Lennox Premier Dealer Serving Lake County, IL

Communities we serve in Lake County

GSHA’s published service area covers these Lake County communities: Antioch, Deerfield, Grayslake, Gurnee, Highland Park, Ingleside, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Villa, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Mundelein, Round Lake, Vernon Hills, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan and Zion. Four more are on the list but straddle a county line: Barrington and Buffalo Grove extend into Cook County, and Fox Lake and Island Lake extend into McHenry County. Coverage follows the ZIP code, so the county line does not change whether you are on the list, but it does decide which permit office and, in some cases, which gas utility you deal with. Ingleside is unincorporated, so its permits run through Lake County rather than a village hall.

GSHA crews have also worked recently in North Chicago, Winthrop Harbor, Beach Park, Kildeer, Deer Park, Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods. Their names do not appear on the published list, although several share listed ZIP codes (60047, 60010, 60083, 60096 and 60099); if you live in one of them, or anywhere in the county not named above, please confirm coverage for your address when you call (224) 220-3660. The full ZIP-code list is on the GSHA service area page.

Lennox equipment guidance for Lake County homes

Furnaces. With utility gas in roughly 83 percent of Lake County homes, the furnace decision is mostly efficiency tier and venting. AFUE is the share of the gas you buy that becomes heat in the house over a season. A Lennox ML180EK is rated up to 80% AFUE and is the non-condensing option; the ML296VK and EL296V are rated up to 96% AFUE, the EL297VK up to 97% AFUE, and the Dave Lennox Signature Collection SLP99VK, a modulating furnace, up to 99% AFUE. The 96-to-99 percent models are condensing furnaces that need PVC intake and exhaust pipes and a condensate drain, so the vent route, and a check on any water heater left alone on the old chimney, is worked out on the estimate rather than assumed. Both gas utilities tier their furnace rebates at 95 and 97 percent AFUE, so the model choice also picks the rebate tier.

Heat pumps and dual fuel. About 15 percent of Lake County homes heat with electricity and about 1 percent with propane; those are the strongest candidates for a Lennox heat pump with a matched air handler. The cold-climate SL22KLV is rated up to 21.10 SEER2, 13.2 EER2, and 10.50 HSPF2, and the EL21KLV up to 20.50 SEER2 and 10.00 HSPF2 (HSPF2 is the heating-season figure, SEER2 the cooling-season one). Gas-heated homes can go dual fuel, pairing a heat pump with a gas furnace so the heat pump carries mild weather and the furnace takes over in deep cold; the SLP99VK, EL297VK, ML297VK and ML296VK are all listed as dual-fuel capable. Ratings are for matched systems, so the indoor unit affects the number your system actually earns. Current K-series outdoor units use the 2025-compliant refrigerant R-454B; GSHA services older R-410A equipment but installs the current generation. ComEd’s heat-pump discounts are applied at the point of sale through heat-pump-trained contractors, with eligibility requirements that ComEd sets, so ask GSHA or ComEd what is available before you decide.

Mini-splits and thermostats. For an addition, a sunroom, a finished basement or an older home with no ductwork, Lennox mini-splits Powered by Samsung avoid opening walls: the MWLD cold-climate single-zone system is rated up to 25.00 SEER2 and 11.00 HSPF2, and the MMLD multi-zone system up to 23.00 SEER2 and 10.50 HSPF2. Thermostats are not interchangeable: the Lennox S40 works with premium Lennox communicating equipment only and handles dual-fuel changeover automatically; the E40 is listed for 3-heat/2-cool heat pump or 2-heat/2-cool conventional systems; the M40 works with multi-stage non-communicating equipment; and the L40 is a Merit Series Wi-Fi thermostat whose compatibility GSHA confirms per system. Whatever the model, GSHA confirms the match to your equipment before it goes on the wall. Both gas utilities offer a smart-thermostat rebate, and ComEd’s requires a ComEd residential delivery account, an ENERGY STAR model, working Wi-Fi and a compatible central air conditioner, heat pump or electric heating system.

Sound and indoor air. Where the outdoor unit will sit close to a neighbor’s window, read the unit’s published sound rating: the SL25KCV air conditioner is rated as low as 58 dB, the EL22KCV as low as 60 dB, the EL18KSLV heat pump as low as 54 dB, and the two-stage ML17KC2 as low as 73 dB. Mundelein’s noise ordinance measures at the lot line and exempts HVAC systems in good repair and operating within manufacturer’s specifications; the two figures are not the same measurement, but a quieter rating gives more margin next to a neighbor’s window. For indoor air, the Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16 is a MERV 16 media air cleaner that, in lab tests, removes up to 99.99% of particles down to 3 microns and up to 95% down to 0.3 microns, and a whole-home bypass or power humidifier adds moisture in the heating season, when houses run dry, static builds and woodwork shrinks. These are comfort and filtration products described in Lennox’s own terms; GSHA makes no health claims for them.

