 19°F design temp · 18 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Birch Bay, WA 10,115 residents · 17°F design temp · 28 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Sudden Valley, WA 6,354 residents · 19°F design temp · 15 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Blaine, WA 5,884 residents · 17°F design temp · 33 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Marietta-Alderwood, WA 4,015 residents · 19°F design temp · 13 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Everson, WA 2,888 residents · 17°F design temp · 28 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Geneva, WA 2,652 residents · 19°F design temp · 12 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Sumas, WA 1,583 residents · 17°F design temp · 40 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Nooksack, WA 1,471 residents · 17°F design temp · 32 min from the shop Cascade Natural Gas
- Point Roberts, WA 1,191 residents · 17°F design temp · 75 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Kendall, WA 769 residents · 13°F design temp · 40 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Custer, WA 518 residents · 17°F design temp · 25 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Deming, WA 339 residents · 13°F design temp · 30 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Peaceful Valley, WA 3,015 residents · 13°F design temp · 42 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Lummi Island, WA 19°F design temp · 40 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Glacier, WA 300 residents · 13°F design temp · 55 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
- Maple Falls, WA 291 residents · 13°F design temp · 45 min from the shop None — propane, oil or all-electric
Bellingham, neighborhood by neighborhood
Bellingham's housing stock changes street by street, and the neighborhood tells you most of what you need to know about the job. A 1920s cottage on baseboard heat with a 100-amp panel and a mid-2000s two-storey with existing ductwork are not the same installation and not the same price.
Skagit County — the I-5 corridor
We take work down the corridor. We do not chase the islands.
Also on the route
We reach these regularly, usually alongside another job in the same corridor: Acme. Call and we will tell you honestly whether we can get to you this week or next.
Full service area: Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Birch Bay, Everson, Nooksack, Sumas, Deming, Custer, Point Roberts, Lummi Island, and the rest of Whatcom County. That is 24 named communities across two counties. If your address is not on the list, ask — the answer is usually yes.
Not sure if you are in our area?
Give us your ZIP and we will tell you straight away.
Ready for a straight answer on your house?
Tell us what you have now and what you want it to do. We will tell you what fits, what it costs, and which rebates you actually qualify for — before anyone comes out.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM · Emergency calls answered 24/7