Our History

Standard Heating & Air Conditioning Company’s history dates back to the 1930’s when people heated their homes with coal-fired furnaces and home air conditioning was a just a dream. Back then it was a roofing company by the name of Standard Roofing Company and was owned by Tom Darnall. In 1939, Landis Williams joined the company to establish the heating side of the business, and it was only a couple of years later that the name was changed to Standard Roofing and Heating Company. During the 1940’s, the heating business grew rapidly due to the service-oriented attitude of Mr. Williams. The Company was called on to manufacture Jeep bumpers and sheet metal lockers for our nation’s submarines during World War II.

In 1949, Mr. Williams purchased the heating division of the Company and named it Standard Heating Company. The Company continued to grow in the heating business and also in the emerging business of air conditioning, which had been invented by Willis Carrier. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1956, Bob Williams joined his father in the business. As a professional engineer, he was able to design the more complicated systems required by the advancing technology in the air conditioning field. By this time, air conditioning was beginning to have a significant effect on the quality of life in the Birmingham area. Now that the problem of the hot summers was solved and offices were becoming air conditioned, more companies were relocating to Birmingham. Bob Williams continued his father’s commitment to quality, both in service and in the installation of new systems. As a result, the company grew to become one of the largest residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning companies in the Birmingham area.

Tom Kime joined the company in 1977 after graduating from Auburn with a degree in Electrical Engineering and then spending seven years with a major air conditioning manufacturer. He became a partner in the business in 1981 and served as vice president until he completed his purchase of the company on January 1, 1996.

During the 1990’s plumbing and generator services were added to meet the needs of Standard’s many customers.

Today, the company is still locally owned and is a recognized leader in the Birmingham area. In addition to servicing all brands of heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and generator systems, Standard installs some of the most efficient, environmentally friendly equipment available on the market today.