Mark Puhlman lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon with his wife Leah. They’ve lived in their 1965 ranch home since 2012. Since moving in, they’ve remodeled almost every room, taking it down to the studs and re-insulating it while they had the walls open. They also added a deck to the backyard.

The old air conditioning unit was under the deck. When it was on, it was very loud and would blow hot air directly onto where they sat, making it uncomfortable. What’s more, the old AC wasn’t doing a good job cooling the home – it struggled to keep up with Oregon’s warming summers.

In 2021, they decided to upgrade their old AC to a heat pump, which also replaced their gas furnace as their primary heating system. They had their existing ductwork cleaned and were able to reuse it. They kept their gas furnace for back up heat, but have found that they rarely need to use it. 

Mark’s home is more comfortable with a heat pump. Not only is it able to consistently cool in the summer, Mark notes that the heat pump temperature feels much more level than the furnace in the winter. 

His advice to others thinking about making the switch: “Don’t wait until your heating system goes out because in an emergency situation, an HVAC contractor is going to want to come in and put in the same thing you had,” he says. He encourages homeowners to be aware of when their equipment nears end of life and to plan ahead.