Deep Shade Air Co. (760) 555-0147 Demo site by MaxiaBuild

1:52 PM · Palm Desert · 114°F · No cool

Same-day AC repair, Palm Springs to Indio.

AC quit in the heat? Call or text by 2 PM and a tech is at your door today. $89 diagnostic, credited to the repair.

From our Palm Desert shop to every city in the Coachella Valley.

Book today's visit Call (760) 555-0147 or text us

4.9 from 212 reviews · CSLB C-20 #1000000 · Licensed, bonded, insured · Financing

A white mid-century house with breeze-block screen and an AC condenser on a bright afternoon in Palm Desert, bare mountains in heat haze behind it and an empty street in front.

11 min · Hwy 111 west

2:40 PM · Rancho Mirage · 116°F · Capacitor

No cool at 116°. Most days it's one part.

When the outdoor unit hums and the fan won't spin, it is usually a run capacitor that cooked in the heat. Omar carries them on the van.

A gloved hand holding a swollen run capacitor next to an open condenser against a stucco wall, mountains behind — Rancho Mirage, 2:40 PM. Swollen run capacitor. 25 minutes, $265.

What quits in the heat

Run capacitor: $225 to $395
Contactor: $225 to $425
Condenser fan motor: $450 to $850
Refrigerant leak search, then repair and recharge: $195 to $395, then $450 to $1,500
Frozen coil from a clogged filter: sometimes $0: swap the filter

Typical ranges, not quotes. $89 diagnostic, credited toward any repair. Nights, weekends and holidays +$129.

Before we get there

Set the thermostat to Cool and a few degrees lower, once.
Check the breaker once. Don't keep resetting it.
If the outdoor unit hums but the fan won't spin, turn the system off at the thermostat.
Swap the filter if it's gray.
Close the west-facing blinds.
Riverside County Cool Centers are open June 1 to October 15. Call 211 for the nearest one.
Anyone dizzy, confused or not sweating in the heat: call 911.

9 min · Hwy 111 west

3:30 PM · Cathedral City · 117°F · Repair or replace

Fix it, or replace it? Three taps and a straight answer.

A sun-bleached 1998 condenser on a cracked pad against a stucco wall

The same side yard with a new heat pump on a fresh pad

Full replacement, split and ducted, installed. Permit and HERS test included. Typical, from
Size	Good 14.3 to 15.2 SEER2	Better 16 to 17 SEER2, two-stage	Best 18+ SEER2, variable-speed
3-ton	$8,900	$10,900	$13,400
4-ton	$10,500	$12,900	$15,900
5-ton	$12,200	$14,900	$18,500

A heat pump instead of an A/C and furnace: add $800 to $2,000 to the same tier. Rooftop package units run $9,500 to $16,500, crane and curb adapter extra.
Every replacement in Climate Zone 15 needs a permit and a HERS rater to verify duct leakage, airflow and refrigerant charge. We pull it; it's in the price.
The EPA dropped the January 2026 install deadline for R-410A split systems built before 2025 (final rule May 2026). New systems use A2L refrigerants, R-454B or R-32. Your R-410A system can still be repaired.
Federal minimum for a new split A/C here: 14.3 SEER2 and 11.7 EER2 (under 45,000 Btu/h).

4:02 PM · Hwy 111 west · 117°F

The hardest room in the valley to cool is the one facing west.

4:15 PMPalm Springs117°FThe room that won't cool

Point the camera. Find where the heat gets in.

Omar's thermal camera on a Palm Springs bedroom that never gets below 84°F. Move the lens, or just keep scrolling.Drag the lens, tap the room, or keep scrolling.Move the lens, or tap Show me on any finding.

A white Palm Springs bedroom at 4:15 PM: a wall of west-facing sliding glass onto a pool and bare mountains, sun across the terrazzo floor, a supply register, two can lights and an attic hatch in the ceiling, a thermostat on the sunlit right wall. — The room

The same room through a thermal camera: the west glass glows orange, the two can lights and the rim of the attic hatch burn yellow, the supply register stays a lukewarm purple, the thermostat sits in a warm stripe of sun, and the door in the foreground is the coolest thing in view. — Through the thermal camera, 76°F to 120°F

The photo shows the room; the lens shows the same spot in infrared, with the temperature at the crosshair. Six hot spots are hidden in the room; each one you find is added to the findings list.

Findings

Found 6 of 6

It should be blowing about 58°F. The duct feeding this room runs through an attic that can pass 140°F, and it is leaking or crushed.

Fix: duct leakage test and sealing, mastic $650 to $1,900 or Aeroseal $1,900 to $3,900.
Old recessed cans pull attic air straight into the room.

Fix: seal and cover them, attic air sealing $450 to $1,200.
No weatherstrip, no insulation on the lid.

Fix: part of attic air sealing, $450 to $1,200.
The insulation stops short of the top of the west wall.

Fix: blown-in insulation, $1.25 to $2.50 per sq ft.
Afternoon sun turns a wall of glass into a radiator.

Fix: exterior shade screens (we refer a shade partner), and if the room still won't hold 78, a ductless head for this room, $3,900 to $6,500.
It sits in a stripe of afternoon sun, so it thinks the house is hotter than it is and runs the A/C long while the other rooms get cold.

Fix: move it or add a remote sensor, smart thermostat installed $249 to $449.

Two of these are the A/C system. Four are the house. A comfort audit finds all of them in an hour.

