My husband and I moved our family to South Bend, Indiana, because of an advantageous job opportunity. The significant increase in income allowed us to purchase a sizable piece of property and a home large enough to provide our four kids their own bedrooms. However, relocating from the deep south was quite an adjustment. While the summers are quite warm and somewhat humid, the temperature rarely climbs above eighty-five. The winters are extremely brutal. They are long, freezing cold, snowy and windy. The average snow accumulation is upwards of sixty inches, and the wind chill is downright dangerous. I don’t think I will ever get accustomed to the winter weather. We purchased a house that was outfitted with a forced air furnace to heat the entire house but only window air conditioners. I was not happy with having a window unit blocking the view and destroying curb appeal. Plus, I didn’t like having certain rooms cool and others hot and sticky. When I began researching central air conditioners, I spoke with a local HVAC contractor from South Bend. He recommended that I invest in an electric heat pump. The combination of a heat pump and furnace is called a dual fuel system and provides some major advantages. While the heat pump was a bigger investment than an air conditioner, it supplies both heating and cooling. The heat pump acts like an air conditioner during the summer but reverses operation when the temperature cools off to transfer heat energy indoors. The process is especially energy efficient, making it less expensive to operate than the furnace. When the temperature drops below freezing, the furnace automatically starts up and handles demand for as long as necessary.