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Air Surge vs Thomas & Galbraith vs Apollo: Lebanon HVAC Companies Compared

Air Surge vs Thomas & Galbraith vs Apollo: Lebanon HVAC Companies Compared

If you live in Lebanon, Ohio and your AC just quit, you’re probably looking at three names: Air Surge, Thomas & Galbraith, and Apollo Home. We’re Air Surge, so this comparison is about as conflicted as it gets — but the honest answer is that all three are real companies that do real work, and the right one depends on what you actually need.

This guide lays out where each company fits for Lebanon homeowners in 2026: service area, response time, pricing model, what each is best at, and the quiet trade-offs nobody mentions in the ads. We’ll be honest about ourselves and honest about them.

Who are the three companies, briefly?

Air Surge Heating & Cooling

  • HQ: Clarksville, OH (Warren / Clinton County line, ~25 minutes from Lebanon).
  • Founded: 2014.
  • Ownership: Veteran-owned, family-operated. Same owner since day one.
  • Trades: HVAC only — heating, cooling, mini-split, indoor air quality.
  • Certifications: Ohio HVAC #22147, Kentucky HVAC #HM06853, Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor, York Certified Comfort Expert, BBB A+.
  • Reviews: 102+ Google reviews, 4.9 stars.
  • Service area: Warren, Clinton, Greene, Butler, Montgomery, Clermont, Hamilton counties.

Thomas & Galbraith Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

  • HQ: Cincinnati, OH.
  • Founded: 1977.
  • Ownership: Subsidiary of The Wrench Group (private-equity-backed home services platform).
  • Trades: HVAC + plumbing + electrical (full home services).
  • Reviews: ~6,900+ Google reviews, 4.7 stars at the time of writing.
  • Service area: Greater Cincinnati, dispatching from a central hub.

Apollo Home

  • HQ: Cincinnati, OH.
  • Founded: 1910.
  • Ownership: Long-established Cincinnati home-services company.
  • Trades: HVAC + plumbing + electrical + drains.
  • Service area: Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Which company actually services Lebanon, Ohio?

All three service Lebanon — but they reach Lebanon differently, and that difference shows up in your wait time and your bill.

  • Air Surge sits 25 minutes from downtown Lebanon. Lebanon is in our core service area, not an outlying zone. Same-day calls placed before noon are normal here.
  • Thomas & Galbraith dispatches Lebanon out of a Cincinnati hub roughly 35–45 minutes away. Lebanon is the edge of their normal route, not the middle.
  • Apollo Home similarly dispatches Lebanon from Cincinnati. Apollo’s primary density is closer to the Cincinnati metro core.

What is the response-time difference for Lebanon AC repair?

The honest 2026 picture for Lebanon, OH:

  • Air Surge: Same-day on weekday calls placed before noon, most Saturdays included. 2–4 hour typical arrival window during peak summer weeks. Fewer trucks, but every truck is in or near Warren County.
  • Thomas & Galbraith: Bigger fleet means more capacity overall, but Lebanon often gets booked into a 1–3 day window during peak weeks because Cincinnati metro dispatches first. They have meaningful 24/7 coverage when their schedule allows.
  • Apollo Home: Similar to Thomas & Galbraith for Lebanon — large, capable, but Lebanon is geographically the edge of their service density. After-hours coverage is real.

The pattern Lebanon homeowners notice: smaller local company — faster on a normal weekday. Big regional company — better for 2am Sunday emergencies that fall completely outside business hours, because they staff overnight.

How do pricing models compare?

Diagnostic / service call fees

  • Air Surge: $89–$129, waived if you proceed with the repair.
  • Thomas & Galbraith: Standardized service-call fees, often discounted on first visits or via membership pricing.
  • Apollo Home: Standard service-call fee, sometimes waived with their membership program.

Repair pricing

All three quote on-site, before the work starts. The honest difference for Lebanon homeowners:

  • Smaller local companies (us) tend to come in lower on routine repairs — capacitors, contactors, fan motors — because there’s less corporate overhead in the price.
  • Larger regional companies (Thomas & Galbraith, Apollo) tend to bundle — service membership programs, multi-trade discounts — that can be a better value for homeowners who want one phone number for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical combined.

