Tom and Amy Van Dreser have been in their home in Boulder for 30 years. During that time, they have invested in new insulation for parts of their home and added 600 more square feet of space to the home. Tom has been retired and up until recently, Amy was still working from home, which gave them insight into how much warmer their home felt, “thanks to climate change.” Tom was never keen on getting a swamp cooler, and neither of them wanted to invest in an A/C unit. An energy audit helped them realize that their furnace, which was original to the 1950’s home, was at the end of its life span. Their auditor recommended getting a heat pump, something that Tom had heard of before, so the couple was immediately interested in learning more.
They spent a lot of time doing their research and relied on a neighborhood friend who introduced Tom and Amy to a mechanical engineer. They didn’t quite align on the cost or project parameters, which is what drove them to then talk with Dave Petroy from NTS Energy. Dave was able to provide an in-depth analysis and report, where he laid out everything from the different heat pump brands to heating and HVAC companies. He was able to open their eyes to the different tiers and models for pumps and the level of quality for each. He provided Tom and Amy with a thorough breakdown and gave his honest recommendations.
In May of 2022, using their existing duct work, Tom and Amy installed an efficient air source heat pump through a local, family-owned company, Kappler Mechanical. They also installed a new furnace for backup heating.
