- Founded in 2005
- Family-Owned & Local
- Honest & Transparent
- Mount Gilead, NC
- Heating & Cooling Specialists
- Residential & Commercial
Star sits at the exact geographic center of North Carolina — there's a marker that proves it. The town's other landmark is STARworks, the nationally known clay, glass, and craft-arts center housed in the old Star hosiery mill off Russell Drive. Those mill kilns and glass furnaces run hot, but the homes and shops around town still need a comfort system that holds up to a Piedmont summer. That's where we come in.
We're EM Contractors LLC, a family-owned HVAC company based in Mount Gilead, about 22 miles south of Star up US-220. Eric Mabe runs the crew, and his father Roger has worked on heating and air in Montgomery County for decades. We've been doing this since 2005. When your AC quits in July or your furnace won't light on a cold January morning, you get a real local technician — not a call center two states away.
Central North Carolina summers are long, humid, and close to 90 degrees for weeks at a stretch. That heat and moisture are why heat pumps run the show here and why humidity is the real stressor on local systems: long compressor run-times, condensate that has to drain, and outdoor units that fight corrosion year-round. We size, install, and fix systems for exactly this climate. We tell you the honest truth about what your system needs, and we charge a fair price to do it right.
Local HVAC in Star
Star is in northern Montgomery County, ZIP 27356, roughly 22 miles north of our Mount Gilead shop along the US-220 corridor toward Asheboro. The housing here runs from the older mill-village homes near the former hosiery mill — some of them tight, two-story frame houses that predate central ductwork — to newer ranch homes and rural properties spread along NC-705 and the surrounding farmland. That mix matters for HVAC. Older homes without good duct runs are often perfect candidates for ductless mini-splits, while the newer builds usually run heat pumps that thrive in our USDA Zone 8a climate of hot, humid summers and mild winters that rarely drop below 20 degrees. With about 50 inches of rain a year, condensate drainage and outdoor-unit corrosion are things we watch closely on every Star service call.
HVAC in Star: What We See Locally
Here is a wrinkle about Star that the brochures skip: a lot of northern Montgomery County sits off the natural gas main. Once you get out past town along NC-705 toward Seagrove and the pottery country, or down the back roads toward Biscoe, heating runs on a propane (LP) furnace, an electric furnace, or a straight heat pump. We service all three and we will give you the honest math on which one is bleaking money. The old two-story frame houses in the mill village are their own puzzle too. They were built before central air, so a single system often fights to keep the upstairs cool while the downstairs runs cold. We balance those, add a zone or a mini-split head where it makes sense, and stop you from chasing comfort with the thermostat alone.\n\nThe humidity is the real work here, not the cold. Star sits high in the Uwharrie Piedmont, and those long, sticky summers near 90 keep a compressor running for hours just to wring the water out of the air. That run-time clogs condensate lines and rusts outdoor cabinets, especially units tucked in damp, shaded yards on the rural lots out toward Seagrove. STARworks and the downtown shops in the old hosiery mill have their own light-commercial loads to manage, and the local churches need a system that holds a full sanctuary on a humid Sunday. We watch the drain path, rinse the coil, and catch corrosion early on every Star call, because around 50 inches of rain a year does not forgive a neglected unit.
Why Star Chooses EM Contractors
Star homeowners and businesses call us because we treat them the way we'd want a neighbor to treat us. We're a small, family-owned crew, so the person who looks at your system actually knows it — no rotating subcontractors. We work on all major makes and models, from heat pumps and gas or oil furnaces to ductless mini-splits and water heaters, and we've installed and serviced everything from single-family homes to local businesses and churches. We explain the problem in plain language, give you an honest recommendation instead of an upsell, and back it with quality work at a fair price. When you need us, we do our best to be there fast — often same-day or next-day depending on the schedule and the season.
HVAC Services Available in Star
Whatever your comfort system needs, we bring the full range of heating and cooling service to your door.
Nearby Areas We Also Serve
Trusted by Homeowners Near Star
Real, verified reviews from the people we serve across the Mount Gilead area.
“I have known the Mabe family for 65 years. Father Roger and son Eric have for 30 years provided to me excellent A/C installation and service. EM Contractors are knowledgeable, prompt and courteous. I highly recommend the company.”
“Excellent service. I called in the afternoon and someone was at my house within an hour. Would definitely recommend!”
“EM Contractors quickly responded to our call for help. Quickly diagnosed the problem, and expertly installed a new Heil Performance Gas Furnace/Heat Pump combination packaged unit. We are grateful for his work.”
Helpful HVAC Tips & Guides
Star HVAC Questions
Yes. AC repair is one of our most common calls, and we make the 22-mile run up from Mount Gilead to Star regularly. We find the real cause of the problem, explain it in plain language, and fix it right the first time on any make or model.
Star is about 22 miles north of our Mount Gilead shop up US-220, so it's well within the area we cover. We do our best to help quickly and often provide same-day or next-day service depending on the schedule and time of year. Call us as soon as your system goes out and we'll tell you how fast we can be there.
Our central North Carolina climate — long, humid summers and mild winters that rarely dip below 20 degrees — is ideal for heat pumps. One system handles both heating and cooling efficiently, which is why they dominate here. We install, repair, and maintain heat pumps of every brand.
Absolutely. A lot of the older homes near the former hosiery mill were built without central ductwork. Ductless mini-splits are a clean, efficient fit for those houses, as well as for additions, garages, and shops. We size, install, and service them.
Our long, humid Piedmont summers force systems to run for hours, and that moisture leads to clogged condensate drains, frozen coils, and outdoor-unit corrosion. A yearly maintenance visit catches these problems early. If your AC is running but not keeping up, give us a call and we'll find the exact cause.
A lot of northern Montgomery County, especially out along NC-705 toward Seagrove and the rural lots around Star, has no natural gas line. So heating comes down to a propane (LP) furnace, an electric furnace, or a heat pump. For most homes up here a heat pump is the most efficient choice in our mild winters, and it cools you all summer too. If you already run propane or electric, we will service it and give you the honest math on whether switching is worth it. No pressure either way.
Yes, and it is a common call in the old two-story frame homes around the village. Those houses were built before central air, so one system often leaves the upstairs hot while the downstairs runs cold. We figure out whether it is a duct-balancing problem, an undersized system, or a spot that just needs its own ductless mini-split head. Then we fix the real cause instead of having you fight it with the thermostat. We will tell you straight what it needs.
Yes. Along with homes, we do light-commercial work for shops, offices, and churches around Star and the rest of Montgomery County. A sanctuary that has to hold steady through a humid Sunday service, or a downtown storefront in the old mill, has different load needs than a house, and we size and service for that. We are family-owned, we explain the work in plain language, and we charge a fair price whether it is a home or a business.
Need HVAC Service in Star, NC?
Call EM Contractors LLC for honest heating and cooling service in Star and the surrounding communities.