Econo Air was founded in 1977 with the idea to help consumers save money on their rising energy bills.

Today, the philosophy of saving money by “saving energy” is still the core belief at Econo Air.
Al Bennett and Gary Flanagan, co-founders of Econo Air, first met while working at Montgomery Wards & Co. After 14 years as outside heating and air-conditioning salesmen, they knew what the people in Bakersfield needed to keep their homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. When energy costs began to skyrocket, they decided to combine their knowledge with their cost-saving ideas and began their business with a small showroom on South Chester near Ming.

Bennett and Flanagan pioneered the idea of adding an evaporative cooling system to an existing air-conditioning system. At that time, it made “cents” to have an alternative to expensive air-conditioning costs, and the evaporative cooling tie-in system was just the answer. Adding to Econo Air’s cost-saving measures, the business included its own sheet metal fabrication operation, so the duct work could be done along with the installation.

Now, with high-efficiency units available, today’s market has seen a dramatic turn-around back to air-conditioning. It is more economical to replace the old A/C unit instead of adding a tie-in option. The newer systems can save up to 63% on energy costs. Econo Air carries the premier products of such brands like American Standard, the industry’s leader in reliable energy-saving, high efficiency heating and air-condition products. Econo Air also leads the industry in indoor air quality products. An indoor air quality product is installed on over 90% of installations. We offer the best whole house air cleaners in the industry such as Accuclean, Aprilaire, and Dynamic Air Cleaners.

Shortly after opening our first showroom, the company expanded to its current location on Union Avenue. Inside you will find an assortment of heating and cooling items on display including wood and pellet free-standing stoves; gas, wood and pellet fireplace inserts; masonry and true-ceramic gas logs and more. Econo Air carries such brand names as Valor, Mendota, Kozy Heat Fireplaces, Heat & Glo Fireplaces, Hearthstone Fireplaces, and Harman to name a few. Econo Air has the largest selection of gas, pellet, and wood fireplace inserts and stoves in Kern County as well as a large selection of hearth accessories.

Econo Air also carries the largest selections of gourmet gas barbecue grills in the county – both built-in and free standing. Featuring brand names like Alfresco, Hestan, Luxor, Broil King, Kamado Joe, and Fire Magic. Econo Air also has a wide assortment of built in accessories on hand to complete your BBQ experience. Along with the freestanding barbecues, Econo Air offers custom outdoor kitchens that are made from design to finish.

Today, as it was in the beginning, Econo Air is dedicated to helping Kern County residents save money on all their energy costs, with an emphasis on quality workmanship, detail, and customer service. For more information, give us a call. Or better yet, come on in and see what’s available! 

Come visit our showroom featuring over 25 live fire displays, grills, and more!