Equipment replacement pricing

For full system replacements (a $6,000–$15,000 job in 2026), prices are closer than people expect across the three. The differences usually come from financing terms, brand availability, and the specific tier you’re quoted.

What is each company best at?

When Air Surge is the right fit

  • You’re in Lebanon, Mason, Springboro, Franklin, Centerville, or anywhere in Warren / Clinton / Greene County.
  • You want a same-day weekday repair without bouncing through a regional dispatcher.
  • You have (or are considering) a Mitsubishi ductless mini-split. As a Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor we’re one of the few certified options locally.
  • You have a York system — we’re a Certified Comfort Expert.
  • You want a transparent on-site quote and the same owner accountable for the work.
  • You value a smaller, family-operated company over a large corporate brand.

When Thomas & Galbraith is the right fit

  • You need HVAC, plumbing, and electrical from one company under one phone number — especially convenient for landlords and rental property owners.
  • You’re in Cincinnati metro proper and want the closest, biggest fleet.
  • You’re comfortable with the membership / club model and want bundled pricing.
  • You want a well-established brand with thousands of reviews to read.

When Apollo Home is the right fit

  • You want a long-established Cincinnati brand (1910 founding) and value historic continuity.
  • You need the multi-trade convenience — HVAC + plumbing + electrical + drains.
  • You’re geographically closer to Cincinnati core or Northern Kentucky.
  • You’re looking for after-hours coverage and a deeper bench of trade specialties.

What about reviews?

Review numbers tell two different stories. Thomas & Galbraith’s 6,900+ reviews represent enormous volume across decades and multiple trades — that’s a meaningful trust signal. Apollo’s longevity (since 1910) is its own kind of validation.

Air Surge’s 102+ reviews at 4.9 stars are smaller in volume but tighter in focus — almost all of them are HVAC-only and most are from Lebanon, Mason, Springboro, and the surrounding Warren County cities. For a Lebanon homeowner deciding between us and a Cincinnati-based competitor, those reviews are arguably more useful because they’re from your neighbors.

Read all three on Google. Look for reviews specifically from Lebanon, Mason, or Warren County addresses. The right company for you is the one whose reviews sound like your situation.

Are there any red flags to watch for?

For any HVAC company in Lebanon — us included — there are a few things worth checking before you book:

  • Verify the Ohio HVAC license number. Ohio requires it. Air Surge is #22147. Anyone who can’t produce a number isn’t worth the visit.
  • Confirm pricing is on-site, before the work starts. All three of these companies quote up front. Anyone who won’t commit to a number until the job is done is not the right answer.
  • Be skeptical of pressure to replace on a same-day diagnostic. Replacement decisions are big enough to deserve a second day’s thought. Reputable companies will give you the time.
  • Ask about EPA 608 certification. Anyone touching refrigerant must hold it.

How do you actually decide?

Three questions cut through the comparison fast:

  1. Is this a same-day weekday repair or a 2am Sunday emergency? If it’s same-day weekday, smaller local (Air Surge) usually wins on speed in Lebanon. If it’s 2am Sunday, the bigger regional companies have deeper after-hours benches.
  2. Do you only need HVAC, or do you need plumbing and electrical too? HVAC-only — smaller specialists tend to be sharper on the work. All three trades — Thomas & Galbraith and Apollo bundle that more naturally than we do.
  3. Do you want to talk to the owner, or is a national service operator fine? If you want the owner to know who you are by the second visit, that’s us. If you prefer the consistency of a national-style call center, Thomas & Galbraith and Apollo run that better.

Booking AC or heating service in Lebanon

If Air Surge is the right fit for you, two ways to start:

  • Call (513) 500-3267 — fastest path during business hours (Mon–Fri 7am–7pm, Sat 8am–5pm). The same person who’s answered our phone for 12 years answers it now.
  • Use the contact form at airsurge.net/contact-us — same-business-day response.

If your situation is a better match for Thomas & Galbraith or Apollo — full home services, deep after-hours, Cincinnati core address — book with them. We’d rather help Lebanon homeowners get the right company first time, even when that company isn’t us.