Permits, utilities and installation considerations

Permits and inspections. Furnace, air conditioner and heat pump replacements in Lake County are permitted and inspected by the municipality your address sits in, or by the county if you are unincorporated (where a like-for-like AC swap may be a registration instead). GSHA prepares the application and schedules the inspections. What the local pages we checked say:

• Unincorporated Lake County (Ingleside and other unincorporated areas): Lake County Planning, Building and Development (500 W Winchester Rd, Unit 101, Libertyville; 847-377-2600; online Permit ePortal) requires a building permit for installing or altering any equipment regulated by the building, electrical or mechanical code (Building Permits). A like-for-like air conditioner swap can be filed as a registration instead of a permit only if the new unit sits no closer to any lot line than the old one, meets the Illinois Energy Conservation Code and the property has no active code violation; furnace replacement is not on that list and is permitted as mechanical work, and moving a condenser pad is a permit item.
• Village of Lake Bluff: The Community Development Department’s Building Division (847-283-6885) requires building permits for all projects that alter or improve a property, issues them from Village Hall, and requires every contractor working in the Village to hold a Village contractor’s license (Building Permit Process). The permit application has an HVAC contractor line, and the Village enforces the 2018 International Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2017 National Electrical Code and the 2024 IECC with Illinois amendments (Adopted Building Codes).
• Village of Libertyville: The Building Division (325 N Milwaukee Ave, Suite 203; 847-918-2020; building@libertyville.com) reviews plans, issues permits and inspects. Its Residential Permits page requires, for air conditioning, a plat of survey showing the unit location, the HVAC contract, the unit specification sheet and the application, and the page refers to screening for new or replacement units; for furnace replacement it requires the contractor’s proposal and a plat showing the vent location, and states that high-efficiency furnaces shall vent to the rear yard or through the roof. The online permit page accepts mechanical (AC and furnace replacement) and electrical service upgrade applications by email.
• Village of Grayslake: The Building Department (10 S Seymour Ave; 847-223-8515; permits@villageofgrayslake.com) says almost all building or property changes need a permit and names HVAC as an example; contractors do not register with the Village (Building FAQs). In the Prairie Crossing subdivision you still apply to the Village, which issues the permit, but Lake County performs the plan review and inspections under the annexation agreement. The Village’s construction handout limits work to 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturdays and takes next-business-day inspection requests by 4:00 p.m.
• Village of Mundelein: The Building Department (300 Plaza Circle; 847-949-3283; building@mundelein.org; BS&A online portal) requires a permit for a central air conditioner (window units are exempt), with an electronic plat of survey showing the compressor location and the unit cut sheets; inspections need 48 hours’ notice, and every permit carries an application fee (Homeowner Project Guide; Building & Construction Permits). The July 2026 guide and the April 2024 fee schedule list different air-conditioner permit fees, so GSHA confirms the current fee when it applies.

Placement and noise rules. Mundelein’s Municipal Code 20.52.060(K) allows ground-based HVAC equipment only in the interior side or rear yard, at least five feet from the rear lot line and three feet from an interior side lot line, never in the front or corner side yard, and completely screened where visible from an adjoining lot or the street; the Village’s project guide adds that the electrical disconnect must be within sight of the compressor and not behind it unless 36 inches of clearance is left. Mundelein’s noise chapter 9.08 caps residential sound at the lot line at 55 dBA at night (10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) and 60 dBA by day, exempting HVAC systems in good repair and operating within manufacturer’s specifications. Libertyville requires the air conditioner location on the plat of survey, its permit page refers to screening for new or replacement units, and its Zoning Code Sec. 26-12-2 applies octave-band sound limits adapted from Illinois Part 901, measured within the receiving residence, without naming air conditioners. Unincorporated Lake County’s registration route keeps the replacement unit no closer to any lot line than the existing one. We could not verify a condenser setback or noise rule for Lake Bluff, and found none published for Grayslake, so GSHA confirms placement with the village at permit time.

Utilities. Lake County has two natural-gas utilities and one electric utility. North Shore Gas serves the eastern and central county (its ICC tariff lists Deerfield, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Vernon Hills and Zion, among others), and Nicor Gas serves the western and northwestern county (Barrington, Fox Lake, Ingleside, Lake Zurich, Round Lake and Wauconda, among others). Antioch, Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Villa, Mundelein and Waukegan appear on both companies’ lists, so the utility, and the rebate program with it, depends on the specific address; your gas bill or Nicor’s ZIP lookup tool settles it. ComEd delivers electricity across the whole county, and Lake County has no municipal electric utility.

How rebates work. Both gas utilities tier their furnace rebates by AFUE, one level at 95 percent or higher and a higher level at 97 percent or higher, and each offers a smart-thermostat rebate; Nicor requires the application within 90 days of installation and no later than January 31, 2027, and North Shore Gas requires new equipment, with the existing equipment removed or permanently disconnected. ComEd offers heat-pump discounts at the point of sale through heat-pump-trained contractors and a smart-thermostat rebate for current ComEd residential customers, and says its offers are subject to change. Amounts and deadlines move, so check current eligibility with ComEd, Nicor Gas or North Shore Gas, and ask GSHA which programs your equipment qualifies for.

Gas, electrical and what GSHA handles. GSHA runs or modifies the gas piping to the new furnace, installs the condensate drain and the venting, and its own licensed electricians handle the circuit, the outdoor disconnect and any panel work a heat pump or air handler needs. Start to finish, GSHA performs the load calculation and sizing, supplies and installs the equipment, pulls the permit, schedules and attends the inspections, commissions the system, walks you through it and registers the Lennox warranty.

Recent GSHA work in Lake County

GSHA crews have recently worked on jobs in Lake Bluff, Libertyville, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Deerfield, Highland Park, Lincolnshire, Waukegan, Zion, Antioch, Round Lake and Lake Zurich, and also in North Chicago, Winthrop Harbor, Beach Park, Kildeer, Deer Park, Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods, whose names are not on the published list even though several share listed ZIP codes; homeowners there should confirm coverage for their address.

More Lennox pages

Lennox Premier Dealer in Northern Illinois (main page) · Lennox furnaces · Lennox air conditioners · Lennox heat pumps · Lennox mini-splits · Lennox thermostats

Other counties

• McHenry County, ILWoodstock office
• Kane County, ILserved from Woodstock and Lake Bluff
• DuPage County, ILserved from Woodstock and Lake Bluff
• Cook County, ILserved from Woodstock and Lake Bluff
• Will County, ILserved from Woodstock and Lake Bluff