Sometimes, but usually no. The more common cause in 1950s-60s Dunwoody ranches is duct leakage. Original retrofit ductwork from this era got squeezed into attics and crawl spaces that weren't built for it, often with long unsupported runs and seam joints that have loosened over 50+ years. Duct leakage of 20 to 30% is typical, which means a chunk of the cool air you're paying for never reaches the rooms farthest from the air handler. The back bedrooms feel undersized because they're getting the least of whatever air survives the leaks. Duct testing and sealing usually fixes it before any equipment replacement is needed.

Dunwoody incorporated in 2008 and runs its own Community Development department for residential permits. Whether you need a permit depends on what the work involves (ductwork changes, electrical changes, refrigerant line work). We pull permits through Dunwoody Community Development directly and schedule inspections on every install that needs them. For the small number of addresses on unincorporated DeKalb edges, the permit goes through DeKalb County instead. We confirm which one applies before starting.

For a 30-year-old furnace in this climate, the math usually points toward replacement. Three reasons: efficiency (a 30-year-old furnace is running 60 to 70% efficient at best, modern equipment runs 90%+), parts availability (some parts for 1990s furnaces are now hard to find), and the heat pump conversion option. Mild Dunwoody winters mean a heat pump handles most of the heating season fine, with the existing or new gas furnace as backup for polar vortex events like January 2025. The dual-fuel conversion qualifies for GEFA HEAR rebates if you're income-qualified, since replacing a gas-primary system with a heat-pump-primary system counts as electrification.

For air-source heat pumps installed in 2026 or later, no. The federal Section 25C credit expired December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The real savings now come from Georgia's state programs. GEFA's Home Energy Rebates offer up to $16,000 depending on income and energy savings, and Georgia Power's HEIP program offers up to $1,250 in home comfort bundle rebates plus a $1,000 instant rebate on heat pump water heaters. Geothermal still qualifies for the 30% federal credit under Section 25D through 2032.

Depends on what the testing shows. If the existing ducts are intact (no physical damage, no rodent intrusion, no insulation breakdown, no asbestos concerns) and the leakage is happening at seams and joints, Aeroseal duct sealing alone can drop leakage from 25-30% down to 5% or less, and it's a much smaller investment than full replacement. If the ducts themselves are damaged, undersized for modern equipment, or insulated with materials that need to come out anyway, selective or full replacement is the better long-term call. We test first, then recommend.

Most often it's a return-air problem. Older Dunwoody homes were designed with single-zone, single-thermostat systems before basements were typically finished. When the basement got finished decades later, the return air pathways didn't get redesigned, which means the basement cools itself off into the rest of the house. A two-zone retrofit with a dedicated basement return run usually solves it, and the cost is meaningfully less than a full system replacement.

Two reasons. First, the mature tree cover: Dunwoody's established neighborhoods have decades-old pine, oak, and sweetgum that produce heavy pollen February through May. Second, leaky ductwork pulls attic air into the system, and attic air is dustier than indoor air. Sealing the ductwork reduces both the pollen load and the dust load reaching the filter, because the filter isn't filtering attic air on top of indoor air anymore. A MERV 13+ upgrade combined with duct sealing usually fixes it.