Book a comfort audit, $195 credited toward the work Text me these findings

38 min · I-10 east

A small white guest casita with a wood door, agave and palms, mountains behind

Inside the casita: a ductless head on the wall above a window that frames a palm — La Quinta, 5:30 PM. One ductless head, no new ducts.

5:30 PM · La Quinta · 115°F · A casita

A casita that stays cool, without running new ducts.

A ductless mini-split puts a quiet head on the wall and a small unit outside. One line through the wall, no attic work.

1 zone: $3,900 to $6,500
2 zones: $6,500 to $9,500
3 zones: $9,000 to $13,500
4 zones: $12,000 to $17,000

A heat pump is an A/C that also heats. In the desert it replaces a furnace you use a few dozen nights a year, and it adds $800 to $2,000 to the same system tier.

Rebates that are actually open

Who sends your electric bill? SCE IID Not sure

Open to Dec 31, 2026IID customersIID Energy Rewards$125, $200 or $300 per ton by efficiency tier, $200 per mini-split, $50 smart thermostat, $0.30 per sq ft attic insulation. Up to $5,000 a year and 50% of cost.
Income-qualifiedSCE customersSCE Energy Savings AssistanceA no-cost A/C or heat pump replacement for income-qualified households, for example up to $39,900 household income for 1 person or $82,500 for 4 (June 2026 to May 2027).
Fully reservedEveryoneTECH Clean California heat pump incentiveFully reserved since Nov 14, 2025.
Fully reservedEveryoneHEEHRA, the state IRA rebatesFully reserved statewide since Feb 24, 2026.
EndedEveryoneFederal 25C tax creditEnded for systems installed after Dec 31, 2025.

Status checked September 2026. Programs change; we check yours at the visit.

Or book a visit and we'll check your rebates at the house

14 min · Hwy 111 east

6:45 PM · Indio · 111°F · Tune-up

Last stop, a tune-up. Here's who's on the truck.

Four crew members talking beside the white service van in front of a mid-century house — **Rosa Nuñez** dispatch **Omar Haddad** lead tech **Kip Brandt** install lead **Luz Tafoya** owner, since 2011

Shade Club

$15 a month or $179 a year

Two visits a year: spring cooling, fall heat pump or furnace
10% off repairs
Priority same-day service, diagnostic waived
One system; +$119 per extra system

A tune-up on its own is $149 per system; members pay $0.

Join the Shade Club

Back in October?

We'll start the system and check it before you land, so the first hot day isn't the day you find out it sat five months with a mouse nest in it.

Or book the start-up now

Fall program

Free, at the shop or a finished home. Tap a program block to save a seat.

Thu Oct 15 · 6:00 to 7:30 PMHeat pump and rebate nightAt the shop, 73-455 Caliche Way, Suite C, Palm Desert
Sat Oct 24 · 9:00 to 11:00 AMSnowbird start-up clinic: before you switch it back onA finished La Quinta home (address sent with your RSVP)
Wed Nov 4 · 6:00 to 7:00 PMKeep a casita cool: a mini-split workshopAt the shop
Sat Nov 14 · 8:00 AM to 12:00 PMFilter and thermostat swap morningAt the shop. Bring your filter size.

Questions we get on every stop

How much does AC repair cost in Palm Desert?

Most repairs we do in the heat run $225 to $850: a capacitor $225 to $395, a contactor $225 to $425, a condenser fan motor $450 to $850. A refrigerant leak is a leak search ($195 to $395), then a repair with recharge ($450 to $1,500). The diagnostic is $89 and it's credited toward any repair. Nights, weekends and holidays add $129.

Can you come today?

Usually. Call or text by 2 PM and a tech is at your door today; today's open windows are listed at the Rancho Mirage stop. From May through October dispatch runs 24/7, and after-hours visits add $129.

Should I repair or replace my 15-year-old AC?

Use the $5,000 rule: multiply the age in years by the repair quote. Over 5,000, replace; 3,500 to 5,000, get both prices. At 15 years, a repair over about $333 tips it. If it runs on R-22, replace it: reclaimed R-22 is $175 a pound. A new 3-ton system starts at $8,900 with the permit and HERS test included.

Is R-410A being banned?

No. You can keep repairing an R-410A system. In its May 2026 final rule the EPA dropped the January 2026 install deadline for R-410A split systems built before 2025. New systems use A2L refrigerants, R-454B or R-32. R-410A is $85 a pound here; R-454B and R-32 are $95.

Are there rebates for a heat pump in the Coachella Valley in 2026?

Some. The federal 25C tax credit ended for systems installed after Dec 31, 2025. TECH Clean California has been fully reserved since Nov 14, 2025, and HEEHRA since Feb 24, 2026. If IID sends your bill, IID Energy Rewards is open through Dec 31, 2026: $125 to $300 per ton, $200 per mini-split, up to $5,000 a year. If SCE does, Energy Savings Assistance replaces an A/C or heat pump at no cost for income-qualified households.

Do I need a permit to replace my AC?

Yes. Every replacement in Climate Zone 15 needs a permit and a HERS rater to verify duct leakage, airflow and refrigerant charge. We pull the permit and book the rater; both are in the price.

Why is one room always hotter?

Usually it's the house, not the A/C: west glass, a leaking attic duct starving the register, can lights and an attic hatch letting attic heat in, or a thermostat in the sun. Point the thermal camera at the Palm Springs stop to see all six. A comfort audit is $195, credited toward the work.

What does the Shade Club include?

$15 a month or $179 a year for one system, plus $119 per extra system: two visits a year (spring cooling, fall heat pump or furnace), 10% off repairs, priority same-day service and the diagnostic waived. A tune-up on its own is $149.